Claudette

I like this idea. Even before writing I read serials because I could follow a developing story without having to suck it down in one sitting.

I, also, would like to avoid PayPal is at all possible. Just saying…

Claudette

Plus, the idea of the serial is very current. We are no longer captives of “scheduled” tv. Between hulu.com, netflix “watch instantly” and the network episodes on line, we often go back and watch an entire season of episodes of shows we never saw before. We often watch episodes when we want — and as many as we want, at one time.

I do the same with lists I subscribe to. It’s a new world. Take advantage of how people live. It’s great to have serials — and to determine when you want to “view” them.

Plus, I like the green aspect.

I was intrigued by the numbers. I have been toying with the idea of doing something similar in the non-fiction realm.

You have the edge of being so well-known. If you were an unpublished author without an audience or any real credentials, I’d be worried. But you’ll get a draw.

I’m not willing to say “yeah” nor “nay” — but I’ll be watching with great anticipation to see what pans out.

As always, I’m impressed with the vigor you bring to any project!

Best of luck,
Judy Rosella

I would probably subscribe, at least to give it a try. There’s enough potential reading material out there that any reader can afford to be picky, and honestly, I’ve found myself getting drawn _away_ from fantasy lately, even though fantasy is still my favorite genre, because “the good adventure story” standard tends to supercede the “good writing” standard. That means that in order to get me to renew my subscription, I don’t want to see _just_ good adventures, but good adventures with three-dimensional, psychologically compelling characters, and beautiful prose. (And that doesn’t mean it has to be high-level, only-someone-with-a-phd-in-English-could-appreciate “prose,” but I do like to see strong imagery, creative word choice, etc.) Sure, you’ll have submissions coming out the ears, but the trick will be finding _good_ writers.

Also, while some people may find big-name writers a compelling reason to buy a magazine, I tend to steer away from those magazines just because I know any big-name writer will have their stuff published in some book or other later on, and I can read it then. (The plain old book is still my favorite reading format.) I go for magazines that have quality, worthwhile material I’m _not_ likely to find elsewhere. However, if you were to include material besides stories–”extras” like (short, relevant) articles, poems, interviews with big-name authors or spoilers on their upcoming works, etc. I realize every extra page costs money to design but not nearly as much as it would in a printed magazine, so I think it would pay off in the extra readers you’d attract. Also, I actually enjoy a few ads in my magazines but it’s important that they be _relevant_ ads. Ads become annoying when they’re for something I’m definitely _not_ interested in. An ad for a medication in a gardening magazine is a put-off. An ad for Celtic jewelry in a renaissance reenactment magazine is attractive.

I miss the idea of being able to “tip” part of the magazine’s subscription to price to your favorite writers, but I understand you’re already concerned with the money involved and not being able to attract enough readers. Perhaps it’s an idea worth filing, though, to bring out if the magazine becomes a success?

I would not buy the magazine in an audio format, but I do think a short (10-minute,) free podcast that includes read excerpts and maybe an interview or two would be a very useful advertising gimmick. That is definitely one would I would get hooked into a subscribing to a project like this. The other way were if I saw the banner/endorsement on the website of a big-name author I knew and liked.

In general, even with television serials and multi-volume novels by big-name writers, I like to wait until the entire season/story is finished and then buy and read it all in one fell swoop. I know a lot of people who do that now. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t subscribe to a serial; it just means I would wait until I’d already received several editions, enough to complete a story, then read that story and wait until another one were completed to read it. Just something to keep in mind, perhaps, as you continue to tweak your plans.

I agree with everyone else that the trick is to hit the ground running. The main thing would be a heck of an advertising campaign. You’d have to be exploiting every possible option out there, and probably be willing to invest in advertising the zine in printed magazines, even paperback books, and most important of all, like I already said, getting as many other well-established authors as you can to endorse the project and mention it on their sites/in their newsletters.

I really don’t think it’s much of an obstacle. As any comic reader know, Spoiler Warnings abound