... now with 35% more arrogance!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

E-Zine Update

I've been thinking (and working) on the e-zine project I mentioned long ago, and since I notice that page is getting some hits, I should maybe update. I'd planned on putting out an e-zine sometime in the summer and a second one right about... now. But I ran into a snag or two, one being "should I charge for it?" and the other being "what should the content be?"

The question of whether the zine should be free or pay was affected by a couple things. For one, I didn't feel comfortable charging for something that would just be a small amount of content (10-20 pages) and not an actual professional quality product. For another, I don't have a business license; sure, I could just charge under the table or set up a tip jar, but that just seems like a whole lot of hassle and risk.

The content question was even bigger. I didn't like where my first plan for content was going, so I started over a couple times. Then I came up with a new plan I liked, renamed the monster product "The Last-Minute Menagerie", and kind of resolved (or at least postponed) the fee issue.

The way I'm seeing it now, there will eventually be a print product that I will charge for. It will be a compilation of two or three zines, plus about the same amount of new material, plus illustrations and supporting material, all arranged in what I think is a clever little way that makes it useful as a print product. The zines will be free and may only be sparsely illustrated.

There will probably be a teaser monster sometime this month, but I have no schedule for the zines.

3 comments:

  1. E-zines tend not to be professional quality because they're fan made. By the community, for the community. If you charge a few dollars, people won't mind!

    Will you be taking submissions?

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    Replies
    1. Not at this time, mostly because there are already a couple zines out there that accept submissions (Fight On!, And, Oubliette, etc.) I'm not setting out to fill that niche, at least not at this time.

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  2. Sounds promising. Free zines will also probably be good promotion for the print product.

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