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Hello, you are all warmly invited to a conversation about Dragon In The Post, crowd funded publishing, whether that can really be a grass roots publishing model and how to really make it work at my new Facebook page – Stories in The Post. Whether too I am wrong to gripe at the system or at so many free downloads, for instance, during The Light of The White Bear project, but little returned to support the writer behind them and get more work properly out there. It is at least wonderful to know my books were in demand, to the tune of nearly 8000 copies in a week.

The new page is to blog some of Dragon again and really build that grass roots interest, before perhaps launching once more to crowd fund a real book, in the post. As ever it is an important model and doorway to many other projects and not just my own. To artists, writers, journalists and illustrators then, the doors are still wide open at Phoenix Ark Press, so do get in touch here or via Facebook.

The new page can be found by CLICKING HERE

David Clement-Davies May 2014

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It was of course the subtitle of the classic 1964 film satire Dr Strangelove – How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb! Now Phoenix Ark Press adapts it do help others realize they are not alone in the frustrations and problems of the internet. The pretty mirror of Facebook, where often we only seem to be staring at ourselves. How successful we are, how jolly happy, how beautiful or how wonderful our holidays. It is the complexity of books and story that of course allow us the more subtle, far richer human reality. Have digital platforms in fact served us up the classic fairy tale then, The Emperor’s New Clothes? By promising universal democracy, by offering us the impression of being read and heard, by allowing us to pour out our hearts and souls into the ether? Until we realize that few are listening, that our heartfelt words are being coded onto microchips, buzzing away on banks of servers, counted out in word scores on WordPress, while the only people who really benefit are the executives and geeks at the top.

So I’ve decided to stop worrying and hate my blog too, and encourage everyone to tune out and drop in, into paraphrase a 60’s guru! It isn’t true, I don’t exactly hate my blog, but it has not always been the best of friends. If it is obvious that Social Media has many benefits, that first you have to learn how to really use it, and when not to use it, it is also obvious that it has just as many problems and we all might be happier getting a life, interacting with real people, falling in love, having adventures and fun. If we are naturally social and crowd animals it is of course addictive and we find ourselves lost in a virtual world, clicking Like buttons, wanting to be part of something, and that is very often the success stories that had money in the first place to find the platform, like the Huffington Post. It can be deeply invasive too, especially for younger people, and especially out of the horror story of bullying and cruelty online, people need to be warned and protected too. It is not always true we all have to follow, there are exceptions, great success stories, but if it helps come and Like a more sceptical Phoenix Ark blog instead, then stop worrying and go and have some fun in the real world. Pop in now and then too, if you must!

In such vein, and because of the inspirational support especially of younger fans and backers over the Kickstarter Projects on Light of The White Bear and Dragon In The Post, we are beginning to remodel this site and have just put up a new Mission Statement, on the pages above, and a page about Kickstarter too. It is a warm invitation to readers, artists and writers to get very actively involved. It is also an invitation to make it all happen right now by going to the Kickstarter project Dragon In The Post and BACKING THIS PROJECT

I may get grumpy, frightened, upset, sad but I am very inspired by the young and the desire to touch reality again. Thank you.

David Clement-Davies PA PRESS

“Never give another writer your book to review. If I like it, I’ll hate you for it and if I hate it, I’ll hate you too.” Or something of the kind, in the competitive reality of life and art. So Hemmingway tells Gil Pender in Woody Allen’s totally delightful Midnight In Paris, as a modern American author steps into a midnight chiming fairy tale of nostalgia for that seminal artistic world, Paris in the 1920’s. As the chimes strike in the most beautiful and feminine of cities, Pender is whisked away from his monied, Republican nightmare parents-in-law and his ignorant, materialistic fiancée, to mingle with the likes of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Cole Porter, Picasso, Dali and Gertrude Stein and fall in love too.

You have to know a little about the people to catch the wit of all the cameos, Hemmingway’s spare life prose, that once admired brave little boats, Adrian Brodey’s remarkably real “I am Dali!” or Martin Sheen’s brilliantly revolting cultural know-it-all. The charm is everywhere though. Owen Wilson as Pender is of course a more handsome Woody Allen himself, who always sparkles by following his artistic passions and enthusiasms and turning them to story. It has a very simple philosophy, as everyone worth falling in love with, past or present, has their own nostalgic ‘golden age’ longings and Pender finds his meaning and freedom by refusing to tow other’s lines and facing up to the now. So he finds the girl who just likes strolling in the rain.

Since we’re here and right now I rather dislike readers, writers and artists too, until I find the charm again, a book will never even be reviewed if Dragon In The Post doesn’t RECEIVE YOUR BACKING HERE Thank you, and if it doesn’t make it we’ll always have Paris in the rain.

DCD

I actually thought my last post was impossible, that 7000 copies of my books could not have been downloaded within a period of ten days during a failed Kickstarter Campaign on Light of The White Bear. So I wrote to Amazon and have just had this: “I’ve checked and see that you’ve scheduled a free promotion between March 26 to March 31 for your Kindle e-book, ‘The Sight and Fell.’ I see that there were 5228 (includes all marketplaces) Free units sold in during this period.” The figure that in fact nearly reaches 8000 free books downloaded is made up by the ‘sales’ of The Sight and Fell individually too, on their own promotions the week before. IT’S TRUE THEN!

Then I was advised I must stay positive and it is not a wise idea to call my fans ‘inveterate scumbags‘. To be pedantic I didn’t call my readers and fans inveterate scumbags, I do not know who they are, and most especially not the ones I have come to know trying Kickstarter. The people who I know have read and love my novels I find warm, passionate, kind and highly intelligent. The scumbag bit was housed as a question and aimed at readers here, a blog, Phoenix readers, who will read, just as again the visitor figures shot up last night, benefit from free promotions but give nothing back. Even in supermarkets they say the majority of people are honest when they employ those automatic readers and pay. I know a free promotion was my choice, but I did ask people to try and give something back at Kickstarter. Since I put those free promotions into a film, under advice, and over 700 watched that, it is probably where the news most circulated.

I think I would rather give up writing though, which in terms of story I have effectively anyhow, than not be allowed to speak about the awfulness of the culture these days, the plight of writers and artists, the lack of concern at the top, it seems among readers too, and what it is doing both to individuals and society. I think I can be remarkably positive, considering I am losing my home, had my career destroyed by people I loved, to be told by a major editor and my former partner, reaching to the very heights of her ‘philosophy’ that “life is unfair, Dave“, saw honesty and free speech mutilated inside Abrams in New York and perjury openly committed in the Supreme Court too. We do not live in a culture of truth and freedom, although indeed it varies around the world, we live in a culture of cynicism and back room power, where the ‘sales front’ that includes the Shop front window of the internet is even more of a sacred cow. It’s just sad, that’s all, but you get the ‘government’ you deserve, when people do nothing.

David Clement-Davies

You are all invited to the party tonight! It is to say hi, chat, talk strategies and how to spread the word, then kindle a fire around DRAGON IN THE POST. You can support the project right now by CLICKING HERE

But come along on Facebook tonight, at David Clement-Davies and we’ll see if we can really do something new, push through the mindless elements of Facebook and other Social Media and create a grass roots, word of mouth publisher, at Phoenix Ark Press. “Join the Story, become part of the adventure.” The lesson of the world is especially teenage word of mouth support can put a create deal of power in ‘followed hands’ and if we can somehow achieve that, it could be used to generate many brilliant projects, for younger and older readers.

Bring some wine, a cup of tea, your favourite book and let’s just have some fun.

21 Backers, just under £1500 pledged already and now is just the time to “Join the story, become part of the adventure…” So make a Dragon book turn up in the post, in going there now by CLICKING HERE !

We reached the Kickstarter most popular pages too and are high in the Children’s books rankings, while it’s going to be an interesting and somewhat fraught weekend. But with a party at my Facebook page, David Clement-Davies, tomorrow at 6pm London time. You are all most welcome. Do come along and suggest, throw eggs, laugh, have some fun. This is about this publisher, but other people’s talents, ideas and energy and many projects in the wings too:

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Another thank you to that ‘fellowship of the White Bear‘ Kickstarter ‘Street Team’ and an honour roll call here at Phoenix Ark Press, even if you don’t want one, or we didn’t make it!

Kelly B, Cat W, Trais L, Tim B, SJ, Lee C, Dinah P, Sheila R, George B, Alaina B, Amber P, Larysa W, Mathew P, Stephanie J, Tom P, Diane K, Seb M, Piccia N, James G, Martin L-E, Adam W, Yasmin F, Melody K, Darren T, Jonathan T, Jon M, Shawnee A, Cath C, Kate M, Carolena L, Shomit M, Ian B, Robert T, Marci B, Kristen K, Barb B, Eugenia F, Wolfwings, Lance, Naia E, Rebekah G, Sarah H, Linda G, Nancy F, Christina D, Justin A, Thomas B, Lauren S, Charlotte C and, with one in the background, that made 50 and 35% at a first outing! Oh yes, and DCD. Thank you.

I so understand if you are cross or disappointed about Light of the White Bear, and drop out, or only enjoy supporting in the wings. But watch this space too and now, to thank everyone, and at whatever level you pledged, you alone are invited to contribute or to write a short article here, highlighting something you consider important, interesting, unusual. Something that inspires you. It can be a poem, a Cultural Essay, something about work you are doing. Or a kind of ‘Unreported World’, if you like, and I will work with you editing and publishing it here. You audience is rising rather dramatically.

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The Anti-Google Mass Book Digitization Campaign Goes Global
Authors Malcolm Gladwell, J.M. Coetzee, Michael Pollan, Margaret Atwood, Peter Carey Support Lawsuit Against Google’s Theft of Books Through Digitization

New York, NY- Prize-winning authors, international rights organizations, and legal experts Monday joined the Authors Guild in fighting what they call Google’s dangerous and unprecedented violation of copyright law. They filed eight stinging friend-of-the-court briefs in support of the Guild’s appeal in Authors Guild v. Google, agreeing that Judge Denny Chin’s decision in the case should be overturned.

“Google’s ambitions respected no borders,” said Authors Guild president Roxana Robinson. “Millions of copyrighted books by authors from every major country were swept in to Google’s scheme. As the new filings demonstrate, not just authors but also photographers, visual artists, songwriters, and publishers around the world find it particularly galling that a wealthy American company would try to find a way to use their creations for free.”

Authors from Australia, Canada, and South Africa joined one brief, including Margaret Atwood, Thomas Keneally, J.M. Coetzee, Yann Martell, Peter Carey and Michael Frayn. In a separate filing, an array of international rights organizations warned that if this massive expansion of “fair use” is allowed to stand it turns the United States into a rogue nation, in violation of international norms of copyright.

Copyright experts, including Marybeth Peters, Former U.S. Copyright Register, Jon Baumgarten, Former General Counsel, U.S. Copyright Office, and professor Raymond T. Nimmer, filed briefs as well.

American authors Malcolm Gladwell, Michael Pollan, Karen Russell, Ursula K. Le Guin, Ron Larson, Taylor Branch, Tracy Chevalier, Lawrence Hill, Diane McWhorter, Robert Christopherson and Tracy Kidder submitted a brief that highlights how Google has left little room for authors and publishers to develop partnerships and licensing opportunities of their own.

And fifteen U.S. groups, representing textbook authors, songwriters, visual artists, illustrators and photographers, filed briefs of their own. These organizations collectively represent thousands upon thousands of individuals dependent on copyright for their livelihoods. Their conclusion sums up the strong case against Google: “One group cannot simply be allowed to take from creators and give works to the public for free with impunity. This undermines the very purpose of copyright law and ultimately of fair use.”

The Authors Guild first sued Google in 2005, citing “massive copyright infringement” in developing its Google Book Search database. The Guild filed its brief on April 11, 2014 with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit Court in Manhattan.

This is copied from a US Author’s Guild Circular