Vampire Author Auction: Frequently Asked Questions


What are the Author Auctions? And who is Stacie?
. Click Here for a detailed answer to those questions!
. Please also visit This Forum which has several instruction threads for you to review on topics such as payment instructions, registration instructions, etc.


I’m confused, how does this all work?
. It’s easy! These writers are donating their time to Support Stacie. You choose which author you wish to bid on and follow the bidding instructions below.
. If you win, you get to tell the author what you want written. For example, suppose you think Buffy the Vampire Slayer should have ended up in a polygamist relationship with Spike, Angel AND Xander. You’d tell the Buffy the Vampire Slayer fic author to write you THAT story. But be fair, if you bid on an author that says he or she won’t write slash, don’t ask them to write the epic love story between Angel and Xander. The authors' “restrictions” are listed next to their names at the top of each thread. If you have any questions about a story idea, feel free to contact the authors by leaving your question on their auction thread, messaging them on this board, their LJ or their fanfic sites.
. Remember to have FUN with this event! Our hope is that this will be a uniting moment for everyone involved. Get to know one another! Feel free to engage in fun competition with your fellow readers! Trade ideas, interact, and enjoy yourselves on the forum threads! This is for Stacie, but it’s also for YOU!


Which authors are participating in the auction?
Click Here to see the most updated list!


How do I sign up?
All authors must submit the application to SupportStacieAuctions@gmail.com by January 11, 2010 in order to sign up. Auctions are posted by the administrators - NOT by the authors. Additional details are available here.


How long does the auction last?
This is a 69-hour auction. The dates you need to keep in mind are as follows:
. Monday, January 11, 2010: Deadline for [url=url=http://www.supportstacie.com/auction/VampireAuthorAuction.doc]author registration forms[/url] to be submitted
. Friday, January 15, 2010, 11:59pm: Auction opens
. Monday, January 18, 2010, 9:00pm: Auction closes
All times are Central Daylight Time (-6 GMT).


What am I bidding on?
You are bidding on an author. Or, to be specific, you are bidding on that individual's time. You will be issuing a writing challenge to the author, who is committing to a certain amount of time spent responding to your challenge.


How do I bid on an author?
. A step-by-step tutorial is available on This Post.
. Prior to bidding, you need to register for the board.
. When the bidding is open, go to the Author Auction forum (viewforum.php?f=1)
. Open the subforum for the correct auction, then open the thread of the author you wish to bid on
. Click on “Reply” and fill in your bid information. A simple reply stating “I’ll raise the bid to $7” is fine. Any other text is fine, too; feel free to tease your fellow bidders and interact as you wish! Just make sure we know exactly what dollar amount you are bidding.
. If you want to be notified if someone outbids you, click on the button that says “NOTIFY ME WHEN A REPLY IS POSTED.”


What do those symbols next to the thread names mean?
A star indicates that the author has a Special Offer associated with their auction. A flame indicates they have more than one Special Offer.


My favorite author is offering a fic in a fandom I don’t like! Can I ask them to change the fandom in their description?
The authors have listed the specifics about what they are willing to do. You are free to discuss this with the author directly, but we are not able to promise you something other than what is on their description. We are happy with whatever the author wants to do, we just ask that the author post on their thread or contact us if any adjustments are made.


How do I pay?
. Payment Instructions are posted HERE.
. Payment for auctions is preferred via Paypal.com. PayPal accepts credit cards or will make automatic withdrawal from your bank account.
. In the PayPal payment information form write the author’s name, what fandom, and what email the author can reach you at. For Example: “My Screen name is _____. This donation is on behalf of CullensGurlz's auction in the Twilight fandom. She can email me at MyEmail@_____.” Make sure you indicate in your payment information that you are donating on behalf of the AUTHOR; we are not accepting payments for fanfic.
. If you are making a flat donation that is not an auction payment, please stipulate that.
. If you are paying for a Special Offer (like a Runner-Up fic), please stipulate exactly what the author's offer was, or link us to it.
. New this auction: Please mark your payment as a "gift" (vs. goods, services, ebay payment, etc.).
. It is possible (and preferable) to combine payments if you are paying for multiple auctions. Just include a note, or email us separately, to let us know which auctions and what dollar amounts are included in your payment.
. Money Orders are also acceptable; contact us for the mailing address. Please be aware that your fic will not be written until your payment is received and clears the bank.
. If you have any questions or concerns about this please email us at supportstacie@gmail.com.
. Payment is due by February 8th. If a winning bidder fails to pay, the auction automatically defaults to the 2nd place bidder. So if you are the second place bidder in an auction that is important to you, you might want to keep that in mind.
. All payments must be in U.S. Dollars.


How do I organize a group payment?
. Please have one person in the group coordinate the payments by making sure all the individuals involved pay in a timely manner.
. Before you direct those in your group to start sending in payments, please have your group coordinator send us a list of who is paying and what amount each person is paying so that we know what to be watching for.
. Group payments should each be sent through paypal to a different email address: poohbearthe1 at yahoo dot com.
. Please also ask each individual to include a notation with their payment (or email us) indicating which auction the payment is for. If you sign in to Paypal before beginning the payment process, then paypal gives you an option to insert a note with your payment. A note such as, "My screen name is ______. This payment is $10 of $50 for the Twilight auction by ThisAuthor" is very helpful.
. The auction is not marked as "paid" and the author and group coordinator do not receive payment confirmation until the auction is paid IN FULL. However the author and group coordinator are welcome to email us at any stage to confirm the status of the auction's payments.


What happens after I pay?
. Within approximately 24 to 48-hours of when your auction payment is received, you and the author will both get an email from the Support Stacie volunteers stating that the auction has been paid for and providing you each with the other's contact information so that you can discuss the writing challenge. (Authors: Please don't try to contact your winners to discuss their writing prompt until AFTER you get confirmation that they have paid.)
. Within 30 days*(see below), the author should delivery the story (if a one-parter) or the first chapter of the story (if a longer fic) to the designated recipient. For longer stories, you and the author should discuss your expectations about the time frame for the entire story to be completed.
. If for any reason you do not receive your story by the assigned date, please contact us immediately at SupportStacie@gmail.com. If you wait longer than 90 days to contact us, there is little we can do to resolve the issue. Please keep in mind that this is a charity auction run by a handful of volunteers (not a large non-profit organization) with all proceeds going directly toward Stacie (Surname Withheld)'s medical expenses. As such, we do not offer refunds.


* Defining the 30-days
. The 30-day writing period doesn't start until these three things have happened:
1) The winner's donation has been received;
2) Author & Winner have received official confirmation from Support Stacie that the donation was received;
3) A dialogue is started up between the winner and author.
. We've rarely had problems with any of those stages, but let's be clear on this. If the author doesn't get the prompt, they can't start the story. So, the 30-days can't start until the winning bidder gives the author a prompt. (Please don't drag your feet on this, bidders! It's not polite to take too long to decide what you want written.)
. Authors, it is your responsibility to keep in communication with your winner from the moment you know they have paid until they confirm with you that they have received the story. If your muse dies, RL interferes, your computer explodes or some other unforeseen problem occurs which could delay your writing process, you MUST let your winner know AND maintain communication with them until the situation is resolved. No excuses.
. If any problems arise, please contact us immediately at SupportStacie@gmail.com. If you wait longer than 90 days to contact us, there is little we can do to resolve the issue. Please keep in mind that this is a charity auction run by a handful of volunteers (not a large non-profit organization) with all proceeds going directly toward Stacie (Surname Withheld)'s medical expenses. As such, we do not offer refunds.


What happens to the fic after the author sends it to me?
. That depends upon you. This is YOUR story. It’s for your eyes only if you wish, or you can give the author permission to post it on other sites. Authors have been asked to stipulate on their auction thread if one of their requirements is for the story to be publicly posted, though you should still be getting first peek at it.
. We would love it if you or the author would leave a link to the story on this board in the Auction Stories forum, but that's up to you and the author. (We do not host the actual stories on this board.)
. Please take the time to THANK your author! This is a huge investment of their time, and accepting writing prompts in this manner can sometimes be a very difficult writing challenge. Please make sure they know you appreciate their efforts so that they will participate in our auctions again in the future!


None of my favorite authors are listed!
Well, go recruit them! We’re accepting applications through January 11th. After that, go nudge your favorite author and ask them to sign up for the 2010 April Author Auction by emailing supportstacie@gmail.com! In the meantime, you can get into practice now by clicking this DONATE! link. You don’t have to wait for an event to help support Stacie!


How Can I help?
Promote the auction on your LJ, on your Facebook and MySpace pages, on your fandom communities and fanboards, and anywhere else you're comfortable talking about fandom! Remind your friends repeatedly to come bid in the auction, and keep the enthusiasm alive for all 3 days that the auction is open! Join us at the Support Stacie LJ, on Facebook, or on Twitter to keep up with all the latest news!


When is the next auction?
You've heard of Christmas in July? Well, the 2010 April Author Auction is taking place in March this year! Due to some procedures which Stacie will be having in April, we are holding the auction one week early this year: Friday, March 26, 11:59pm through Monday, March 29, 9:00pm CST. Keep an eye on the Support Stacie LJ and website for further details!


Who is "Admin"?
It's not Big Brother! We have multiple volunteers working behind the scenes during the auctions. Those people often vary by auction, depending on who is available. "Admin" is the screen name that our volunteers use to post general announcements, auction threads, and to serve as a general mailbox for any questions you might have. That way there is one easy name you can contact with any questions rather than trying to sort out who is volunteering for which auction. Those of us who serve as admins try to remember to sign our names to any PMs we send you from that inbox so you know which person you've been communicating with, but if we forget to do so, please feel free to speak up and ask who you're talking to!


Still have questions?
Visit the "New To The Auction?" thread, or feel free to email or PM us! General questions go to supportstacie@gmail.com or send a PM to Gioia or Admin.