Those of you who have been reading the blog for a while know we did a fundraiser for Heifer International last year.
For those of you who are new to the game, you can see some of the details HERE.
In a nutshell, I started what I thought would be a little fundraiser, offering prizes and various other incentives to get people to donate. Things quickly spiraled out of control, other people in the Fantasy and Sci-fi publishing world pitched in, and by the end of it we had raised over 100,000 dollars.
Have I mentioned yet that Heifer is my favorite charity? It’s my favorite charity.
So imagine my delight when Heifer’s publication, World Ark, showed up this week and I found this inside:
They’re using us as an example of good fundraising. Go team us!
Seeing this has made me think of several things…
1. My hair looks pretty good in this picture.
2. We still need a good name for the fundraiser.
So far the best we’ve come up with is “Geeks for Goats” or “Worldbuilders Ink.” I kinda like the second one, but it’s punny. (Ink = Inc. Get it? Yeah. Not that funny.) What’s more, the pun makes me wonder if the possessive apostrophe is really appropriate. Should it be “Worldbuilder’s Ink” or maybe even “Worldbuilders’ Ink?”
And as for “Geeks for Goats” well… it’s kind of a silly name. While I’m not opposed to silliness, a fundraiser with a goofy name does not inspire confidence in donors. And we want donors. Many, many donors.
That means we need something clever, catchy, and subject-appropriate. Penny Arcade’s “Child’s Play” is a good example of a this.
3. In a couple months we’ll be starting fundraiser version 2.0. That means….
- If you’re interested in participating, start saving your pennies.
- If you’re going to *raise* money to donate, start gathering your troupes.
- If you’d like to donate something, like signed books, collectibles, or a cool service, drop me a line at paperback.contest (squiggly at thinger) gmail.com.
Last year most of the prizes were Sci-fi and Fantasy books, given out lottery-style. This year, with more time to plan, I think we’ll be auctioning off some specialty stuff as well.
Some of the auction items will be things like signed books and one-of-a-kind manuscripts. Or services like having a pro author read your book and give you feedback.
Don’t get me wrong, we’ll still have the lottery prizes for people that want to donate. But in addition to that we’ll be running auctions for the specialty items: things like, say, getting your name into The Wise Man’s Fear.
So if you have stuff you’d like to donate to the cause, drop me a line. (Not money. That will come later. Right now I’m looking for stuff like signed books, memorabilia, stuff like that we can use as prizes.)
So stay tuned folks. It’s going to be a good time.
pat
P.S. If you have any clever ideas for what we could call the fundraiser, comment below. We’re creative people, right? We should be able to come up with something….
125 Comments
How about
Livestock
Like Woodstock but Livestock
Fantastic Creatures. Or perhaps Fantastic Beasts (a la Rowling).
“One Trick Pony” would be good.
Because that’s what you certainly appear to be.
Why do you have to anonymously be a bastard? If you’re going to be the one to make the ‘steaming pile of poo’ comment that ruins all the good ones, at least have the guts to put a name on it. Jeez!! Man up!
Ahem. Anyway, I disagree with ‘Worldbuilders’ Ink’ I think the word play is funnier if you write it like a real corporation would. ‘Worldbuilders, Ink.’ That way it’s still plural, and it’s formatted the way it would be if it was ‘Inc.’ Hence, the joke. If you make it possessive, I think it ruins the pun.
Anyway, that’s my favorite one. :D
Anonymous, whoever you are, the fact that you called an author who has published one book a “one trick pony” makes me never want to stop making fun of you. You: A) have no taste B) have no grasp of what constitutes a well constructed, witty riposte to a book you apparently disliked C) apparently need a goat of your own, seeing as you’re taking up part of your day to insult an author you do not like (badly), indicating you have little to nothing productive to do.
Also, since you’ve declined to even sign your name, I have decided to name you O.J. Tumpkins. Which is better than you deserve.
Wouldn’t call the Name of the Wind just one trick. When I read it ,it was like 5,000 little brilliant events, some surprising tricks sure, but their were jokes and witty word play. An experience maybe but even that seems to under state it because it was several experiences rolled in one. If you’ve ever wrote something( be it poetry ,short story, Love letter) You can tell the difference between some one writing something and taking time working on something. With most writers you will notice a few nice things in each book that sing out like Kvothe’s lute and make reading the book worth it. This was not just another book. I am not saying its the best book this side of the year 2000 or even my favorite but when you see the talent Pat has and yet can still see the effort he put into perfecting it not once, twice, or even just 100 extra times, it makes me smile.
But then again Pat’s really done with book two its just the semantics with editors that is left. So i doubt any of these comments about wanting it will bother him. And raising 100,000 dollars for a charity is a little bit harder than pulling a rabbit out of your…..A….hat.
“One trick Pony” HAha, trying to imagine a pony doing a trick worthy of the NotW is funny:)
Mine brake dances while changing colors as it recites poetry. Its brake dancing isnt the best but I think it might just be nerves about the poetry, its kind of personal. Wait.. is that just one trick?
-plucky
Actually, I thought Name of the Wind was a fabulous book. It’s one of my favorites and I’ve read literally thousands of books in this genre over many, many years. I’m a fan, but I’m not blind.
My “one trick pony” comment is more of a personal commentary about Pat, and what makes Pat tick. Pat is not a finisher. You can tell that from his umpteen zillion years in college and how he’s approached finishing the second book. Pat gets distracted. Pat likes to smell the roses along the way. Pat is not what you’d call a ‘driven’ person. And finally, deep down, Pat doesn’t really want to grow up and have the responsibilities and stresses of an adult that he must face as a professional writer.
This 2-book series is actually just one book, which Pat finished quite a while ago while he was drifting along at university. I have no doubt the expanded second book will be published and be a resounding success. It’s already done, he’s just expanding and polishing something already completed long ago. I don’t discount his writing talent at all, it’s gigantic. What I doubt is his ability to finish what he starts in any kind of timely way.
This was a work of love for Pat. Polished and polished until it shines with a beautiful literary sheen. He took his time and did it right over year and years. I think the problem that will arise for him is when he has to write another book. One from scratch, under advance contract, with the publisher watching over his shoulder. I don’t think that’s going to go quite so well for him.
I really hope I’m wrong. I’m pulling for Pat because he’s a heck of a nice guy and a great writer when he’s focused. So far though, I’m not seeing a lot that indicates he can cut it as a professional writer. Oh, we may get a book or two from him over the next 10 to 15 years but I think that will be about it. Too bad, really. Just too damn bad.
Man, I was all set to come on and make my usual witty and insightful comments, when I realised that I’m not witty or insightful…Bah!
And, to make matters worse, I smell an armchair psychologist in our midst’s….Double bah!
Anonymous, it was seriously funny though. The whole, ‘yes I like the book very much, but I think Pat’s a bum’ comment was hilarious. It was like shaking his hand and poking his eye at the same time!
It was very Monty Python. I actually thought you might have been using a dead parrot to bang out the words on your keyboard at one point.
What got me the most was the comments about Pat not being a finisher. I bet you Sarah wished he hadn’t “finished” when she had her head down the chunky enjoying her morning sickness for the first time.
Look, as far as the second book goes, it’s at the publishers. Steps are being made to insure that the book will be with us all soon. Therefore, there’s no need to make sarcastic comments that’ll just wind up the regulars. Bar stools will be thrown, and nobody wants to leave here with sugar glass in their eyes. We cool?
Don’t for one-minute think, that the guy that wrote TNOTW, doesn’t have a cupboard full of stories set in the four corners of civilisation. He’s completely obsessive about the tiny details, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he already had his ideas about a number of books after the King Killer Chronicle series is finished.
Pat, and other artists like him, must have a hell of a time putting out their product to the public. Let’s face it; you’re only as good as your last project. If you don’t get to a stage that you’re happy with your work as it stands, you should be allowed time to polish it up. It’s better being a slow finisher than a poor finisher in my eyes. And, as it’s the artists reputation and livelihood at stake, it would be fair to give them the time to bring up their child how they like. It doesn’t affect anybody else’s wallets or well being. They only thing we have to deal with is a bit of waiting. A pretty sweet deal for us, if you ask me.
We are all among friends here, so please pick a name, so that I don’t feel like I’m shouting into the night.
Oh, and when TWMF comes out, I hope Pat takes a good long break to enjoy his new bambino. while he’s doing that, I’ll try and be patient, and try hard not to leave a burning bag of shit on his doorstep.
Yer pal Marky, who likes ya a loat.
P.S Diamond Ducks (just because I’m listening to Bowie while I write this)
WV: Forke – Stick a forke in it pal!
Heifer Wind
The Name of the Heifer
A Book for a Duck
Dollars for Ducks
Bucks for Ducks
Mooola
Quoth the Heifer
More to come as I think of them.
Well said, Marky! *applause*
Oh, and ‘Anonymous’? You seem to have miscounted. The ‘two book series’ will actually be a trilogy. Secondly, the ‘one trick pony’ that is currently out, and the second book by the (already) professional writer Mr. Rothfuss? For all you know, they’re just the barkers outside of the circus tent. Thirdly, as Max pointed out in The Princess Bride, if you rush, you get lousy miracles. Thirdly, any time constraints, and certainly Mr. Rothfuss’ personal life and character, are surely not the concern of you or I. But, I defer to Neil Gaiman, who has put it so eloquently: http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2009/05/entitlement-issues.html
Marky and Gather Scrolls have both said it, but I’ll add my version.
Anonymous:
If you want a grocery-store Harlequin, I can bang one out every three months.
If you want a stock-formula mystery/adventure I can have that through publishing in a year.
However, if that type of writing, the quantity/constant new-release/more-of-the-same type, is your measuring stick for a ‘true professional writer’ I pity you like I pity the people who swear the “Left Behind” books were well-written.
Since you obviously didn’t read much of Pat’s blog, I’ll paraphrase: for every hundred words that make it into the book, Pat writes thousands. It’s not simply holding up production fussing about which word is stronger for the sake of hubris. It is a complete re-envisioning of themes and scenes until they express the story to the quality that Pat demands of himself. It is this quality of dogged perfectionism that made Pat’s first novel so very exceptional. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
We don’t want a juvenile novel that was ‘basically finished a long time ago.’ We want the professional work that shows the time, talent, education, skill, and passion that Pat has amassed over all the years he has put into it and polished with the wisdom of stronger, more mature Pat of today. We want the thousands of words. They beat out the stick figure every time.
I’d say some other choice words of personal commentary about what I’ve seen of YOUR character, but Pat believes I am smarter, funnier, better-looking, altogether a better person than that, and frankly, so do I.
Anonymous: Don’t fall into the depths of pessimism. Even if Pat doesn’t come out with another series…Well, isn’t one magnificently written series enough to be getting on with?
D: Don’t forget we’re also better lovers and generally smell of pie. lol.
Inconspicuously putting my bar stool back down,
Angela
wv: damint – delicious candy only eaten in times of extreme frustration.
I am not sure why anyone hasn’t mentioned this one before:
The Wise Man’s Steer
It references the new book, is punny, but not too over-the-top.
I know this is off topic, but i found a really cool picture of kvothe, haliax and elodin. painted by Sandara on deviantart. Here’s the link http://sandara.deviantart.com/art/kvothe-131052110 just wanted to share it with fellow fans
Fusser’s Ark
Short, references both the source and the cause, light-hearted without being disrespectful.
I like something to do with the Waystone Fund or something along that lines. It sounds nice and professional to anyone who may not have read the book, but makes complete sense to someone who has.
Pat is a grown man and is quite capable of defending himself if he deems necessary. All the pundits trying to explain his reasons for doing things are speaking for someone they most likely don’t know. I was one of Pat’s students at University. He showed up everyday for class and insisted we do the same. He’s definitely a finisher. So let anonymous have his opinions and let Pat respond if he sees fit.
Thank you, anonymous student. We too believe in Pat. Though many of us have not been so fortunate as to have met him in person, we have gotten to know him through his blog.
We also believe in Pat’s ability to defend himself against spurious commentary. However, we believe that he doesn’t, and shouldn’t, have to. Much of what we have been saying here, Pat has already said for himself, and our zeal to put down his detractor is partly because we are offended on Pat’s behalf not only at what was so thoughtlessly said, but because the speaker did not bother to ‘get to know’ Pat through his blog as we have.
It is a weak substitute for a personal relationship, but it doesn’t not prevent us from caring deeply for him and wanting to spare him any discomfort and the onerous chore of repeating himself.
Anon
About what you said about Pat taking his time in college, as proof of him as a non finisher, the fact that he did graduate and become an english professor, makes your statement a fallacy.
As for your other reason why you believe the crap you’re spouting, the delayed second book, you conveniently left out the fact that Pat’s mother died and his father fell ill during the time he was polishing TWMF.
Another thing, has it entered your mind that the experienced Pat had gathered throughout those years had helped or will help him write novels we will enjoy in the future? He has a well spring of knowledge/ideas that I’m sure will prove to be invaluable now that he’s a professional writer. Heck, if writers with as much talent as Goodkind can write books as much as he likes, why do you assume that Pat won’t be able to write novels that’ll blow us away.
I for one thinks that Patrick Rothfuss has the makings of a master storyteller. I know that because he told us, his readers, that we are “clever, sexy and smells like apple pie and are a class above the normal internet rabble”. :)
As to the topic. What Beatrice suggested, WorldBuilders, Ink does looks fantastic.
Fantasy Fanancial
InkWell
How amazing Pat!! First, how amazing that you’ve encouraged people to help Heifer, which, I agree, is one darn splendid charity.
Only slightly more awesome:
on the blackboard behind you…. is that a layout of the University?? Oh how glorious. It would be really, really cool if you posted a sketch of its layout for us “visual learners” who like our information organized that way.
But sweet!!
I vote Bibliophile Money Pile or Nerds for Herds…
“Heifer’s Inkers”
squeee … Heifer is my favorite charity too. I introduced the Read to Feed at my kids elementary school, where’s it’s still going strong.
When you said World-builders, I “heard” Ark-builder since it’s my goal to someday have the $5000 to purchase an ark from Heifer. So, maybe Ark-builder Ink
BTW … hi, i’m a fan-girl from Maryland who read your book in a weekend and then proceeded to tell anyone who listened about it.
Kristen