Writing a Letter
The composition flow on On The Record - title, recipient, four paragraphs, publish.
Writing an open letter is intentionally tight - four paragraphs, 1000 characters, one recipient. The constraints exist to keep letters short enough to read in one breath and pointed enough to be co-signed without hesitation.
What you provide
| Field | Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Title | 32 characters | What the letter is about, plainly |
| Recipient | One name | Defaults to the campaign recipient, can be overridden |
| Body | 1000 characters, 4 paragraphs max | Your statement |
| Cause | One | The cause that shares in every co-signature. Half of each co-sign goes to it |
There is no formatting toolbar, no images, no attachments. The constraint is the medium.
The flow
Delivery to the recipient
The single most distinctive thing about OTR is that publishing a letter automatically delivers edition #1 to the campaign recipient. They do not have to claim it, sign anything, or even know about On The Record. The letter is on the record, sent, regardless of whether the recipient acknowledges it.
Co-signers then receive editions #2, #3, ... by signing the letter. Each of them keeps a numbered, on-chain copy.
Pricing
You do not set a price - the campaign does. Every letter in the same campaign costs co-signers the same amount. The campaign pre-configures the price; you just write.
Revenue split
Every co-signature is split the same way: half goes to the cause you chose, the artist whose template the letter is written on is paid their royalty, and you keep the remainder. Your share accrues on every co-sign. Publishing the letter itself costs a one-time fee, which is not split.
The figures are frozen into the letter when it is published, and a letter's page shows what it has raised for its cause once there is something to show.
After you publish
Your letter goes to the campaign feed (and to the hub feed). The campaign recipient receives edition #1 automatically. From there, every co-signer receives a numbered edition with their rating and note.