Guidelines
We Were Crewdogs - Volume IX
Proposal
4 July 2024 - Submission Deadline
Tommy Towery
Writer/Editor/Publisher
Guidelines Used for Past Books
Do you have one or more good bar stories or "there I was at 40,000 feet" tales, but not enough stories, skills, or time to write your own book? Then this is the opportunity for which you've been waiting.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION
Who will be writing the book?
The book will be written by many different contributors. I will write some stories myself and will edit them and see to getting the book published.
What are your qualifications to edit books?
I am a former B-52 EW, having logged flight time in C, D, and F Model aircraft. During Bullet Shot I was assigned to Penetration Aids and was an 8th Air Force Mission Planner at Andersen AFB, Guam. I was grounded for kidney stones during Linebacker II, but worked at the 43rd Bomber Ops as a mission planner for the duration of the campaign. I was qualified as an EW instructor and assigned to Stan-Eval Crew S-01 at Carswell AFB, TX. I logged over 1,600 hours in the B-52 and over 5,000 hours total military time. I retired in 1988 as a Major.
I have a bachelor's degree in Journalism and have been writing seriously for the last 20 years. I have another bachelor's degree in Information Systems Management and have taught many classes at colleges and universities on computer desktop publishing. I have personally written six books, contributed to three others, and have published 21. I have been the editor of The B-52 Stratofortress Association's newsletter since 2018. This will be my ninth book in the Crewdog series and I have learned from each former book. I am also a member of the Military Writers Society of America.
Why are you doing this?
Because people want me to. This is a hobby for me not a profession. With the publication and wide acceptance of the first of the “We Were Crewdogs” series, we have proven that there is a desire for this type of book. We want to preserve the stories about the life we lived.
What's this going to cost me?
Nothing up front. I pay for the publishing myself. You will end up paying (at publisher's cost) for all the books you initially want - at cost plus postage.
What kind of stories are you looking for?
This book will be another collection of stories contributed by various B-52 crewmembers. The stories will endeavor to explain in our own words the life of a BUFF crew member and can include any topic such as alert, crew duties, TDYs, mission planning, peacetime mission, training, or Guam and U-Tapao memories. Desert Storm and later stories are also needed.
I strongly advise anyone considering making a submission to at least look at the content and style of the first books. It is available at Amazon.com.
Authors wishing to submit a story should read the first book and see the type of stories it contained. In looking at the whole concept, the goal of this book is to put down in print something that can be passed on kids and grandkids that explain B-52 service in a way that they can understand.
If you prefer, you can go to Amazon.com and search for "We Were Crewdogs" and read a free sample from some of the books.
Stories are to be “first person” and not just a collection of B-52 facts and figures. It is a story about people, not just the B-52 aircraft. If you want to use someone else’s story, it should be written by you in a first person style, such as “I remember one day that my buddy told me…”
If you want to write three pages of your personal story in standard Microsoft Word settings, that is approximately 2000 words and will cover approximately 5 1/2 pages in the book.
We try to be fair and spread out the inputs to keep any one person from taking up too much space.
I'm not a good writer so why do you want my story?
You may not be a good writer - but I have become a good editor. You come up with the basic facts of the story you want to tell and I'll work with you to mold it into a story that people want to read.
Can I send photos with my story?
Please do. You can include 2 or 3 black and white photos if you like...maybe more, depending upon how much stuff everyone sends. The subject in the photos needs to be large enough to be viewed in a 4” wide image. All photos will be printed in black and white, even if you submit color ones.
What format do you need for the photos?
Photos are printed in the books in black and white. We prefer that all photos be sent electronically. They should be scanned for a size of 6" x 4" and should be between 240-300 dpi. Photos should be saved as JPG flies. DO NOT SUBMIT copies of photos that have been printed on ink jet printers. These are too poor quality to use in the books. If you cannot scan photos to send as attachments, then contact the editor to make arrangements to send in a different manner.
Please identify all the people and crew in the photos if you can.
Who can contribute stories?
The central theme of the book is about the lives and duties of the B-52 crewmembers. For this volume we may accept stories from others associated with the B-52,if space permits and the stories fit the format. The stories should be first-person if possible.
How does the process work?
Basically, all the stories will be submitted to and assembled by the editor. The books are printed by an Internet book printing company - not a publishing company. By doing this there is no need for us to submit it to a publisher for approval, nor is there any financial obligation or print limitations by some place like a “vanity press” publishing service which charges for services like publicity and marketing kits.
How do I submit my story?
We prefer that you submit the story electronically. Microsoft Word is the preferred word processor and we prefer that you use 10 point Times Roman or similiar font. Please do not use extra large font sizes or fancy fonts. Also please avoid using ALL CAPS, BOLD FONTS, and excessive "quotes" and underlines and please no !!!!!!!! excessive exclimation points. Try to use simple straight-forward writing and the editor can make the emphasis areas for you. If you cannot submit it electronically, we will try to work with you. Due to the time and effort required to retype stories into a computer file, hand written stories cannot be accepted at this time.
Will I get paid for my story?
No, not exactly!
But you can buy extra copies and market them yourself at bookstores, websites, gift shops, or eBay.
Profits from the sale of the printed and digital versions will be donated to the B-52 Stratofortress Association to assist in their mission to support the B-52.
Any story submissions to this project will be an indicator of your acceptance to this concept.
Where will the books be sold?
The books will be published and sold internationally by Amazon.com
How much will the books cost me?
The cost of the book depends upon the number of pages in the book. Normally their cost under $5.00 each.
Will I get credit for my contribution?
Each person that has a submitted story of at least 750 words printed in the book will be given credit on the cover and receive a bio inside the book. This will allow you to give or sell the books as “your book.” Writers with smaller contributions can have their name in the title of the story, but will not qualify for their name to be placed on the outside cover or in the bio section.
Each person should submit a small biography of his own wording. (See the first book for examples)
The editor will be identified separately as “Edited by…” on the back cover and inside as well.
What is the timing for publishing the book?
The book will be sent to the printer after all stories are submitted, edited, and formatted.
4 July 2024 - Submission Deadline
Previously, many who wanted to submit stories kept putting off writing them and missed the deadline for submission. Please be aware of that possibility.
As stated above, if we reach the size limit before that date, we reserve the right to stop accepting submissions. If that should happen, we may adjust the timeline accordingly.
NOTE: All stories, bios, photos, and other “book” things must be edited and organized and ready to go to meet this timing. Since the entire book must be ready to go to press and we must know the size and number of copies to be ordered before the cost can be obtained, late submissions will not be accepted. If you cannot complete your submissions by the deadline, then you story cannot be included. There is a domino effect that we discovered with the last book. A late submission means that the cover, the Table of Contents, the size of the chapters, the page numbers and the biographies all have to be redone…it is not just a simple task of inserting a few extra pages.
How do I sign up?
Also, please forward this to anyone who you might think would be interested.
At the beginning of each month a status report will be sent out to the mailing list to inform you of the progress being made and where we stand on the time line.
Here’s looking forward to another great book.
Tommy Towery
