http://www.darkerpleasures.com/dp_bible.rtf
DARKER PLEASURES – WRITING GUIDELINES AND TERMS OF USE
About Darker Pleasures
Darker Pleasures is a niche fetish site that features stories and
photographs specializing in female bondage with a focus on breast
torture. Our site is intended for those people who either enjoy reading
and seeing breast bondage and torture or who are actively involved in
the BDSM lifestyle. Our audience tends to be well read and educated and
knows a great deal about our subject matter. Quality of work is very
important to us. For that reason, we use high resolution, well-lit
photos, attractive models, and well-written erotic stories. We also
solicit feedback from our members through the use of surveys and forums,
and use this feedback as core material for new stories or to continue
popularly requested stories.
We publish one monthly photo-illustrated story that ranges from 4000 –
6000 words and is matched with several galleries of custom photographs,
a selection of which are that are spaced throughout the story to
illustrate the text. The subject matter of the story provides the theme
around which the photo shoot is centered. In addition to the monthly
feature, we publish several text stories in the same word count range.
Some Defined Terms Used In These Guidelines and Some Explanations
"Darker Pleasures" means Out of the Clouds, d/b/a Darker Pleasures,
which owns and operates a web site business at domain name
www.darkerpleasures.com <http://www.darkerpleasures.com>. Out of the
Clouds will continue to hold all rights granted to Darker Pleasures
despite any changes to domain name www.darkerpleasures.com, the
cessation of business under the name Darker Pleasures or at domain name
www.darkerpleasures.com.
While we take care to renew our domain registration in a timely manner,
we can’t be certain that we will always be able to legally hold
‘www.darkerpleasures.com’. This ensures that all rights stay with the
business that owns the site and don’t cease in the event we either have
to or wish to change the web site domain or the name Darker Pleasures.
"Webmaster" means either the regular webmaster employed by Out of the
Clouds for work on web site(s) it currently owns or may own in the
future, or the owner of Out of the Clouds acting in capacity of
Webmaster.
Even Webmasters get sick or go on vacation. This ensures that dealings
with our writers can continue even in the event of the Webmaster’s
absence.
The Purpose of Our Guidelines and Terms
We hold to honest and fair business practices and quality customer
service. Our business is a difficult one, more so because we balance
not one, but two artistic endeavors – writing and photography, and have
to produce a polished, finished product that will be satisfactory to our
members promptly every month. When we agree to deadlines, those
deadlines have to be met. First, if we don’t produce our updates when
scheduled, we are technically in violation of our contract with our
members (as taken by CCBill). Secondly, if we fail to update, we lose
members, and that means we lose money and a reputation we’ve worked very
hard to build. Thirdly, we often use previews of upcoming stories for
promotional purposes, to let our members know what we have planned for
them. Not using the stories we say we will use looks bad to our members
(and can cause some last minute mad scrambling we would prefer to
avoid.)
Purchase of photo-sets is a significant investment, not only of money,
but also of time. Not only must we find an appropriate model for a
story we wish to shoot, but we must also choose a photographer. At the
very least, we pay the model and the photographer for their work.
Sometimes, we also have to find and purchase props to send to the
photographer for use in the shoot, or pay for costs of an unusual
location, or pay a provider who works with the photographer. We could
do things more cheaply if we chose to go with non-exclusive photos, or
with lesser quality models or photo quality, but we choose not to. It’s
not our intent or even our goal to play with the big boys in the bondage
field; it’s our intent to do an outstanding job in our small niche.
These guidelines and terms are to solely ensure the following:
1. That we don’t end up making the significant expenditure for
photos that we end up not being able to use because we have no story
available.
2. That we don’t end up in a last minute mad scramble to come up
with a story if the writer holding a commission for it bows out at the
last minute. Not only is that nerve-wracking for us, it lessens the
chance that we’ll get a story to use that meets our standards for
publication.
3. That we don’t end up paying someone for product we end up not
receiving, or product that is not publication quality for us. (Sad to
say, we’ve learned that the hard way with models and even so-called
professional photo providers.)
4. That we don’t end up with a story that doesn’t fit the photos
we’ve shot, and be unable to modify the story so that it can be
appropriately illustrated. When published, the story’s illustrations
need to be attractively as well as accurately placed, which sometimes
takes some work to be able to do.
5. That we don’t waste either a writer’s time or ours with
submissions that we can’t use because they don’t fit with what we
publish or we can’t photo-illustrate them.
It has not been, nor ever will be, our practice to deal unfairly with
those who work for us. By the same token, we wish to make certain that
we receive a product that we can use, and receive it in a timely manner;
if our business is to continue as a success, we can do no less. We ask
that the rest of the information listed below be read with this in mind.
Our Story Priorities, Requirements and Tips for Writing
1. Darker Pleasures publishes one full-sized photo-illustrated
story a month. And approximately three text stories a month. While we
may run an additional ‘mini-story’, and/or text stories, there is no
guarantee that we will do so on any given month. Therefore, our first
priority and need will be to purchase stories for illustration which can
be used as a focus for a photo-set. Our second priority will be to
purchase high quality text stories.
2. Those writing for an illustrated story should compose with an
eye towards photography – that is, visualize the scenes that are being
played and write in settings and with individuals that may practically
be photographed. For example, a story requiring three or four models
may be rejected for an illustrated format simply because of the expense
and difficulty of scheduling that many models at once with one
photographer. In the same light, stories involving cutting, piercing,
suspension, and such are more difficult and expensive to shoot, although
not impossible. We recommend that a writer wishing to publish an
illustrated story with us jot down a short note of what props and
materials would be required while shooting the story. If the writer
notices that either the setting and/or props would be difficult to come
by or overly expensive, he/she may wish to revamp the story so that it
is more easily doable. If you have any questions regarding the
practicality of shooting your story idea or torments you wish to use,
please ask the Webmaster.
3. Darker Pleasures reserves the sole right to select and contract
with the models used for a story. Writers may request a certain model
or write with a certain model in mind, but should understand that we in
no way guarantee that this will be the model used for their story. The
models we use are independent contractors, and we have no say over their
schedule and availability (or even, sometimes, if we will actually get
them even if they have been scheduled to shoot for us.)
4. Writers should keep in mind that our subject matter is far from
cut and dried. Despite best efforts, models may not be able to perform
certain torments described in the story, or photographers may not be
able to shoot them successfully. To date, we have never had a story
that has not had to be revised somewhat as a result of what was able to
be shot. Therefore, writers should expect there to be some revision
work involved to better tailor the stories to the pictures we receive,
and that these revisions will be included in the price we pay for the
story.
5. Our standards for our models are very strict, and those who meet
those standards who will do breast torment are limited. We try not to
ask more of them than what they can reasonably give, and never to ask
them to do things that could permanently harm them. While writers are
free to include twists that are not illustrated, they should ensure that
there is enough shootable script in their story that the model can do.
6. The models we hire do bondage, not explicit sex scenes. There’s
no problem at all with including sex and other activity in the story –
just realize that we may not be willing or able to be photograph it.
7. If writing to a set of pictures which has already been shot,
keep continuity in mind. That is, watch for what the model is wearing
and/or doing in various pictures, and try to use the pictures you have
selected to use in an order which makes sense in your story. For
example, if a model is wearing a pair of panties in one picture and a
pair of jeans in the next, account for that in your story, or set the
order of events so that the dress and setting makes sense to the reader.
However, the writer doesn’t need to worry about using a sampling of all
the shots provided. He/she just needs to make sure that the ones
selected flow in a sensible order.
Subject Guidelines
1. The subject(s) of the story must be female.
2. BREAST BONDAGE/TORTURE MUST BE PRIMARY FETISH FOCUS OF THE
STORY.
3. Any graphic (brutal) torture must be with the female character’s
conscious or subconscious consent.
4. Torture and/or bondage predicaments that depict scenes of
permanent mutilation (tattooing or piercing excluded) and/or amputation,
excessive blood play and/or unrealistic and/or overly severe forms of
bondage must be cleared by the webmaster and may not be accepted if
deemed overly graphic.
5. The writers should do adequate research to ensure that the forms
of bondage and/or predicaments used are ones that could reasonably and
believably be used. Resource links are included in the writers’ area
of the site.
6. Stories will not feature characters, settings or situations that
derive from other copyrighted medium. (i.e. no readily identifiable
characters or settings from literature, games, television and/or
movies.)
7. Stories will not feature celebrities, public figures or any
person who may be readily recognized.
8. Stories that have excessive grammatical, punctuation, or
spelling errors may be rejected without review.
9. Stories that do not meet the above criteria will be rejected.
Stories including any of the following topics will be summarily
rejected:
1. Incest (Sex between relatives)
2. Bestiality (Sex with animals)
3. Pedophilia (Sex with children)
4. "Snuff" (The brutal murder of the "victim" solely for the
murder’s sake)
5. Necrophilia (Sex with deceased persons)
In addition, there are other fetishes or practices that, though they
have a following elsewhere, are typically viewed with mixed emotions at
best by the general adult BDSM reader or are out of our particular
niche. As such, these topics should be avoided:
1. Excretory fetishes ("watersports," defecation, vomiting)
2. Foot fetishes
3. Victims over the age of forty
4. Heavily overweight (BBW) or disabled victims
5. Fisting
6. Penetration with non-typical objects (fruits, vegetables, sports
equipment, bottles)
7. Anal penetration
Other forms of torment (spanking, genital, etc.) are acceptable to
further the storyline, but only as a subset of the primary breast
torment and may not detract from the focus of the story.
Writer Scheduling, Deadlines and Access Information
1. Any stories that are scheduled for publication on a particular
month must be in by no later than the first day of that particular
month, unless otherwise approved by the webmaster. (For example, if
your story is scheduled to be posted June 15th, the story would be due
no later than midnight, June 1st, Central Standard Time.) If a story
is contracted in advance, the writer will be expected to meet the
deadline that has been agreed upon by that writer and the Webmaster. We
request that writers not accept commissions if they know they cannot
meet the deadlines, and please keep lines of communication open with the
Webmaster.
2. The Webmaster will keep a list of writers, and as a general
practice, commissions will be offered to the writers in list order. New
writers will be added to the bottom of the list.
3. Darker Pleasures may choose to have a story written by a writer
not on the list. This will be done at the Webmaster’s discretion.
4. The Webmaster may offer a photo-set to a particular writer
without regard to this rotation if, in the Webmaster’s opinion, that
writer has a particular stylistic approach or knowledge base that would
make him/her more suited for a story, or if the Webmaster knows that a
particular writer in the rotation is unavailable for work or will be
unable to produce a story by the necessary deadline.
5. If Darker Pleasures receives photo-sets that have not been shot
for a commissioned story, the commission for an accompanying story may
be offered to the writers on that list. This will be done by list
order, beginning with the writer listed after the writer who accepted
the last commission. [For example, if there are ten writers, Writer No.
5 accepted the previous story commission for an unassigned photo-set,
Writer No. 6 would have the right of first refusal for the commission on
the next unassigned photo-set.] From the time of offer, a writer will
have forty-eight (48) hours to either accept or reject the commission.
Acceptance must be made via e-mail to the Webmaster. If a writer
chooses to refuse a photo-set, the offer goes to the next writer on the
list. If no response is received within that forty-eight (48) hour time
period, the writer will be deemed to have rejected the commission and
the Webmaster may act accordingly.
6. If Darker Pleasures commissions a set of photos based upon a
query submitted by a particular author, that author will get the right
of first refusal to write the story. If the author is unable or
unwilling to complete the story for the pictures, Darker Pleasures
reserves the right to assign the pictures and/or the core idea for the
story to another writer. The writer does not have to be on the list.
7. If a writer fails to meet a deadline to which he/she has agreed,
Darker Pleasures reserves the right to either assign the picture-set for
that commission to another writer and/or cancel the commission, at the
Webmaster’s discretion.
8. If a writer knows well in advance of a potential failure to meet
a deadline, the Webmaster should be notified as soon as possible. In
such event, the story concept and/or picture set may be reassigned to
another writer at the Webmaster’s discretion.
9. Darker Pleasures reserves the right to make suggestions or
requirements for a story to go with particular photo-set. Such
suggestions and/or requirements may include, but will not be limited to,
story length, picture quality or particular torments or themes that may
be requested by members.
10. The Webmaster may grant writers access to the web site for
research purposes, for whatever period of time necessary.
11. Darker Pleasures reserves the right to refuse publication of a
story for any reason the Webmaster sees fit, regardless of its
conformity to the aforementioned guidelines.
12. Final acceptance or rejection of any story will be solely at the
discretion of the Darker Pleasures Webmaster.
Payment, Compensation and Credit
1. Writers that have a story that is accepted for compensatory
publication in Darker Pleasures will be paid at the time the story is
approved, with any and all revisions deemed necessary by the Webmaster,
for final publication on the web site. Payment will be prompt and will
be made with cash via PayPal, unless otherwise requested by the writer
and agreed upon by the Darker Pleasures Webmaster.
a. The rate of monetary payment for a photo-illustrated story will
be 2.5 cents per word up to 5000 words and then it will be 1.5 cents per
word for every word thereafter. (example – The story is to be run as a
feature with a word count of 5000. The writer submits a 6500 word
story. The first 5000 words will be paid at 2.5 cents each, or $125.00;
the remaining 1500 words will be paid at 1.5 cents each, or $22.50, for
a total of $147.50.)
b. The rate of monetary payment for a text story will be 1.5 cents
per word.
c. Darker Pleasures reserves the right to negotiate membership
trade or in-kind agreements with writers upon the request of said writer
and acceptance of terms by the Webmaster and the writer.
2. The author of any story that is published will be given credit
both on the story listing with the photographer’s credit and on any
index pages which list the story.
3. A writer whose story is accepted for publication will be given
free access to the site for the month during which his or her story is
featured.
Terms
4. All writers will be 18 or older, must legally be able to enter
into contracts, and must be able to publish fiction in this genre
without penalty from their state/country of residence. Proof of age may
be required by the webmaster.
5. All contracts and agreements are subject to the laws of the
United States of America.
6. Darker Pleasures will receive all electronic publication rights
to any stories it purchases, regardless of the form of compensation
given to the writer. However, if a writer donates a story and does not
accept compensation of any form from Darker Pleasures for the story, and
the story is published by Darker Pleasures, all publication rights,
including electronic, will remain with the author.
7. Darker Pleasures retains all rights to any stories which are
published on the web site which feature characters and/or concepts
developed by the owners or employees of Darker Pleasures.
8. Rights to publication in media outside of electronic publishing
are held by the writer of a published story, but may not be exercised
for a period of one (1) year after the date the story is published by
Darker Pleasures.
9. Six (6) months after the date a story has been published on the
Darker Pleasures web site, the writer may obtain authorization to
electronically publish the story for non-profit purposes only. Such
purposes may include, but will not be limited to, electronic contest
publications or writing forums. Such authorization will be granted
only by the Webmaster, must be given either via e-mail or in writing,
and will not be unreasonably withheld. When publishing the story in
such a non-profit forum, the author will note that the story was first
published on the Darker Pleasures web site and, if not forbidden by the
rules of the non-profit forum in which the story is to be published,
include the current domain name of Darker Pleasures.
10. Unauthorized publishing or dissemination of stories published by
Darker Pleasures is prohibited. Authorization may be obtained only from
the Webmaster and must be given via e-mail or in writing. Such
authorization will not be unreasonably withheld. Unauthorized
publishing or dissemination of stories published by Darker Pleasures may
result in removal from the writer list and/or legal action as necessary
to protect the interests of Darker Pleasures.
11. Any print or video publication of material published by Darker
Pleasures after the one (1) year will display some form of notice of its
original publication at Darker Pleasures and the domain name, if any,
being used by Darker Pleasures at the time of such print or video
publication. As of July 8, 2002, the current domain name for notice is
www.darkerpleasures.com. If the active domain name for Darker Pleasures
is no longer www.darkerpleasures.com, the writer must obtain an update
of the domain information from the Webmaster prior to such print or
video publication for use in that publication.
12. Acceptance and purchase of a story does not guarantee
publication. The writer will be notified if, for some reason, we are
unable to publish a contracted story. Unless the writer chooses to
fully refund the payment money, the electronic publication rights will
remain the property of Darker Pleasures as noted above.
13. Darker Pleasures reserves the right to schedule or re-schedule
the publication of any purchased story in accordance with the site needs
and member requests. Such scheduling shall be done at the Webmaster’s
sole and absolute discretion, and there is no standard time period, nor
time limit for publication.
14. In accepting a commission, the writer agrees to perform whatever
edits may be required in the Webmaster’s reasonable judgment in order to
make the story elements agree with the photo-set shot purchased by
Darker Pleasures for that story. Such revisions may include, but will
not be limited to, events, event order, descriptions of setting or
characters within the story, or dialogue.
15. Acceptance of a proposal does not guarantee purchase of the
resulting story if the product is not one that Darker Pleasures is able
to have photographed (if an illustrated story is being commissioned), or
if the story as a whole is not suitable for publication. The author
will be given the opportunity to revise the story in accordance with the
Webmaster’s requests. Such offer will be made via e-mail and the author
will have forty-eight (48) hours in which to respond to said offer.
Failure to respond will be deemed a rejection of the offer to revise,
and the Webmaster may act accordingly. If Darker Pleasures has already
unavoidably contracted or paid for a photo-set based upon that story
concept, the Webmaster may, at his discretion, commission another writer
to write the story for the photo-set. Further, if the photo-set
utilized props, model(s), settings and/or particular torments which came
from the proposal submitted by the original writer or if Darker
Pleasures was required to front costs of additional equipment, props,
models or location(s) specifically for that particular shoot in order to
illustrate the story concept, then the core concept may be used as the
basis of the replacement story. Such determination will be made at the
Webmaster’s reasonable discretion.
16. Any site access that may be granted to a writer by the Webmaster
is intended solely for the use of that particular writer. The writer
will not distribute, share, or otherwise allow non-members of the site
to use this benefit. Failure by the author to respect this request will
result in a revocation of this access and may, at the Webmaster’s
discretion, result in the writer being removed from consideration of
story commissions.
17. Writers published in Darker Pleasures may use Darker Pleasures
as a reference for resume purposes. The Webmaster will provide, upon
request, written references for a published writer in good standing upon
written request from that writer. Requests for reference should be sent
to webmaster@d….
18. Darker Pleasures reserves the right to make minor editorial
changes such as grammar, spelling , punctuation, and any changes that
facilitate the placement of photo illustrations within a story which do
not significantly alter the context or meaning of a story without prior
approval from the writer. Time permitting, the Webmaster will solicit
the writer’s approval for changes of this nature prior to publication.
If an editorial change made to facilitate picture placement results in a
word count either higher or lower than that of the originally submitted
story, the word count of the originally submitted story will be used to
calculate payment.
19. Any substantial modifications or alterations of a story not
covered in the previous paragraph will not be published without prior
written consent from the writer.
Acceptance of compensation by Darker Pleasures constitutes acceptance of
these terms and conditions.
Add comment