Frequently Asked Questions

• Who can submit stories? We are looking for all stories from the maritime – from any seagoing person, from persons who are intimate with the sea in some way – this includes river sailors, wharf-rats, Military and industrial maritime, and recreational or sport sailing.
• Will my name be published? The short answer is yes. In this book we want to publish 100 stories by 100 known authors, along with their bios. However, we are learning quickly that many authors will not share their stories with their name attached. You may submit an anonymous story with permission for us to publish it anonymously, and we will most likely publish a follow up to this book with either a second book or an accompanying online platform.
• How do I submit a story? The easiest way is to email the story to admin@dirtysailorcompany.com. Though you can use the links at the bottom of this page or even our facebook group “100 Seastories.”
• Will I be paid for my story? No. However, we are encouraging authors to plug themselves or their maritime companies in the brief bio each author will submit on themselves. You could frame this as free advertising if you wish. It’s a win-win.
• What if I change my mind after sending the story?  We will send every author a final draft of their story and their bio before publishing (this project is seeing major delays due to distrations, but it’s still on the back burner – 3/9/2024). We will also send all other unprotected material from the book, before publishing, like pretext material, table of contents, etc.  At that point you will either give us your approval to publish your story or not. We will not use your name or your story without written consent.
• What type of stories will this book include? Authentic. We want authors to submit original and authentic stories. Because we are focusing on recollection, instead of tales or fiction, we suspect many stories will be told in first person narrative. As far as content, they will all be within a setting of the sea – or from the life of a mariner. We have request piling up to submit anonymous stories, which we are collecting for a potential second book, though these stories will not make it into this book. Additionally, many famous mariners have written recollections of their time at sea, which we will included where it makes sense to – theses include stories in the public domain and stories from celebrities.

If you’re interested in this project there are a few steps forward.

• Follow this Website often. If there are any public updates to the progress of this book, it will be here. You can follow manually, or through a social media link. You can also subscribe to our email list, at the bottom of the home page.
• You can contribute to the book itself. We are looking for sea-stories! Mail us an edited sea story that is 6000 words or less and include an additional paragraph on the author (a brief bio that emphasizes your life on the water, that can include plugs to your professional career). You can also make recommendations of authors you’d like to see in this book. If you’d wish to publish a sea story anonymously, we encourage you to send us that story with the a disclaimer that the author must remain anonymous – no anonymous sea story will make it into this book, though those stories may be used on future books or on this website. Send all stories to admin@dirtysailorcompany.com.
• And finally, you can share this page or any other updates to our site or this project. There are social media “share” buttons on many pages on this site. You can also copy the address bar and paste it into your favorite social media platform. Also, contribute or watch this project in real time at our new facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/179767420015345/ .

Tell a Great Story:

Here are a few videos to get the juices flowing…

Phases to Publication:

1) Collect stories and bios from each author (approx 80 to 110).

2) Collect permissions from copyrighted sources (approx 20: Maiden, Delilah, Paul Watson )

3) Compile autobiographical accounts from essential maritime literature (Drake, Dana, London)

4) Cover Designs (with the help of the artist and professor Benjamin Jackson)

5) Organize and Format (Summer 2021 – previously fall of 2020)

6) Seek final permissions from all contributing authors- this will include sending final copies of each author’s bio and story to be approved by that author.

7) In addition, we will be updating this site, with material moving forward, to both keep momentum for existing contributors and to encourage additional seafarers to contribute. We will never publish author’s names or materials without their consent. Sea Stories which do not fit the given mold, including those whose authors wish to be kept anonymous, will not be wasted. These stories will be used potentially on a second or third book in the series this venture may turn into. We want to capture a complete account of the maritime experience, though there must be focus and order to the collection and dissemination process. 

8) Publish “100 Sea Stories by 100 Seafarers” by Summer of Who-Knows-When

As of Jan 29, 2021