What happens after a book is done?
We will try and get it published. We will post every author's name in the published copies.

How long will it take?
I really have no idea. In some ways, this is a big experiment. I don't know how long the books will be or how they will end.

What happens if a book does get published, who gets the money?
The Novel Tree wants to reward the authors who contribute to any story that gets published and makes a profit. (An author is somebody whose submissions are a part of the published book, not everyone who submits to the story is considered an author, as not all submissions get to be a part of the story)

The Novel Tree will split profits as follows. The Novel Tree gets 50% of the profits and all authors who contributed to the story get to split the other 50%.

Each submission that gets added to the book is worth 1 share of the 50% allocated to the authors whose submissions were added to the story.

For example:

Let's say that a completed story has 250 submissions. It gets published and has a $10,000 profit. $5000 goes to the site and $5000 gets split between the authors. Each addition to the story is worth 1 share. One author could have more than one share.

For instance, let's also say that this same book has 125 authors. Obviously some authors had their submissions added more than once.

For this illustration, each submission would be worth $20.00. (Amount of profit to be shared: 5000, divided by the number of submissions: 250. 5000/250= 20)

Here is a hypothetical breakdown:

An author who has had 5 submissions added to the book gets 5 shares. In this case, that author would be paid $100.

The Novel Tree will also split any royalties (using the above scenario) that come in for a story up to one year from the book's publishing date. We will try to contact each author with the information provided to the web site. The Novel Tree is not obligated to track anyone down. All unclaimed funds will be split between the authors who have been contacted. One year after a book's publishing date, royalties will no longer be paid to the authors of that book.

Important notes:

Submitting to a story does NOT mean you will be rewarded, only those who get added will be included in the sharing of the royalties.

Every submission that gets in the published book gets 1 share. The length of the submission has no bearing on how many shares the author is entitled to.

Why do you get to choose?
Because I thought of the idea for the web site. I don't mean to sound all uppity or anything, but that's the real reason why.

Yeah, but who the heck are you?
I'm Dave.

Um, that is not very helpful. A little more info please? Are you an author or professor or something? What gives you the right to decide what is best?
That is more than one question, but I can handle it. I am a Pulitzer prize winning author and I have also won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Newberry Award and an Emmy. And a Tony. And maybe an Oscar. I am also a professor at Oxford. Wait, ok, none of that is true, although I do have a cousin named Tony. I am a pretty normal guy, actually. I may not be any of those things or have any of those awards, but I do know a good story. If you really want to know about me, see my personal bio page.

Will you always start every book?
No, I don't think so. I would love to see a story just start and see where it goes. We may try this format again, where I start a book and provide a loose plot. It all depends on how the first book goes.

What does the future hold for thenoveltree?
 

1. I want to have multiple books going at the same time. I want to cover the major genres: Drama, Sci-Fi, Adventure, Fantasy and so on. The plan is to only have 6-7 books going at the same time.
2. We are now getting schools involved! Flushing High School will be using the site for one of there English classes. I hope to get other schools involved.
3. If we do get a book published, it would be great if it was made into a movie!
4. We also want to start a screenplay. We will film each added submission and post it on the internet.

Will you always choose the winner?
No. I will have a team of moderators I work with in case I ever need a day off or need a vacation. At other times, I might just pick the top few entries and let the members vote.