WHAT IS THE NEW PARIS CAMP?

THE NEW PARIS COMMUNE is the name our Ship’s Belle gave our  camp. Our writers’ commune. (If you accidentally landed here, you may want to take the door down to the left where the tour begins.)

In April 2022, we’d moored the ship on the Seine so that I could take part in Camp NaNoWriMo. We did have a tent over at the NaNo camp, but there were too many problems with the messaging, so I invited a few people to come back to the ship and camp out on the riverbank with us instead. And here we are…

But New Paris Commune? Isn’t that what the French revolutionaries called themselves? Didn’t they do horrible things?

Yes, it is. And yes, they did. But their dreams were good and they wanted to build a new and better Paris. So do we, but our Paris is a city of the mind. Most of us are indiepub authors, those shameful, despised creatures. We accept our label and embrace it, wearing it with pride like the communards of old wore their scarlet caps. 

We have great dreams, and we are building our own place in this new world where self-publishing is a viable option. We’re building it out of the stories we bring to the world. On our own terms. We are revolutionaries, you see. Writers who have turned our backs on the establishment and the crumbling, cut-throat world of traditional publishing. Together we are building our own citadel of words. One day soon, we may even storm the Bastille.

So, does this mean we are a raging group of left-leaning rebels? No. But kinda yes. We have no stated political or religious leanings or affiliations, but let me put it like this: If you are wearing another type of red cap, favour a certain old book over science, applaud a certain 2022 US high court ruling and believe that vaccinations are about government control, you wouldn’t enjoy our company. 

If, on the other hand, the above makes you cringe and:

• • • You are an adult (over 18!);
    • You are writing with a view to publishing your stories in some form (see FAQ below), or already have published stories out there; and
    • You’d like to be part of an active, supportive writers’ group with a shared platform, 

Then we could potentially be a good fit for you.