Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

Robin Sloan

Straightpin San Francisco, CA

Born in Illinois. Grew up in Michigan. Learned to write in Florida. Now I live in San Francisco.

I also blog at Snarkmarket (link below) with my pals Tim and Matt.

  1. robinsloan.com
  2. snarkmarket.com
  3. twitter.com

Projects by Robin Sloan (1)

Ks-promo-img2

Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)

by Robin Sloan
I'm writing a detective story set halfway between San Francisco and the internet. And the more people who reserve a copy, the better each one will be!
  398% funded
$13,942.31 pledged
560 backers
successful

Robin Sloan is Backing (19)

Green

"Constellations" by Antarctica Takes It!

by Dylan McKeever
Constellations is the second album by indie-pop outfit, Antarctica Takes It! We need your help to get it released.
  100% funded
$2,004 pledged
60 backers
12 days to go
Picture_152

Andrew vs. The Collective

by Andrew Fitzgerald
I wrote a novel! And I wanted to try a fun way to distribute it. The book is called The Collective. This is Andrew vs. The Collective.
  291% funded
$2,913.12 pledged
98 backers
successful
Coming_and_crying

Coming & Crying: real stories about sex from the other side of the bed

by Melissa Gira Grant and Meaghan O'Connell
A book of stories & photos about sex as it really is: messy, awkward, hilarious, painful, true.
  575% funded
$17,242.79 pledged
647 backers
successful
Revelerny-tedrall172

Comix Journalism: Send Ted Rall Back to Afghanistan to Get the Real Story

by Ted Rall
Cover travel costs for independent cartoonist/war correspondent to travel and live with Afghans. He report from Afghanistan and write a book.
  47% funded
$11,714.95 pledged
136 backers
16 days to go
Wptitled

Publishing "The Word Project"

by Polly M. Law
"The Word Project: Odd & Obscure Words- Illustrated" needs to be published!
  144% funded
$5,744.63 pledged
113 backers
57 hours to go
Bookshelf

Autodidactism 2010: A Student's Summer of Learning and Writing

by Michael Fogleman
Michael, a college student at St. John's College MD, will spend his summer reading, learning, and writing a book about his experiences.
  106% funded
$1,486.13 pledged
25 backers
successful
Img_0045

J. S Bach - Six Suites for Cello Solo, a complete recording by Ovidiu Marinescu

by Ovidiu Marinescu
A year-long project to record all 6 Suites for Cello Solo by J. S Bach along with the digital publication of a new music edition by internationally
  106% funded
$8,337 pledged
82 backers
successful
Brilliant_jonathan_press

Have Sticks Will Travel World Tour

by Jonathan Brilliant
This tour is a marathon series of site-specific installations and artist events taking place in 10 galleries in 3 countries on 2 continents in 1 year
  138% funded
$3,443.38 pledged
73 backers
successful
Kickstart-header2

Tigerbuttah: A Hand-Painted All Ages Story Inspired by Golden Books

by Becky Dreistadt
We're printing a 24-page Golden Book! The book is about Tigerbuttah, a little tiger who doesn't know much about the world. It is 100% hand-painted!
  176% funded
$8,786.93 pledged
259 backers
successful
X07

The 1st Ghetto Biennale in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

by robert peterson
My name is Robert Peterson and I have been selected to participate in the 1st Ghetto Biennale in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in December 2009.
  100% funded
$2,000.92 pledged
50 backers
successful
Kickstarter

Giant Crowd Painting

by Emily Grenader
Be portrayed in a large painting of a crowd made up of the painting's supporters.
  156% funded
$3,116 pledged
36 backers
successful
Poorcraft_title_card2

Poorcraft: A Comic Book Guide to Frugal Urban and Suburban Living!

by IronSpike
Poorcraft means living well on less. I could fill a (comic) book with what I've learned about getting by on an artist's pay and liking it. And I will!
  227% funded
$13,606.31 pledged
693 backers
successful
Fvk_large_1b

Feltron vs Kickstarter

by Charles Adler
An exploration into statistical displays on Kickstarter.com. For this endeavor we're pulling in Nicholas Felton, famed information graphic designer.
  107% funded
$3,222 pledged
131 backers
successful
Kickstart1

Video Game Set in Iran During the Post-Election Riots

by Borut
A game that takes a look at what it was like in Tehran during the post-election riots of this past June.
  20% funded
$2,925.11 pledged
52 backers
no time left
Kickstarter_good_2

Make Dance with Bethany and Lily!

by Lily Sloan
We are Bethany Nelson and Lily Sloan, M.F.A students, and we are making an awesome site-specific, multimedia performance in a bar! Join the fun!
  102% funded
$1,530.37 pledged
38 backers
successful
6456_126669630218_14693100218_3443133_601863_n

Digital Arts Community Center in San Francisco

by Gray Area Foundation for the Arts
Support our grass-roots digital arts center and get discounted music, art, toys, software, and more!
  3% funded
$177.29 pledged
4 backers
canceled
Kickstarterc

Breathing Room

by Polly M. Law
Making art instead of just making the rent; a chance to live up to my work's potential.
  50% funded
$2,255 pledged
32 backers
no time left
Photo_801

LET'S SAIL AROUND THE WORLD !!

by emily richmond
I've got the boat, and I've got the plan. Help me get S/V BOBBIE ready to go around the world!
  102% funded
$8,141.80 pledged
142 backers
successful
Florine_on_vinyl

Florine EP on Vinyl- Limited Edition

by julianna barwick
it would be really fantastic to see the florine ep put on vinyl- especially with the help of friends.
  119% funded
$2,981 pledged
90 backers
successful

Recent Posts by Robin Sloan

  1. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    Wow. Just wow. Congratulations on crossing the finish line: what a cauldron of creativity & problem-solving this has been! Totally amazing to behold. World-wide sky races, internet meme meltdowns, time-hopping love stories... the valley of Gwyndyr. What a journey. Seriously: bravo! Take a break. You've earned at least, like, 2-3 days without writing. ;-)

    "Possibility" - Story #6

    Wow. That was an epic weekend of writing. Two full days of hammering away at my keyboard and then all of last night editing. And this story is, as promised, EPIC!

    As promised/threatened t...

    » View full post

    Project: Andrew vs. The Collective
  2. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    SETTING: The high hills of Terrandar. Here, the Terran horselords stampede from one horizon to the other, through dust and dry grass, their hair tied into tight war-braids threaded w/ the finger-bones of their enemies. It is a harsh land unless you know its secrets: the nectar of the razor-tree, the warning shriek of the were-lizard. Why would you ever come here? To visit the remote cabin of the Witch of the Hills, of course. Her name is Tule; she is one thousand years old; and she knows a very, very important secret.

    Story #6 will be epic

    You're going to have to supply the details, but this is what I can promise you: A young unassuming rural resident will be visited by a mysterious older gray-bearded man possessed of strange and ...

    » View full post

    Project: Andrew vs. The Collective
  3. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    Telomere.

    Submissions for the penultimate story

    I've been trying to figure out what to do with Story #5, the penultimate story (beyond the obvious inclusion of the word "penultimate").

    There are two factors at play - the first being th...

    » View full post

    Project: Andrew vs. The Collective
  4. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    CHARACTER: Camden Grange. People call him Cam. 45, rangy. Wears thick cable-knit sweaters. Thinning sandy-blonde hair. Scary-pale blue eyes—but he's an affable dude. And a velocity artist. His stuff has been shown briefly at the MOMA (falling from the roof) and in a special Louvre-sponsored "moving exhibit" aboard/beside a TVG from Avignon to Paris.

    Story #4 - It's that time!

    Hey all - Story #3 is out there and it seems to be making the rounds. It...

    » View full post

    Project: Andrew vs. The Collective
  5. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    SETTING: the Harvard dorm room where Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook—but it has to be either BEFORE he arrives or AFTER he leaves. Potentially useful detail re: Harvard dorm rooms at top of this post: http://snarkmarket.com/2010/4783

    Story #3 – Send me your input!

    I want to try something a little different with this story. I know no one has submitted any ideas yet, but I already know what I want to write about. I even know what the title is going to be. The ...

    » View full post

    Project: Andrew vs. The Collective
  6. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    SETTING: The blinking, high-tech cockpit of a experimental probe, shrunken down to the size of a blood cell (Innerspace-style), now cruising fast -- maybe a little too fast -- through a wide, whooshing vein on its way to the heart.

    Story #2 - Send me your input!

    My big question this time last week was "Is it possible? Can I really pull this off?" You, the Collective, were sending in submission after submission and they kept getting more difficult! But some...

    » View full post

    Project: Andrew vs. The Collective
  7. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    The story just made me laugh out loud for fifteen minutes straight. Everyone in this coffee shop thinks I'm a spaz. Thanks. And! I just stumbled upon the meta-layer: Writing this story was YOUR Cannonball Run! Hitting all the check-in points in a race against time... wait, did Burt Reynolds read a draft?

    "The Cannonball Run" - Andrew vs. The Collective #1

    Story #1: "The Cannonball Run" is LIVE! It's a long one! You can download a PDF (if you like ...

    » View full post

    Project: Andrew vs. The Collective
  8. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    My setting: the deck of an airship cruising at low altitude through the city of St. Petersburg. (It can be Russia or Florida; up to you.)

    Story #1 - Send me your input!

    So I know, I laid out a schedule that had me asking for your input for stories on Wednesdays. But honestly, I spent this weekend far too relaxed. I am itching to get started. Itching, I tell you! S...

    » View full post

    Project: Andrew vs. The Collective
  9. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    Michael: I know nothing about polyphasic sleep, but I wonder if such an intense sleep experiment might be at odds w/ all the other stuff you're doing -- i.e. piling smart stuff into your brain? In isolation, it seems like an interesting experiment; but to do it at the SAME TIME that you're specifically trying to get your brain firing on all cylinders? Just a thought.

    Experiential Learning

    This post is exclusive to backers.

    Project: Autodidactism 2010: A Student's Summer of Learning and Writing
  10. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    Helen, that is totally awesome! So noted—and however the voting turns out, thanks for offering.

    The final update! Time to cast your votes

    This post is exclusive to backers.

    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  11. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    I'll post the final tallies :-)

    The final update! Time to cast your votes

    This post is exclusive to backers.

    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  12. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    Trust me, I would have gone all Condorcet-approved if Google Docs forms provided the tools ;-) Digital works will be CC; the documentation of physical works will be CC, and the physical works themselves... we shall see!

    The final update! Time to cast your votes

    This post is exclusive to backers.

    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  13. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    Ah, good point: that's an incentive to subscribe at robinsloan.com. I'll announce the winners over there ;-)

    The final update! Time to cast your votes

    This post is exclusive to backers.

    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  14. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    Posted project update #21

    The final update! Time to cast your votes

    This post is exclusive to backers.

    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  15. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    Posted project update #20

    Parties, PDFs, remixes and more

    This is my penultimate Kickstarter update! It begins with one bit of housekeeping. Most of you have gotten your books by now, but:


    1. There are still a few backers who haven't entered their address. It's still not too late to do so if you'd like your book(s). At this point, you should probably email it to me directly: robinsloan at robinsloan dot com.


    2. There are a few people who did enter their address, but who haven't received their book(s). If that's you, and you haven't sent me an email about it yet, please do so! Except for the most far-flung locales, all books should have arrived by now, so if you haven't gotten yours, I'll send another one.


    Okay, now the fun stuff.


    The annual meeting of the Committee to Find and Rescue Annabel Scheme (a.k.a. the book's launch party) happened here in San Francisco just before Christmas. It looked like this:


    the reading


    When you arrived at the party, you were presented with a piece of evidence from Scheme’s collection. They were all dated and tagged in ziploc bags; they were all very strange. Your mission: come up with the story behind the evidence! There was a Narrative Evidence Research Database collection station set up, off to one side of the party, to capture these stories. Here’s just a taste of what people recorded.


    In concert with all this, I released the digital version of the book for all to read. Please, share this with friends who you think might be interested! And if you're a patron-level backer or higher, tell 'em to look for your name in the acknowledgements. There's a version for reading on the screen and a version that's good for printing on 8.5" × 11" paper, too.


    Here's the important part!


    This week I launched the Remix Fund for Annabel Scheme—the Creative Commons catalyst idea that we talked about back in October. My deepest hope is that one of you will have a remix idea that we can fund; please, don't be shy about pitching one. Or if you have a friend who you can enlist, that's wonderful, too.


    The next update is going to the last one, at least for a long while. (Obviously if Annabel Scheme gets made into a movie, I'll let you know.) It will include directions on how to vote for the remix project of your choice, info on what I'm working on next, and some final reflections.


    Most of you reading this have the book in your hands, and many of you have read it, too. I hope you enjoy it. It's just remarkable that we went from vague idea to printed book (and beyond) in about 90 days.


    Happy New Year!

    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  16. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project

    @Ryan: The PDF drops this Friday—I'll send out an update. And/or you can watch robinsloan.com.
    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  17. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project

    @matt: Email me --> robinsloan at robinsloan dot com
    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  18. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project

    @Henri: That. is. so. cool!
    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  19. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project

    Woo! Thanks, guys. So glad you enjoyed it.
    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  20. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    @Lyle: Yep; I'll likely post the PDF on the 19th, maybe a little before. Just want to make sure most of the books have arrived before I do. @Toby: Ha ha, maybe!

    Books in the mail & a party on the books

    Some big, fun news in this update! Mark your calendars if you live in the Bay Area: I'm throwing a book release party on Saturday, December 19. It's going to be at the amazing...

    » View full post

    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  21. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    @Jen: You did! (Pretty sure if the link doesn't appear, you're all set. But if anyone wants to double-check, feel free to email me: robinsloan at robinsloan dot com.)

    Books in the mail & a party on the books

    Some big, fun news in this update! Mark your calendars if you live in the Bay Area: I'm throwing a book release party on Saturday, December 19. It's going to be at the amazing...

    » View full post

    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  22. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    Ha ha, they are NOT hand-bound. 1) I discovered that it would take a REALLY long time to hand-bind 1,000 books; and 2) someone pointed out—correctly, I think—that hand-binding isn't really Scheme's aesthetic. But yes, I did the extra little creative production step myself. :-)

    Books in the mail & a party on the books

    Some big, fun news in this update! Mark your calendars if you live in the Bay Area: I'm throwing a book release party on Saturday, December 19. It's going to be at the amazing...

    » View full post

    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  23. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    I love the group bounce at the end. Ahhh I can't wait to see it in person!

    Sneak Peak

    This post is exclusive to backers.

    Project: Make Dance with Bethany and Lily!
  24. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project

    @Will: Ha! Great teaser. I will definitely write something up along those lines. Feel free to message or email me (robinsloan at robinsloan dot com) if you have specific ideas/questions, too.
    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  25. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project

    Not really a comment on the larger project, but just wanted to mention it: really wonderful video. It totally sold me.
    Project: Have Sticks Will Travel World Tour
  26. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    @mikeho: Ah hahaha. Wow. Well, the tale of Half Life 2 (a terrific video game) is similar -- they scrapped the whole thing and started over because it just wasn't good enough. I guess the point is that that kind of "rewrite" is insanely stressful and expensive... and puts the true cost of fiddling with words (very low) in perspective :-)

    The schedule (and some notes on writing)

    Hey everyone! The project is over, it's a success, and now we are into production mode. A quick note on the schedule, and then some long-promised reflection on writing. But before any of that:<...

    » View full post

    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  27. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project

    @Will: Nope, I have your address! You filled out the info request form, and I see it here in my spreadsheet.
    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  28. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project update

    @Saheli: You know, you're right. What's an editor if not someone who's said: I will sacrifice the experience of reading the finished work in order to help make that finished work better. And of course I did have a small crew of people who made that sacrifice. I just want more brains. :-)

    The schedule (and some notes on writing)

    Hey everyone! The project is over, it's a success, and now we are into production mode. A quick note on the schedule, and then some long-promised reflection on writing. But before any of that:<...

    » View full post

    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  29. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project

    "Gosh, what's with all these @disposableninja.com addresses? Is that like some new stealth startup?"
    Project: Robin writes a book (and you get a copy)
  30. Sloanro-the-sloanyo2

    Robin Sloan
    commented on a project

    Woo! 100%! Way to go!
    Project: Make Dance with Bethany and Lily!