The John Hancock
Ship of Scoundrels
First Freedom Unlimited was built for veteran voices. That mission does not move. It does not shrink. It does not share the spotlight.
But the Blaine Method — Jack finds the center of gravity; Athena — the non-veteran goddess of warfare and wisdom — forges the chaos into a fortress for his weapon systems — works on any manuscript with a pulse. If you never wore a uniform but your sentences burn with something true, there is a lane for you here. It is called the Ship of Scoundrels. And it is not for everyone.
Three Voices. One Amendment.
The only thing these three quotes have in common is that they are responsible for the reason, the promotion, and the continuation of the American 1st Amendment.
Hence we daily see that when a man goes into the army, he immediately changes not only his dress, but his behavior, his company, his air, his manner of speaking, and that he affects to throw off all appearances of anything that may look like ordinary life and conversations.
— Niccolò Machiavelli, The Art of War
Yes, Nicky wrote a book called The Art of War. He wrote more than that dumb fucking quote in The Prince about not being 'Good'.
Perhaps the sentiments contained in the following pages, are not yet sufficiently fashionable to procure them general favour; a long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom.
— T-Paine, Common Sense
The mutha fucking original. The man who told a king to pack his shit and go home — before it was cool.
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.
— Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing at the Superbowl, Rolling Stone, February 28th 1974
Daddy Gonzo had a lot of fear and loathings. The guy had both Johnny Depp and Bill Murray play him in a movie, and both those legit actors could not nail the level of crazy Hunter got.
Not every hero in America served in the military. Not every heroic action in America was completed by those society would identify as heroes. Not all loud noises are just noise.
Sometimes, the sound of Johnny Cash's guitar hits just as hard as a howitzer. Sometimes, the pen of Harper Lee cuts through tyranny just as powerfully as the sword of Daddy Washington.
Nicky, T-Paine, and Daddy Gonzo were not established elites. Nobody would accuse Machiavelli of having the unwavering moral fortitude of General 'Big Daddy' Washington. Thomas Paine did not appear on American currency like a Ben Franklin. And Hunter S. Thompson is, well, fuck man — the guy had both Johnny Depp and Bill Murray play him in a movie, and both those legit actors couldn't nail the level of crazy Hunter got.
Veterans Built This House.
That Never Changes.
Jack Blaine served. Athena Blaine never wore a uniform — but First Freedom Unlimited considers her the non-veteran goddess of warfare and wisdom, and that is exactly what she brings to every manuscript. The entire reason First Freedom Unlimited exists is that veteran authors were being ignored, talked over, and pushed to the margins by a publishing industry that did not understand their lives or respect their truth.
The veteran voice is the primary message. It is the founding purpose. It is the heartbeat. Every decision at FFU starts with one question: does this serve the veteran authors who trusted us with their stories?
That lane is sacred. It is protected. It is not diluted, expanded, or repackaged to include everyone else. If you are a veteran author, you are the reason this house was built. Full stop.
The Ship of Scoundrels Is Separate
Non-veteran writers do not merge into the veteran stream. They do not claim the same resources, the same focus, or the same sacred space. They run on a parallel track — the Ship of Scoundrels — where the Blaine Method still applies, but the mission is different.
The Ship of Scoundrels exists for one reason: Jack and Athena believe that great writing does not check credentials at the door. Jack finds the center of gravity. Athena — the non-veteran goddess of warfare and wisdom — forges the chaos into a fortress for his weapon systems. If a manuscript has a pulse, they will find it together.
But make no mistake — the veteran lane is the highway. The Ship of Scoundrels is a side road. A real one. A good one. But never the main thoroughfare.
Nerf Herder of the British Empire
Who Decided to Flip the Board and Become the First Damn Punk Rock Hero of ‘Murica!
The First Freedom Unlimited Collection
"John Hancock, Number One Scruffy Looking Nerf Herder"
Oil on canvas, mixed with rebellion and a shrug. Circa 1776 — A Long Time Ago.
John Hancock signed his name so big the King could not miss it. Not because he was showboating — because he wanted the Crown to know exactly who just flipped the table. That is the shrug. That is the energy. That is the Ship of Scoundrels.
Who Belongs on the Ship of Scoundrels
Not every writer fits. Not every writer should. This lane is for the ones who write like they have something to lose.
You Write Like Nobody Is Watching
Your manuscript is raw, unfiltered, and occasionally offensive to polite company. Good. Jack and Athena do not publish polite company. They publish people who say the thing everyone else is afraid to type. Nicky would have approved.
You Challenge the Machine
Whether you are writing about corporate greed, broken institutions, or the quiet hypocrisies of everyday life, your work has teeth. You are not interested in comfort. You are interested in truth — even when it costs you readers, friends, or sleep. T-Paine lost friends over truth. So will you.
You Have Heard No More Times Than Yes
Agents passed. Contests rejected you. Your family asked when you would get a real job. You kept writing anyway. That stubbornness is not a flaw. It is a prerequisite. The Ship of Scoundrels is for writers who outlast the gatekeepers. Hunter heard no for years. Then he changed journalism forever.
You Believe the First Amendment Is a Weapon
Not a shield. Not a slogan. A weapon. You believe free speech means the freedom to make people uncomfortable, to question authority, and to write sentences that land like punches. If that sounds extreme, this is probably not your house. If that sounds like breathing, welcome home.
Your Manuscript Has a Pulse
It might be messy. It might need structural surgery. It might have chapters that make no sense yet. But somewhere in the chaos, there is a heartbeat. A truth. A voice that refuses to be edited into submission. Jack can hear it. Athena — the non-veteran goddess of warfare and wisdom — can shape it. That is all we need.
You Do Not Need Hand-Holding. You Need a Fight.
Jack and Athena will not coddle you. They will challenge your assumptions, rewrite your weak chapters, and tell you when your premise is hollow. Athena — the non-veteran goddess of warfare and wisdom — brings the precision of a general to every editorial campaign. If you want a publisher who nods and smiles, keep shopping. If you want two people who will go to war for your manuscript, you are in the right place.
Essential Ship of Scoundrels Reading List
Before you write a single sentence, read what anger looks like when it finds a pen.
Common Sense
Thomas Paine
A failed business man got pissed at tyranny so he grabbed a pen and told a Divinely Mandated King that he was a jackass – literally – and thus, the King needed to pack his shit and get the fuck out.
Read Free — Open SourceThe Declaration of Independence
Tommy J, with editorial assistance by Big Benny Franks and The Adams Family
Don't read this as some patriotic American – well, not just as a Patriotic American – read it as a poor, struggling, blue collar worker just trying to survive in a world that is designed to make you know that because you were not born a King, then all of Europe says you are lesser. Now read it. Now, do you feel lesser?
Read Free — Open SourceThe Seneca Declaration
Very, Very angry 19th century women who read each word of the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence has the wording, 'All Men are created equal…' and in 1840 the women of American become very angry at this wording, because they knew it was not just wording. So begins their revision. I do not have commentary on this because I have a penis, and I am not sure that the spirits of these women will not haunt me still, they are that pissed. Right or wrong, they got a point and we have the 1st amendment – as a gift and a curse – so if they are shouting, it's in the opinion of this Historian theirs shouts are necessary because 64 years of silence makes an awful lot of noise.
Read Free — Open SourceThe Soul of Black Folk
W.E.B. Du Bois
If rage could be compressed into literary form, it still would not contain how pissed W.E.B. Du Bois is at the state of 'race relations' at the beginning of the 20th century. One of the smartest men to pass through Harvard – okay, I meant that as a compliment – his anger broils over in this work that tries to explain what it was like being black in America in 1900. Again, the 1st Amendment is a gift and a curse, so read and learn what fierceness sounds like in literary form.
Read Free — Open SourceBetter Than Sex
Hunter S. Thompson
Ye Fucking gods! Gonzo Journalism decided to write about the 1992 presidential election, and his conclusion: all American Politicians and pundits are sick, deranged, addicts whose drug of choice is the insane American political machine. Yep, Plato's Republic didn't cover that one when Socrates was hallucinating about shadows in cave. This is a must read to understand American politics.
The Scoundrel's Package
Same founders. Same rigor. Same refusal to compromise. The only difference is the lane you are running in.
The Same Blaine Method
Jack still finds the center of gravity. Athena — the non-veteran goddess of warfare and wisdom — still orders the chaos into structure. Nicky would have recognized the discipline. T-Paine would have recognized the audacity. Hunter would have recognized the refusal to compromise. The process works because great writing is great writing, no matter whose hands bled into the keyboard.
No Gatekeepers. No Velvet Rope.
You will never fill out a form and wait for an intern's verdict. If Jack reads your manuscript and feels a pulse, he calls you. If Athena — the non-veteran goddess of warfare and wisdom — sees a story worth shaping, she shapes it. Decisions are made by founders, not committees. T-Paine did not ask permission to publish Common Sense. You do not need permission either.
Marketing That Matches Your Energy
No beige press releases. No cookie-cutter social posts. Jack maps the campaign terrain. Athena — the non-veteran goddess of warfare and wisdom — streamlines the chaos into a campaign that lands. Together they create campaigns as original as your manuscript — whether that means guerrilla street art, underground zine drops, or a full-scale ARG that makes readers hunt for your story. Nicky understood spectacle. So do we.
Custom Built Bookshelves Still Apply
Your book still belongs in the community. Athena — the non-veteran goddess of warfare and wisdom — still designs the shelf. Jack still negotiates the local partnerships. Your story lands in real spaces — coffee shops, tattoo parlors, dive bars, indie record stores — wherever your readers already gather. Harper Lee did not need a Barnes & Noble display. Neither do you.
One-on-One With the Founders
You sit across from Jack and Athena themselves. Not an associate. Not a reader. The two people who built this house from nothing but a belief that authors deserve better. Athena — the non-veteran goddess of warfare and wisdom — will know your manuscript better than you do — and they will fight for it harder than anyone else ever could. That is the Blaine promise.
Your Story Is the Point
We do not care about your pedigree. We do not care who you know. We care about one thing: does your manuscript have a pulse? If it does, we will find the rhythm together. If it does not, we will tell you the truth — because respect means honesty, and honesty is the only currency that matters. Nicky would have agreed.
From Manuscript to Movement
Four steps. No red tape. No gatekeepers. Just Jack, Athena — the non-veteran goddess of warfare and wisdom — and your manuscript. She forges the chaos into a fortress for his weapon systems. He finds the center of gravity. Together, they make the passage inevitable.
Send the Manuscript
No query letter. No elevator pitch. No LinkedIn bio. Just the work. Attach your manuscript or a substantial excerpt and a single paragraph telling us why you wrote it. That is it. T-Paine did not send a cover letter to the colonies. He just wrote the thing and let it land.
Jack Reads for Pulse
Jack reads the first fifty pages with one question in mind: is there something here that refuses to be ignored? He does not care about polish. He cares about power. If he feels it, he calls you within 48 hours. If he does not, he tells you why — because a man who read Machiavelli at nineteen does not have time to waste your time.
Athena Shapes the Chaos
Athena — the non-veteran goddess of warfare and wisdom — reads your manuscript the way a general reads a battlefield. What holds. What collapses. Where the order begins. She does this before you ever pay a dime — because she will not ask you to commit until she knows she can shape something real. That is the Blaine standard.
The Conversation
You and Jack and Athena — the non-veteran goddess of warfare and wisdom — on a call. No scripts. No sales pitch. Just three people who care about sentences talking about whether yours are worth the fight. If the answer is yes, you become part of the house. If the answer is no, you walk away with more than you had — because Jack and Athena never leave a writer empty-handed. That is the Scoundrel's oath.
"I do not know. I am making this up as I go."
— Dr. Indiana Jones
Jack and Athena read this passage the day they decided to launch the Ship of Scoundrels. If Indiana Jones' reckless brilliance is your energy, you already know where you belong.
Ready to Bring the Fire?
Jack and Athena read every manuscript that crosses their desk. Athena — the non-veteran goddess of warfare and wisdom — reads each one for what holds and what collapses before any conversation begins. They do not promise to say yes. They promise to read it like it matters — because to a writer who bled into every page, it does. If your manuscript has a pulse, send it. If it does not, keep writing until it does.