Support Services for Writers - put out a call for candidates to offer services - will need a Cosmos contract as well as a provider contract
Develop templates for contracts
We will need a call that is nuanced and will need to vette candidates
Call for providers of services to writers:
Cosmos Co-op is an artists collective dedicated to supporting the creative production of individuals within a collective space (a commons) with a goal to enabling a rethinking of our planet. The co-op operates in five distinct spheres - as a publisher, as an interaction enabler via its technologies (forums, online discussions, etc), as an education provider, as a collaborative commons for artistic endeavours and as a financial incubator for investors.
At the intersection of its publishing and education activities, the co-op is actively seeking Creative Members interested in offering support services for other creatives (in exchange for monetary or other forms of compensation). These might include, but is not limiited to, book coaching, editorial services, cover art, book design and layout services, promotional services, translation services, video production, and musical composition, among other professional activities along with access to courses and workshops.
Creative Members must be sponsored by existing members - we are not looking for autonomous professionals but rather fellow creatives who see advantage in the collaborative environment offered by the Co-op. We also cap the number of new Creative Members per year - there will be competition! Service providers will need to sign an agreement with the Co-op and will be asked to contribute a proportion of earnings to the Co-op. If interested, please send a CV to xxx, along with a proposal detailiing the nature of the proposed service, its likely duration, its proposed cost, its target clientele and some idea how you will promote the service.
The description of Cosmos can be tweaked. I wrote this on the plane without access to the internet and Cosmos pages.. I just want to get the ball rolling and our collective and creative juices engaged…
We definitely need outreach & to publicize our needs for contract help, and to be as clear as possible about exactly who we’re looking for. Whether it’s hiring for creative talent (of the several categories you list here), or a member manager, or a technology developer, I am looking forward to (in the near term) getting the word out about who we are and who we’re looking for/who’s a good fit!
Perhaps what’s described here need not be framed as a hiring/contract opportunity… it could be that, but it could also nest elegantly within the idea of Roles that Creative Members fulfill (at that minimum of 1 hour per week). Mutual aid (non-transactional) to fellow Creative Members can and does (per current policy) qualify for fulfilling the Role obligation! So: I might offer video production/editing, editorial, graphic design, etc. services to you, Gennifrey… and if you accept my support and it’s not structured as a direct trade/exchange, but is instead an unstructure mutual aid/commons situation, then: I could totally count my efforts as contributing towards my required “how I helped Cosmos this month” role! Like any role, this would need to be reported, validated, etc. but it’s really an elegant option for folks who want to flex their creative muscles while helping their fellows/peers directly.
That said: As more and more Creative Members join us, and may indeed be seeking professional, structured, time-sensitive incubation support for their project, we will need to expand our existing (very nascent) functions of delivering “client services” to those members. That is: let’s say you have a manuscript you want to get published. Either it’s not accepted by Untimely Books, or it is, but UB’s publishing calendar is already booked out by 2 years! Want to get it done sooner? Want to shop it around to other publishers? And have the ability to pay?? Then perhaps you need help like editorial, book layout, graphics, press kit etc. With a proper client services contract in place, Cosmos could probably service your needs by sourcing trusted Creatives from within our ranks, who’d be compensated to help you. …Now, I say all this because: Client Services is not fully developed conceptually as a service offering in Cosmos yet—but I expect will get increasing attention across the next several months. And so while Cosmos might not directly hire or license out (like an agency) creative contractors, what it might want to do is pool talent (Creative Members or non-, with specific skill sets & openness to contract) that could be attached and deployed to specific project-based contracts originating between one of our Creative Members, and Cosmos.
That’s all I have to add for now. Let’s keep developing this!