SB> А такой девайс, как CD-ROM у него есть? Или компа у него тоже не имеется?
SB> :)
Дык он уникум...Смотрит сидюк на свет и считывает невооруженным глазом
информацию...:)
SB> Hасколько я знаю, CD с энциклопедией Клюта есть у Макса Качелкина,
SB> 5020/185. Сообщаю об этом в эхе -- может, кого еще это заинтересует.
Дык я про "на продажу" имел в виду...
Тем не менее спасибо за внимание к моей мессажке...
Connect you later,
sincerely
MasterWill.
. . .
Сражение == метод развязывания зубами политического
узла, если его не удалось развязать языком. (c) Амброз
Бирс
--- Алтын-Бабай 2.50+
* Origin: тонко ограненный, хранящий тайну темных руд... (2:5020/269.27)
Д [17] RU.SF.NEWS (2:463/2.5) ДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДД RU.SF.NEWS Д
Msg : 61 of 164
From : Serge Berezhnoy 2:5030/207.2 .ят 23 .ев 96 00:44
To : All
Subj : DF/HWW NEWS 2/22/96 (1/2)
ДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДДД
.SPLIT: 23 Feb 96 12:42:50 @5030/207 0 01/02 +++++++++++
.Newsgroups: ru.sf.news
.Subject: DF/HWW NEWS 2/22/96 (1/2)
.Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 00:44:03 +0000
.X-Newsreader: GoldED 2.50+
DARK FICTION/HORROR WRITERS WORKSHOP NEWSLETTER
02.22.96
Vol. 3, Issue 8
=================================================
::HOW TO START A HORROR ZINE. . .and WHY::
When I set this topic up, I had no idea that by the time it came around that
I'd be needing the advice myself. But, as you darklings know from last week,
I'm now editing a new start up horror magazine from CFD Productions: BONES.
Hey, I have plenty of questions!
Last year was abysmal for horror magazines. The closest thing the genre has
to professional magazine, CEMETERY DANCE, published no issues. Even at it's
height it sold only about 6000 copies. I'm not entirely sure on my figures
here, but I think DEATHREALM produced 3 issues, DEAD OF NIGHT the same (and
announced that they would no longer attempt a quarterly schedule.) WORLDS OF
FANTASY AND HORROR, which supposedly has a circulation of 6000 had only a
single issue, ELDRITCH TALES, CRANK! and MIDNIGHT GRAFFITI also managed only
one issue. THE URBANITE, SPACE AND TIME, and INTO THE DARKNESS each published
two issues, the Australian BLOODSONGS, three. WICKED MYSTIC, which never
committed to a quarterly schedule, came out with a sole issue, but came close
to selling out it's printing of 5,000 issues. PULPHOUSE (which just announced
it's demise) managed two issues for it's 4200 circulation, one a quirky
Jesus-themed issue. ABERRATIONS once again produced 12 issues, however.
Even established professional SF magazines hit a nadir. The oldest SF
magazine, AMAZING, ceased publication after 68 years. ABORIGINAL SF died
although a return this year is promised. OMNI cut back to a quarterly and
electronic status and has now dropped print commitment entirely.
Circulation for the survivors hit all time lows -- ANALOG down to 64,000 from
a high of around 110,000 back in 1983, ASIMOV'S dropped from similar heights
of a dozen years ago to 54,000. FANTASY AND SCIENCE FICTION had a paid
circulation of close to 69,000 in 1991, in 1995 held onto it's 1994 figures
of around 51,500.
All magazines were hit last year with skyrocketing paper costs, rising
postage rates, fewer and fewer independent distributors and a huge drop in
the "stamp" subscription business. (These are subscriptions initiated by
firms like Publishers Clearing House mailings.)
Small press magazines, never solid enterprises, disappeared in droves, but
that is not particularly unusual. New ones also popped up.
Why, in Cthulu's name, would anyone want to try to publish a horror magazine?
Aside from ego, let's cite altruistic reasons because it is obvious no one is
making much, if any, money from this. People have a vision or want to
showcase what they feel is worthy fiction. Whatever the reasons, you
obviously have to be relatively insane to even try it.
This week in the live AOL workshop chat, we'll find out not only "why" but
"how" to start a magazine. I look at it as a public service: Maybe it will
keep dangerously crazed people occupied editing magazines instead of out on
the streets in the general population.
I've invited several interesting, if mad, editors to join us:
Mark Rainey - DEATHREALM editor, who has managed to keep publishing for about
10 years now.
Andre Scheluchin - who has produced WICKED MYSTIC, in one form or another,
since 1990
David Barnett - editor of INTO THE DARKNESS which with it's fifth issue will
just now be reaching more than a couple of thousand readers.
Pamela Hazelton - LACUNAE editor, who is building circulation, but lost an
entire issue to acts of the weather gods.
John Platt - the still very small press zine, WHITE KNUCKLES, editor
Meg Thompson - the name behind chapbook publisher Preternatural Productions
who is launching BLOOD & MIDNIGHT, a new magazine, this year
G. Keith Burgin - an untried editor who's new TWISTED is slated to appear
this summer
Anyone else -- publishers, past editors, current editors -- anyone crazy
enough to know something about this topic is also invited to show up this
Sunday Night at 10:30 PM ET in the Writers Workshop (Keyword: WCChat
>>Writers Workshop,) along with darklings eager to find out more, for a round
table discussion of *Why and How to Start A Horror Magazine.*
======================================
HORROR HOME ON AOL UPDATE
Forget everything I said about it last week. As exciting a concept as it may
be, it's not going to happen, at least not for now. After a great deal of
angst and some discussion with a number of folks, I realized that this was
not the time for me to attempt establishing an area here in Writers Club.
Most of the reasons involved were personal ones, but I was also influenced by
some solid wisdom from some darklings.
One thing that I was reminded of was just how important *freebies* are to
horror writers. It's not a sense of greed that compels most of us to limit
our spending on something like an online service, it's simply lack of money.
This is a genre that often costs us more than we can hope to earn, even for
fairly well "established" writers.
AOL is not set up to offer limited access to specific areas like GEnie and
Compuserve. It, therefore, does not give groups any type of discount to
attract them here. Instead, it focuses on content, ease of use, a sense of
community and service to recruit members. (Who are we to say they are wrong?
They are now, with 5 millions members, the largest of all the commercial
services. I guess the approach works.)
Horror already has a home on AOL here within the Dark Fiction/Horror Writers
Workshop. I'll continue with it and the newsletter and seek more ways to
improve both.
Yes, I think an entire horror area, or even a limited one, would be a plus.
But until that happens, there are several things we can do to give us more of
a base. Most of it is up to you darklings .
1) The Horror Message Boards in the SF area are pretty much a zero. However,
did you know this workshop has it's own folder on a board here in Writer's
Club? It's pretty exclusive because it's well-hidden. I even forget where the
damn thing is. Start posting, debating and using it if you like bbs. You can
find it by using keyword: Writers>> Message Boards>>Club News and Updates>>
Dark Fiction Horror Writers. There's no reason to set aside more bbs unless
we use the folder we have now.
2) The genre horror area of the Writers Club has yet to be developed. If
anyone would like to volunteer to work on it, they can contact me.
3) Keep me updated on anything you know going on in horror. The newsletter's
weekly service can keep not only you on AOL informed, but our growing number
of internet subscribers. To my thinking this is a tremendous advantage -- to
not be oriented to just one service, but networked to anyone with email.
Frankly, out Net list is growing three or four times faster now than our AOL
one.
True, to get all the benefits of the DF/HWW you need to be on AOL and I
strongly recommend it. But if you are in a geographical location or financial
situation that precludes this, the mailing list and access to the web site
(http://w3.gwis.com/~prlg) is the next best thing.
4) Don't just forward the newsletter if you enjoy it. Get people to subscribe
to the email list. This gives me a better idea of who we are serving and how
to improve service. If you are in a newsgroup or other email group that has
members that might enjoy this, post about us.
5) If you like AOL, let others know what you feel are the advantages.
6) Give me suggestions, as always!
===================
NEWS & NETWORKING
PULPHOUSE has folded. They're supposed to release #19, which is at press,
are paying kill fees to writers, and refunding subscriptions. There is a
possibility that another magazine may fulfill remaining subscriptions. Editor
Dean Wesley Smith has been quoted as saying he will be devoting more time to
writing series novels and his golf game.
-------------------
Joe Morey, contrary to at-the time-accurate information I provided last
Thursday, says the Small Press Genre Association is not folding, and they are
not being "absorbed" by Horrors magazine. Instead, they are becoming the
"Genre Writer's Association" and Horrors will be a service of that
association. The GWA will be run as a "for profit" business as opposed to a
non profit organization. Morey's Dark Regions Press will be doing the
publishing of their newsletter/ tabloid and they will continue to provide
services to authors and publishers that they have in the past.
------------------
The Horror Writers Association has announced the content of this year's
preliminary ballot for the Bram Stoker Awards. This is the PRELIMINARY ballot
-- two rounds of voting by HWA's Active membership remain before the awards
are presented. (I have attached a copy of this ballot to this issue for your
darkling edification.)
------------------
The HWA Banquet has been set for the Warwick Hotel in NYC on June 7 and 8,
1996. Guest speaker at the banquet will be the president and founder of TOR
Books, Tom Doherty. According to HWA vice president, Robert Weinberg, "Some
interesting stuff (is) in the works for this year's banquet and it should be
a fun weekend for everyone who can attend." (Non-members may attend; write
to HWA, P.O. Box 423, Oak Forest IL 60452 for more information.)
------------
DARK DELICACIES, publishers of the 1996 Horror Writer's Calendar, have made
good on their promise to send HWA a $2.00 Hardship Fund donation for each
calendar sold. HWA recently received a check for $250 from them,
representing sales of approximately half the stock.
Plenty of the calendars are still for sale and there's enough of 1996 left to
make it worth acquiring one!)
The Dark Delicacies folks are soliciting suggestions for their 1997 calendar
project. Send all communication to:
DARK DELICACIES
3725 W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
---------------
Anyone interested in starting or being in a Stephen King discussion mailing
list e-mail collum@acomp.usf.edu
---------------
ONLINE NEWS: Sears is selling it's 50% interest in Prodigy, the third largest
commercial service. Analysts feel that it may not recoup it's $500 million
investment. IBM holds the other 50% and has yet to decide whether to acquire
Sears' interest or shed its own . H&R Block will be spinning off Compuserve
in the next year. AOL is in talks with Netscape concerning an alliance. GEnie
is already under new ownership.
--------------
After the interview with and guest appearance by John Shirley, he has
