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Quanta, v. 1, issue 3, August 1949

Page 21

21.
Don't be HALF an Editor

by
Bob Pavlat

A rather large number of readers of QUANTA, especially of this convention issue, have published fanzines. Others will publish one or more before all is said and done. This is addressed to the latter group, tho those who have published before can read this, if they have nothing better to do, for the sake of reminiscing and possible agreement or disagreement with what I have to say regarding fanzines.

I have not, to date, edited a single fanzine. I have, however, co-edited one. With that one single accomplishment in-so-far as my publishing proclivities go, I still think that I can say a few things about fanzine publication. More perhaps than some publisher of long standing since he, the well-rounded fan, has forgotten many of the first edition troubles.

HAZING STORIES rolled off the presses on the nights of July 25 and 27. This is being composed on the 28th. HS will be assembled on the 31st, and mailed on the first of August to FAPA and the selected few non-FAPAites who are to get copies. The only other distribution the zine will get will be at the Washington Science Fiction Association, and at the Cinvention. So, in three days working time (not counting stenciling) 180 issues of HS were put out. Total man-hours about 40 for mimeoing and assembling--and that was using an electric mimeo. Count in another 35 hours stenciling time, plus twenty-five hours writing time, - Total - about 100 man hours. Result: a 26 page zine plus a front cover. That boils down to 4 hours per page, more or less. If you can compose directly on the stencil, that reduces to 3 hours per page, and if you can get your authors to stencil their own stuff, someone else to copy the artwork, and do next to no writing yourself, 2 hours per page is the approximate figure. TWO HOURS PER PAGE (200 copies), that seems impossible, yet it is what you can figure on. Maybe some of the old hands can reduce that by 50 percent -- I'll have to find out some day. I would say from my reading of Laney's Memoirs that ACOLYTE took about that amount of his time, but that's my guess.

In other words, fanzines take up a hell of a lot of time. They can also cost money. HAZING STORIES cost nothing except postage, due to certain waste products from hither and yon. An average issue of QUANTA tho, costs about $20 before the multilithed cover, which runs another $8 or so.

HS had no material trouble either. We knew exactly who was going to write approximately what. Being the editors, procrastination was impossible among the authors (well, almost impossible). Three authors, three editors. CHANGELING is the same way --- a one man zine. QUANTA is a club effort. Result---no decent material. Further result----- editorial difficulty in explaining why the zine is late. You should hear the bitches of some of the members when QUANTA is late. Excuse, no material, and it was long ago decided that QUANTA would be strictly club-written. Certain people are nasty about the state of affairs, and are finally finding that their well-manicured little fingers are not

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21. Don't be HALF an Editor by Bob Pavlat A rather large number of readers of QUANTA, especially of this convention issue, have published fanzines. Others will publish one or more before all is said and done. This is addressed to the latter group, tho those who have published before can read this, if they have nothing better to do, for the sake of reminiscing and possible agreement or disagreement with what I have to say regarding fanzines. I have not, to date, edited a single fanzine. I have, however, co-edited one. With that one single accomplishment in-so-far as my publishing proclivities go, I still think that I can say a few things about fanzine publication. More perhaps than some publisher of long standing since he, the well-rounded fan, has forgotten many of the first edition troubles. HAZING STORIES rolled off the presses on the nights of July 25 and 27. This is being composed on the 28th. HS will be assembled on the 31st, and mailed on the first of August to FAPA and the selected few non-FAPAites who are to get copies. The only other distribution the zine will get will be at the Washington Science Fiction Association, and at the Cinvention. So, in three days working time (not counting stenciling) 180 issues of HS were put out. Total man-hours about 40 for mimeoing and assembling--and that was using an electric mimeo. Count in another 35 hours stenciling time, plus twenty-five hours writing time, - Total - about 100 man hours. Result: a 26 page zine plus a front cover. That boils down to 4 hours per page, more or less. If you can compose directly on the stencil, that reduces to 3 hours per page, and if you can get your authors to stencil their own stuff, someone else to copy the artwork, and do next to no writing yourself, 2 hours per page is the approximate figure. TWO HOURS PER PAGE (200 copies), that seems impossible, yet it is what you can figure on. Maybe some of the old hands can reduce that by 50 percent -- I'll have to find out some day. I would say from my reading of Laney's Memoirs that ACOLYTE took about that amount of his time, but that's my guess. In other words, fanzines take up a hell of a lot of time. They can also cost money. HAZING STORIES cost nothing except postage, due to certain waste products from hither and yon. An average issue of QUANTA tho, costs about $20 before the multilithed cover, which runs another $8 or so. HS had no material trouble either. We knew exactly who was going to write approximately what. Being the editors, procrastination was impossible among the authors (well, almost impossible). Three authors, three editors. CHANGELING is the same way --- a one man zine. QUANTA is a club effort. Result---no decent material. Further result----- editorial difficulty in explaining why the zine is late. You should hear the bitches of some of the members when QUANTA is late. Excuse, no material, and it was long ago decided that QUANTA would be strictly club-written. Certain people are nasty about the state of affairs, and are finally finding that their well-manicured little fingers are not