Think-y things about zines and fic and all

[byslantedlight]

Wandering around lj as you do, I came across some interesting discussions/thoughts about zines and fic and different types of access to such things, and I'm all curious now about what Pros-y people think about them, so... I thought I'd post here! Plus, coffee-break! Plus, I'm in a very think-y Pros-y mood this week, what with all the brilliant discussions etc going on at the moment. So here's another one! *g*

There's a poll here, which asks an interesting question: If I was to take all my fanfic off the internet, and offer it in downloadable e-zine form instead, available for $20 (US$ I presume, so about £14 at today's exchange rate) - would you buy it?. It's not specific to the poll-er, it's a hypothetical question - if people did that, would other people spend money on it?

There actually are sites offering downloadable Prosfic zines, which is all fab and good because I love the Oblique zines that are available online to print if I want, and I like having the Dialj Bound zines on my shelves ready to pull off and read while curled up in bed (little bairns that they are... *g*), but other people are charging money for downloadable zines (you have to click on "The Professionals" in the sidebar to see the Pros zines in question - some are downloadable, some aren't), which strikes me as a little different to selling/"distributing" paper zines, because there's presumably no overhead to letting people download a zine - at least no more than anyone else in Pros/fandom pays for their internet connections... *g* So where does that US$8.00 go? What are people actually paying that distributor for doing? Cos isn't the whole point that distributors of fandom don't actually make any profit from it, cos that would be illegal? Do the authors see any of that money? Artists? Wouldn't that be illegal too? Isn't it going against the whole spirit of fandom for distributors/publishers/authors etc to do that?

I can go with the idea that paper zine publishers are paying for printing etc costs (although... well, never mind that now, it's a whole other controversial discussion!) and that it would cost someone to print out a zine, and besides it's fab to have the cover and the art and the binding, and that's what the publisher has done for us - put it all together (presumably they don't get paid for this bit, that's fannish love like the rest of us) and had it printed and bound (the bit that they have to pay a professional printer for and thus are charging us for). But putting a fic/zine up online, which alot of people do for free - why are they charging for that? And in the case that I've linked to above, I don't believe that you can print off the e-zine even if you do pay for it, because they're security protected only to be available on screen. So..?

I dunno - what do other people think of this? Is there a difference between distributing things via paper publication and via e-fic publication? How are the authors affected by this (are any of you reading this? *g*)? I know there's at least one zine being sold at that website that I've hoped might "time out" and come online one day, because I really can't afford full-priced zines very often, but if it's now available for download, then will that ever happen? Did the authors give permission for their zines to be sold as downloads? What's going on..?

Obviously this must be happening in a much broader context in other fandoms, people charging money for downloadable fic, or else the poll presumably wouldn't have arisen, but... is this really the next trend? Just a glitch? Do people think it's okay?

And I know this is all a bit meta, so I'm pressing Post with due trepidation since I'm not locking this yet, but... I am curious about what people think in general...

Comments

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I think the publisher had to purchase some kind of security software to ensure that only people with permission got access to the download site
Hmmn - but isn't that just the same as me having to purchase Word for Windows in order to write fic (which actually I can't afford to do, so I'm struggling along on Open Office, which is free and commendable, but a bloody bugger in many important ways), or Dreamweaver in order to run my fannish website, or a vidder to buy decent vidding software... Why does the publisher feel that she should be compensated for her outlay, when other fans spend their own money because it enables them to take part in fandom in the way that they want to? And if she didn't lock that fic up, then she wouldn't need the expensive software in the first place! Open it up to everyone, for free - then she wouldn't need to recoup what she's spent on security software!

I like print zines, and will buy them when I can afford them
Me too - I run a zine website, I'm quite fond of them! *vbg* And I can just about go with the huge prices that publishers ask for printed zines, on the basis that it does cost money to print and bind them. But as you say, an e-zine is the worst of all worlds - worse than you think even, because you can't actually print out the examples I linked to above - that's presumably where some of that money spent on security software goes, on locking them up so that they can't be printed out... waah!

[loyseofverlaine.livejournal.com]

Why does the publisher feel that she should be compensated for her outlay, when other fans spend their own money because it enables them to take part in fandom in the way that they want to?

I'm probably a total heretic, but I don't see a problem with a publisher making a little money (outside of the whole copyright/C&D/go to jail issue *g*). Zine publishers provide a fan product, but they have to produce that product in the real world, where businesses tend to want cash up front. So, if I were publishing a zine, I'd have to put, let's say, $2000 on my VISA card before the print shop would let me out the door with the finished product. Then I'd have to hope that in three months, or six months, or a year - or maybe never - I'd sell enough to be able to pay off the printer's bill. Unless you're independently wealthy, you can't keep carrying the freight for any length of time.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

So, if I were publishing a zine, I'd have to put, let's say, $2000 on my VISA card before the print shop would let me out the door with the finished product.
Well... no... *g* I "published" the 2007 Dialj Christmas zine as a print zine for people who requested it - I laid it all out (nothing fancy, but how fancy do you need?), pdf-ed it, had it printed including 3 pieces of artwork, one of which was on the thick card cover, and black wire bound, and I think it was something like £5.50 a copy. Not as big as some zines, but getting on for 150 pages, iirc - and I love taking it out and reading the stories now and then, and staring at Crimson's gorgeous drawings - just as I do any other zine I've got. So it doesn't have to be that complicated. If I'd had 200 copies done, I could probably have brought the price down to just a few quid each, but there was no need to do that, and a fiver is much more affordable than the £15++ I often see charged for zines (US$20++)

Okay, I could have charged extra for things like my petrol to the printers, and perhaps carparking if I'd needed it (I hunted around for a free space instead) and the Adobe Pro package I had on that computer in order to make the pdfs, and... well, so on. But I didn't, cos that's what fandom's about - doing things because you enjoy them, and because you know you're sharing with other people who enjoy them.

I think it's alot different nowadays, to the times when printing big runs of zines was the only option - but it doesn't seem as if some zine publishers are keeping up with that world...