An invitation to write for The Smoking Banana

Here is an e-mail I recieved 18 June 2007.
From "Johnny Johnson"


Dear Mr Knudsen,

I am a reader of humorous blogs and very much enjoy your one.

This autumn, I am publishing a blog letter for distribution to universities in the UK. I have already selected 4 bloggers for the paper version, but am looking for 2 other bloggers for the electronic version to be downloaded from our website. These 2 other bloggers would be given the freedom to write content too strong for the paper version. They would be be advertised on the paper version.

Would you be interested in writing articles for the electronic version? You would be free to use material from your archives that isn't topical. Or you could write topical items especially for the blog letter.

The blog letter will be called 'The Smoking Banana'. Ten issues will be published from October to May, so you would need to produce 10 articles of 400-550 words. If you go to 550 there won't be room for a picture.

To give you an idea of what it will look like, I have attached a trial front page.

I look forward to hearing from you

Yours sincerely

Johnny Johnson

A strange invitation, it leaves you wondering just what is in it for them that they are not saying, my first instincts were to avoid this but then I have this thing about being fearless and wanted to see where it lead too. I couldn't see it being a good idea that would make money, a news letter with blogs? it sounds like someones ego needs to be stroked a bit.