May 1st 2008!
I know I have been promising this for a long time now, but a great many things have happened in the interim to slow this project down a bit. However, I am now ready to proceed and the text is entering its final stages of revising for publication. So now, I want to pass on a couple of details and get this contest rolling!

To begin with, I want to share with you the intent of this contest. Here in Denver there is a local radio station that does an annual fundraiser for the Children’s Hospital and I am always so tight on my budget that I am never able to contribute anything. However, I always force myself to listen to the telethon for its entire 36 hours because I know that facility has been there for me when I was young, and more recently for my own children as well.

So, I would like to start off this contest by saying that ALL proceeds (that’s 100% of the profit from all books sold) will be donated to the Denver, Colorado Children’s Hospital. It may amount to $25, or it could be $1,000,000 (wouldn’t THAT be cool?), but either way, all proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the hospital, so please, participate with the knowledge that we are helping kids and their families through some potentially trying times.

Alright, that having been said, here’s the deal. Beginning today, May 1st 2008, I am accepting art submissions for one full color cover and nine (9) black and white chapter header images for the Jumah’s World: A Tale From Kalijor novella. Submissions will be accepted through the month of May with the final submission deadline being 11:59:59pm MDT, May 31st, 2008.

I am afraid that, unless any interested parties wish to sign on as prize contributors, the best I am offering in the way of prizes is a free copy of the finished book, and the knowledge that your artwork is not only in a published book, but going to help children in need!

Judging will be performed in two rounds beginning on June 1st. The first round will be myself and a panel of others that know my writing and will be able to identify which pieces are in keeping with the theme/spirit of each chapter or the whole work. Together we will select the five (5) pieces that best represent the chapter they are submitted for, or the book as a whole. After that, the selected finalists will be displayed here and on my website at WWW.KALIJOR.COM where you, the community will vote for the winning pieces. The first round of judging will be finished, and the finalists posted by Wednesday, June 4th. Community judging of finalists will be closed at 11:59:59pm MDT, Saturday, June 14th. Winners will be notified on Sunday, June 15th.

After winners are selected and notified, the art will be laid out, added to the book and submitted for publishing at my expense. The process typically takes 2 to 4 weeks for proofs to be made, sent out, approved and then accepted as final so the publishing date should be around mid July somewhere.

Submit as often as you like and in as many areas as you like, but in order to involve the entire community I must insist that any single individual can only be featured in one place in (or on) the book, so keep your submissions to the area you most want to see your work appear. All work must be rated PG-13 in order to stand any chance of being published with this piece. All submissions shall be submitted to me via posting in your own gallery and sending me a note so that I can add a link to the contest update page. Finalists will need to forward high-resolution digital files to me via email so that they can be compiled and displayed in my gallery and on my web page at WWW.KALIJOR.COM for final community voting.

Ok, that’s the basic run-down of the rules. Please see the bottom of this post for more detailed information on sizes/specifications for submitted images. Here you will find links to the individual chapters of the story (bear in mind that these are not the final, edited, copies, but the story is complete and cohesive enough that we can proceed without fear of any severe changes). I have intentionally been vague with details about settings, people, and things in order to allow you, the community, to express the world as you see it in your mind’s eye. This is a community project so I want it to be reflective of the community more than my own personal vision.

Jumah’s World Volume I
Jumah’s World Volume II
Jumah’s World Volume III
Jumah’s World Volume IV
Jumah’s World Volume V
Jumah’s World Volume VI
Jumah’s World Volume VII
Jumah’s World Volume VIII
Jumah’s World Epilogue

Cover Image:
The final cover image size is 12.4” X 9.25” (31.47cm X 23.49cm) and the focus of the image (the cover of the book) will be on the RIGHTMOST 6.125” X 9.25” (15.6cm X 23.49cm). The background or ancillary image area will wrap around the spine and the back cover of the book. This image will be in full, high-gloss color and you should allow for an area approximately 3” X 3” (7.62cm X 7.62cm) to be partially covered by the book’s title within the cover area. The cover art should be in keeping with the spirit of the story and characters within and must be rated PG-13 in order to be considered for publication.

Interior/Chapter Heading Images:
Interior art shall be black and white and shall not exceed 4” X 4” (10.16cm X 10.16cm) in area (or can be submitted in any square size above that with the understanding that it will be reduced to approximately 4X4 which may result in the loss of detail). Each piece must be in keeping with the spirit of the contents of the individual chapter for which it is submitted, and must be rated PG-13 in order to be considered for publication.

Legal stuff. By submitting art to this contest you are affirming that A) the art is your original work and not legally spoken for by any other party or entity and that it is legally available for publication and B) that you are forfeiting your own right to any form of compensation, monetary or otherwise, for this piece of art as it relates to the publication of this piece of written fiction. You the artist still retain the full, legal copyright to the piece of art but are hereby releasing myself (Paul Lell) and my organization (Kalijor Press) from any legal responsibility to compensate you monetarily, or in any other way, for any sales of this book or any other media (whether printed, digital, or in any other form heretofore known or unknown) related to or derived from this book or its sales. I the author am hereby bound to release all profits generated directly through sales of this work to the Children’s Hospital in Aurora, Colorado on a quarterly basis, in perpetuity. I the author also reserve the right to use this book and all associated works of art in the promotion of my other books and am not legally obligated to compensate any of the participating artists in any way for any monetary or other gains that result from said promotions.