sponsorship levels
Every single person, group, or business who sponsors me will have their name placed on the Sponsors page linking to their own site.1 Sponsors at the Sentence level (up to 249 words) will receive a text link only. Sponsors at the Paragraph level and above (250 words or more) will receive a banner listing. Your listing will appear in the section of the page reserved for sponsors of your level, so the more words you sponsor, the higher up the page your listing will be. The Top 10 sponsors will also have their names placed on the Top 10 list that appears on each page of the site.
Additionally, sponsors at the Paragraph level and above (250 words or more) will have their banner featured in the three sponsor boxes that appear at the top of each page on the site. Sponsor banners will rotate through these boxes, so your banner will appear multiple times throughout the day. The more words you buy, the longer your banner will be placed in rotation, as described below.
Book Sponsor (25000 words or more)
You or a person of your choosing will get to be a supporting character in one of my novels, either the one featured on this site or a later one. The character will be of my choosing, but I will work with you to come up with something that represents you or your chosen person so that your “role” is as satisfying as possible within the framework of my story. Please note that the character must be yourself or someone from whom you can obtain permission for the use of name and descriptive likeness. It can’t be George Clooney (unless you happen to be George Clooney or are friends with him) and it can’t be the ex you want to see killed off in a novel (unless you can get permission from your ex). Donors choosing this option will be asked to sign a release form, so be sure whomever you choose for the honor of appearing in print will be okay with it.
Banner listing in the Book section of the Sponsors page linking to a website of your choosing1.
Your banner will appear in rotation in the three sponsor boxes that appear on each page of the site for the duration of the site.
Ten (10) autographed first editions of the finished book upon publication.2
Chapter Sponsor (10000 - 24999 words)
Banner listing in the Chapter section of the Sponsors page linking to a website of your choosing1.
Your banner will appear in rotation in the three sponsor boxes that appear on each page of the site for one (1) year.
Five (5) autographed first editions of the finished book upon publication.2
Page Sponsor (2500 - 9999 words)
Banner listing in the Page section of the Sponsors page linking to a website of your choosing1.
Your banner will appear in rotation in the three sponsor boxes that appear on each page of the site for six (6) months.
Three (3) autographed first editions of the finished book upon publication.2
Paragraph Sponsor (250 - 2499 words)
Banner listing in the Paragraph section of the Sponsors page linking to a website of your choosing.1
Your banner will appear in rotation in the three sponsor boxes that appear on each page of the site for three (3) months.
Sentence Sponsor (1 - 249 words)
Listing (text only) in the Sentence section of the Sponsors page linking to a website of your choosing.1
Notes
1Please note that while I strongly support freedom of speech, I will not link to any site that promotes intolerance based on race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or pretty much anything else. I will accept sponsorship from political groups (Hey, Hillary, do you hear me?) and from issue-oriented sites that have a particular point of view, as long as the sites do not promote intolerance of those with differing views. If you are unsure of whether your sponsorship is appropriate for this project, please feel free to to discuss it. I reserve the right to reject or refund any sponsorship if I feel the content of the linked site is inappropriate.
2Conditional, of course, upon the book being bought for publication.
what is this?
dollaraword.com is an attempt to start a discussion about what art—and artists—are worth in our increasingly media-focused society. Award-winning author Michael Thomas Ford will write a novel as he is sponsored, at a dollar a word, to keep telling the story. Proceeds from the project will go to help other writers in financial need. For more information about Mike and the project, read the faq, read the blog, or contact Mike.