Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Wouldn't a duck race for writers be great?

Where I used to live, there was an annual duck race every summer to raise funds for a local charity. You'd buy a duck with a number on it, and on race day thousands upon thousands of ducks would be released into the river, drawing a massive crowd that followed their progress downstream to the finish line. The first duck to cross the line won.

Everyone had an equal shot. There were no special hurdles that had to be cleared. Just pay $25, get yourself a duck, and off you'd go.

Wouldn't it be nice if there was a duck race for writers? Conceptually, there would be one race for each genre (science fiction ducks over here, romance ducks over there, thrillers in the corner, etc.) You'd have the opportunity to buy one duck for every completed novel you want to enter (no WIPs or premises for novels that haven't yet been written).

The ducks for each genre would then get tossed into a river and everyone would elbow their way to the finish line to see which book had won.

Those books, in turn, would be given the full backing of a publishing house for a minimum of sixty days. No profit/loss statement required. For two months, your novel would be given full co-op placement in all book stores, receive ad placement in the best magazines for your genre's intended target audience. You'd gear up and do an exhaustive list of radio spots, morning talk shows, etc.

Would any of them become bestsellers? Who knows, but I'm guessing it'd be as entertaining as any of the reality shows you see on television.

And the best part? The money raised could go towards supporting writers with talent who can't afford to attend writers conferences, retreats, university, etc., fostering good literature for the future.

Yup, I like the duck race idea. Move over American Idol!

19 comments:

Adam said...

I'd tune in to watch that race.
I like the idea of a bunch of artistic, overly-sensitive, dramatic writers elbowing their way to the finish line on live television.

Now that'd be funny!

Larramie said...

Uh-oh, this is scary, Holly, as I had your last sentence written in my head before reading it. *G*

Wendy Roberts said...

OMG Holly you crack me up! I LOVE this idea. I guess I'm quacked up, like you ha ha.

The Anti-Wife said...

I'm quackers for that idea. Love it.

Anonymous said...

Line up those ducks!

I'm sure I can cobble together a full manuscript before the race.

Ramona said...

This is such a neat idea!
You should call the creators of American Idol to pitch the idea. Betcha they'd consider it.

Spy Scribbler said...

ROFL! That would be great! At least until they started fighting over genre definitions and which book goes where these days, LOL.

Nadine said...

Great idea!

I wonder though how many writers would need medical aid by the time they elbowed their way to the finish line! LOL

ORION said...

hey I wanna duck!
That's really a fun sounding idea.
(For a minute i didn't look at the photo and I thought they were doing it with LIVE ducks and I wondered how they got them all to cooperate LOL)

Anonymous said...

Tee-hee! Can you imagine
how excited the LUCKY DUCK who wins the race would be?!!
I crack myself up.

Travis Erwin said...

Love the idea but what happens if the book isn't all it is quacked up to be?

Victoria said...

I'd be a freeeeeeking nervous wreck if I had a duck in that race. See what Travis above me said?! What if my book is crappola and I don't find out until I'm publicly flattened by a buncha of readers ON AIR!!

Tyhitia Green said...

LOL. I wonder how it would end? Good one! :*)

Anonymous said...

Funny! But you know what?
It really would be an entertaining process to watch (good book or bad book? Can the machine behind it make it a bestseller?)

Trish Ryan said...

I'd buy a duck. But I'm saving my pennies for THE SILVER COMPASS :)

Jess Riley said...

I totally wish there was an American Idol for writers!!! Maybe we could pitch this to PBS?

Anonymous said...

Why do Thriller Ducks have to be in the corner?

Holly Kennedy said...

Andy -- Cuz "thriller ducks" usually have knives and guns and weapons hidden in their feathers. Comes with the genre. YOU know that!

Mix 'em in with romance and soon all the women would be sleeping with all the men, who'd suddenly find so much love in their hearts there'd be no more need for thriller killers. LOL

Melissa Amateis said...

LOVE it!