FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs) SHEET FOR THE EAST ANGLIAN AIR AMBULANCE FUNDRAISING BOOK OF INSPIRATIONAL STORIES
Here are some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) in connection with the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) fundraising book of Inspirational Stories. Please read these FAQs and confirm you understand and accept them when you sign your Submission & Permission to Publish Form.
What is the title and subtitle of the EAAA fundraising book?
Ordinary People, Extraordinary Experiences
True Stories of Resilience, Kindness and Everyday Courage – Supporting the East Anglian Air Ambulance
Do I need to be a writer to submit a story?
No. All selected stories will be edited professionally.
Will I retain copyright?
Yes. You will retain copyright of your story.
Can I use a pseudonym?
Yes. You can add a pseudonym on your submission form, but this cannot be identical to or easily confused with a famous person, celebrity or other author.
How ‘true’ does the story have to be?
It should basically be a true story, but please change names and other details that might enable someone in the story to be identified.
Will I be paid?
No. This is a charitable fundraising project. But if your story is selected for the EAAA book, you can say you are a published author. You will receive a digital copy which you can duplicate and use as you wish.
Can I submit a story if I do not live in East Anglia?
Yes. Submissions are welcomed from anywhere in England.
Does the story have to be about the East Anglian Air Ambulance?
No. The story should be about you or an experience you have had, and NOT about the Air Ambulance.
What kind of stories are you looking for?
Perhaps you have experienced a moment of unexpected kindness from a stranger during a difficult time. You may have witnessed an act of courage or resilience shown by a family member or friend or within your community. Have you gained personal insight during a journey, with your family, or while on holiday that changed your perspective? Maybe your story shows compassion that reminds us of our shared humanity.
Will people relate to my experience?
Some readers are likely to empathise with you because they have had a similar experience. Other readers will relish delving into a story which tells them something new.
Does my story have to have a happy ending?
A happy ending is not essential, but it can help make the reader empathise with you.
What makes a story truly inspiring?
Maybe it was a heart-warming or life-changing event. It could be a moment of insight, resilience, kindness or positive action, possibly handling an emergency with courage or bravery, or it can be a hopeful story about overcoming adversity.
Does it have to feature a ‘learned experience’? An inspirational story may draw on the goodness of the human spirit. It could perhaps show how an individual moved from ‘what happened’ to how an event changed their perspective, behaviour or understanding. It may contain an ‘Aha!’ moment, or a challenge to the storyteller’s existing beliefs, and how they did things differently afterwards.
Is my story good enough to publish?
Many inspirational stories show how the author was changed by their experience, giving a core message that the reader can take away.Sometimes there can be a compassionate force that drives an individual towards altruism, or maybe the storyteller experiences the kindness of strangers, leaving the reader feeling positive.
What story format is best?
The ideal is to catch the reader’s attention right at the beginning, possibly by giving them at the outset a taste of what is to come, but remember “beginning, middle and end” works best.
What if my story is universal?
Your story may be reiterating a universal truth or a set of circumstances with which the reader can be in tune. Such tales are likely to enable to reader to identify with you.
Can I submit more than one story?
Yes, but each story must be original, previously unpublished and be accompanied by its own copy of the Submission & Permission to Publish document and the FAQs document, duly signed to confirm that you are complying with this project’s guidelines.
What about privacy and protection of my personal data?
Your personal data will be handled in accordance with GDPR and will be used only for managing your submission, contacting you, and publishing the Book.
Will I receive a copy of the book?
Yes, you will be sent a digital copy of the book when it is published.
What happens if my story is not selected?
We will let you know by email.
Please contact us via eaaabook@gmail.com for any queries