Calling All Kilted Guys...

© Marie-Lan Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY 2.5

Greetings! I am in the process of putting together a book about kilts and the men who wear them, to be published sometime in 2022, (the original plan was 2021, but then... a pandemic happened!). My hope is to include photos and short interviews with lots of kilt-wearing guys from around the world. If you happen to be someone who wears a kilt, (either occasionally or on a regular basis),  and you would like to be included in the book, please read on!

What is the process to be included in the book?

It’s pretty simple. You send an e-mail to KiltBook@gmail.com, saying you’d like to participate in the book. You will then be sent a link to a short questionnaire, which will ask you a series of questions about your kilt-wearing experience. You will also be asked to send in a photo of yourself in a kilt, (up to 5 photos, if you’d like. But 1 is enough).

If you’re chosen to be included in the book, (and, chances are very good you will be. I’m trying to include as many folks as possible), you will then be asked to sign and return to me a short Release Form, which will legally allow me to use your interview and photos in the book.

That’s the short description of the process. Below are a bunch of more detailed questions & answers you may have about participating in the book. Please read through them, and once you’re ready to proceed, send me that inquiry e-mail at KiltBook@gmail.com, and we’ll get started!

Q: Who is publishing the book?

A: Sugar Maple Press, a small publishing company I created in partnership with Amazon through which I’ve already published 12 books, (my “day job” is being a comics illustrator/writer). I’m very happy with the quality of the books I’ve published through Sugar Maple Press so far, and because of my deal with Amazon, the book is guaranteed to be immediately available for sale on Amazon and through major distribution channels once it is published.

© Richard Murray

Q: Do the “kilt photos” that people submit for the book need to be a specific size and/or format?

A: This is actually very important. Any photos you submit for use in the book need to be as high quality as possible, in terms of resolution. What does that mean? Essentially, it comes down to size. Very small photos, though they may look acceptable on your computer screen or on a phone, don’t usually translate well to print. Also, “blowing them up” to a larger size in photoshop or some other program doesn’t really help the situation. They need to be large from the beginning, (from when you take them). If you can set the pixel size on your camera or phone when you take the photo, you need to set it for large/high pixel photos.

If all of this seems too hopelessly high-tech for you, don’t despair. What you can do is send me the pics you have, and I’ll see if they’re workable or not. And if they’re not, we can move forward from there and figure something out. We'll make it work. Here are several more guidelines for any photos you choose to send:

• Please send full-length photos. We want to see you in your full kilted outfit!
• Please do not send "selfie-type" photos of you taking your pic in a mirror with a cell-phone in your hand. If you need to take the pic of yourself, that's fine... but use a tripod or other self-timing device, (without using a mirror!). Mirror pics with cell-phone in hand is not a good look!
• Make sure it's just you in the pic. If there are other people in the pic, even in the background, that can be a problem, as everyone included in the book needs to sign a model-release form. 
• And one more thing about photos... any photos you send for inclusion in the book need to be photos you own the copyright to. That means, if they were taken by someone else, especially by a professional photographer, you need to check with them to make sure you have the rights to those photos.

Q: Am I too old / too heavy / too skinny / not the right heritage / ethnic background / sexual orientation / etc, etc to be included in the book?

A: The book is called "Kilted Men of the World". (At least, that is the working title for now!). And that means, everyone is welcome to participate in this book. I am eager to have men from all countries, all backgrounds, all body-types, all ages, (as long as you're over 18, that is). So, please... don't let any of these self-imposed categories concern you. In addition, this is not only for guys who wear the "traditional" tartan kilt. Guys who wear utili-kilts, leather kilts, cargo kilts, and other variations & modern designs are encouraged to participate. This book will be a celebration of all kinds of kilted men, and you're very welcome to be a part of it!

Q: Will I be paid for participating in the book?

A: I would really love to be able to pay all participants, however… because this is a small, independently produced labor-of-love project… and also, because I am hoping to include lots of guys in this book, (possibly hundreds!), there’s no way I can afford to pay all those people who participate. Please consider this as you would a newspaper or magazine article… newspaper reporters don’t pay the folks they interview to answer some questions. However, you will get a chance at the end of the interview questions to give a short plug to your website or other online media account of yours. So, you will get a bit of free advertising out of the deal, which ain't bad!

Q: Will I get a free copy of the book for participating?

A: See answer above. With potentially hundreds of guys participating in this… and between the cost of the books and shipping fees and all… it would be impossible to send out free copies to everyone. However, the person who gets chosen to appear on the front cover of the book will get 5 free copies of the book!

Q: Sounds good... how do I begin?

© Greg Fox

A: Send an e-mail to me at KiltBook@gmail.com with "Kilt Book" in the subject line, with 1 to 5 photos of you in your kilt,  and I'll send you a link to the questionnaire, so you can answer the questions.  (Please keep in mind that I won't be able to use the photos and your interview until you sign & return to me a Release Form for that, but we'll worry about that in the second step of the process). For now, send me that initial e-mail to get you started on the questionnaire. Also, please look at this sample page of questions and answers that I filled out by clicking here. This will give you an idea of roughly how long your answers should be. (Try to keep it brief... if your answers are too extensive, they may be edited down to a more printable length).