It turns out you should make a book about it.

What is all this about?

If the image above alarms, surprises, or baffles you then you should stop immediately and learn the truth that BIG BANANA doesn't want you to know.

Okay yes I am enlightened, but what is specifically this all about?

Oh. Well. I want to make a book. 

Or really, I'd like us to make a book. 

Wait, like, a real book with words and pictures and such?

Yes! A real book! Specifically an anthology of all the best ways to peel a banana, with each method illustrated by members of our community!

As a rough example: 

Anthology?

Anthology (n): A collection of literary (or artistic) works that is significantly harder to coordinate than say, a regular book, but also showcases a wide range of talent and styles! 

Don't things like books cost money to make?

They sure do! There are the obvious printing and publishing costs, but there's also shipping/distribution, taxes and some legal fees, and most importantly paying the artists for their hard work! 

So who is paying for this? 

Hahaha. What a fun question! Well, as with most things in the twenty-teens the answer is CROWDFUNDING. $u$

This project is in very early stages. At the time of me writing this, you have already seen the extent of the rough work done for the book. The book makin' flow will look something like this:

• Step 1. BTP gets too much time on his hands and gets really psyched about a hypothetical project.
  
• Step 2. The idea is bounced around some community members and is not shot down outright.
  
• Step 3. We try and drum up community support and get some contributors (writers/illustrators) to join the project. <--- YOU ARE HERE
  
• Step 4. Artists and writers are approved as contributors and some honest real deal legal documents are drafted up and signed. 
  
• Step 4.5. Further design notes are made, rough drafts and page structures are flushed out and the team agrees on the expected format of the book.
  
• Step 5. We take our polished idea and ask the good denizens of the world wide web to give us money to make it!
  
• Step 6. We don't get the money, and we're not angry, just disappointed. (GO BACK 3 SPACES)
  
• Step 6 (shiny edition). We get the money! Maybe even more! Artists can start their work knowing they'll be paid! Money exchanges hands, pages get formatted, illustrations come in and backers get lots of little email updates on the progress of things. 
  
• Step 7. We continue editing the book because really this is the longest part. But it's getting ready and those good book smells are wafting through the air. 
  
• Step 8. YOU GET A BOOK! (and if you paid for one: A physical book too!) Enjoy your newly minted compendium of Eagle-Time art and banana knowledge! 
  

I am excited and have no further questions!

Oh wow! That's great! Go continue to be excited! Maybe post some in the banana thread, or in this thread about how excited you are! Let people know about this great book we're trying to make! 

I am skeptical and have many questions!

Yeah, that's what I expected. I'll try to answer some here, but if I don't get to all of them, ask me in the thread! Or you can message me on discondor or PM me through the forum!

Honest real deal legal documents make me nervous. Do we really need them?

Actually the purpose of the legal documents is to make people less nervous. This isn't like the terms of service you fill out when installing software or signing up for social media. There are very specific and clear goals that are meant to be written out in unambiguous language. Things like, who owns the art in the book, or who can sell the book and how do I get paid for my work. The legal documents are meant for everyone to know exactly what the expectations are and to make sure that no one person gets an unfair advantage over anyone else. If you're thinking that you'd like to contribute, or have concerns for the people who do contribute go ahead and ask! 

How much would writers or illustrators get paid for contributing?*

So first off! I don't intend to use anything from the banana thread without the express permission form and attribution to the author of that post. However, because of the short quip-like nature of the writing, writers who agree to allow their work to be used won't receive any upfront payment. They would be considered "contributors" and (depending on the circumstances) could receive a free physical copy of the book, or be allowed to print/purchase the book "at cost" depending on the amount of their contribution. 

As for our illustrators, non-artists (like myself) chronically underestimate what is a fair amount to pay for professional illustrations. My current estimates have ranged from $35 to $65 per illustration, and I can't put down a hard number here. Factors like "how much time do we expect the artists to work on these pieces?" "Will the book be in color?" "Is simple line art all we need?" all need to be considered and answered. Some artists use methods that are fundamentally more time consuming than others, should they be paid more as a result? Every dollar more we pay our artists is a hundred dollars more we have to ask from our backers, so we have to strike a fair balance. 

If you are an artist, and want to contribute, let me know what you would normally charge! It will help me hammer out the actual numbers that go into the contracts, and if what you charge is more than what we're comfortable trying to crowdsource, that's okay! If all goes well, we'll have more resources to call on you if we do another project!

Keep in mind, that for all illustrators, in addition to being compensated for their drawings, they still retain non-exclusive rights to their work. Meaning the artist owns their work and can reproduce it however they want, while other contributors can only reproduce the artist's work in the context of the anthology. Artists are also able to print/purchase the book "at cost" to sell at conventions, or on their websites, or even local bookstores. 

*Note: This is the "current plan" but could change depending on the circumstances or appearance of "better ideas" as we move into Step 4. 

What are your goals/stretch goals/reward tiers for the kickstarter/crowdfuning?

Heck if I know. We're at Step 3 people. Drum up that support! What tiers/rewards would you like to see?

I want this book, but I don't have ANY MONEY. Help plz. 

Actually! The current plan is, if we get funded, to make the ebook version free! Everyone deserves to see these good tips, and Eagle-Time has been good-art and paywall free since its inception. No reason that should change now. 

I'd love to do an art! Sign me up!

Sweet! If you can, send me a preliminary message either here or on discord with the following:

1. That you're interested in contributing to the book
2. A link to samples of your work (maybe a tumblr, instragram, webpage, or scans of images) 
3. What you normally charge for illustrations, or would like to charge. 
4. If there are any particular "banana peeling" methods you'd like to illustrate. I can't guarantee a particular post will be in the book, but I will certainly give it priority if you like it. 

Also, let me know if you are under 18. Being under 18 doesn't mean you can't contribute, but it does require some extra paperwork. 

I'll be looking for artists for a while and I can't promise to include every artist in the book. So, unfortunately nothing is official until that Step 4 paperwork is all squared away. 

Do you really think we can pull this off?

 :Excuse me I have to take this call.

 : Hello? Oh yes? Really? Wow that is incredible. From the future you say! It both looks and feels great? Oh new book smell, huh? Most prized possession? That's wonderful. Oh don't worry of course I'll let them know. Uh huh. No. Thank you.

 :I think we're going to be just fine. 

so, to clarify, your suggestion on the correct way to unpeel a banana is to rigorously study it and form a network of banana-scientists from around the world to publish a book and then open the peel of the banana as one would peel the pages of a book?

brilliant, take my money