Kathryn Andersen wrote:
Shane wrote:
I was involved with fanfic; in fact it was
impossible *not* to make a profit, which was a bit of a problem
because
fanzines by their nature have to be non-profit making, or else you are infringing copyright.
Really? I'm amazed. What a lucky fellow! That's not the experience I've had in either editing a zine myself (since 1995) or talking to fellow editors.
Again, as I said to Tavia, it may have had something to do with the size of Doctor Whow fandom, and maybe the fact that the programme was either still on the air or only recently dead.
(And, technically speaking, it's still infringing copyright, but it makes it a lot less likely that one will be sued.)
at least in this fandom.
So far so good.
I'm sure that is your experience, but Ashton Press have their fingers
in
many fandoms, not just B7. Ever wondered why? Especially when you
consider
that Annie or Leah have repeatedly failed to demonstrate any real
interest
whatsoever in what B7 was about, and in fact have demonstrated a clear dislike for some of the main actors involved. Needs investigation, I
feel.
Why is Ashton Press into many fandoms? Because they like them.
They may like what they are doing to them, but there is a difference.
Demonstrate no real interest in what B7 was about? Well, they'd probably disagree with you on "what B7 is about" anyway.
Yes, but then again, they've demonstrated on this lyst that they disagree with anyone who doesn't swallow their take wholesale.
It may simply be that they are still in B7 fandom from inertia,
I think that's part of it, yes.
because their friends are here,
You don't have to remain in fandom to keep your friends. You also don't have to produce loads of explicit fanzines. Perhaps if they were a little more selective in what they printed, and especially draw, they might make some new friends. But that doesn't seem their business.
and though they've lost a great deal of interest in things that used to interest them about B7,
You've noticed that too. Interesting.
they still have enough interest to stay.
Yes, but what _is_ their motivation?
What it "is about" to them isn't the same as what it
"is about" to you...
Very true.
and neither party has the right to tell the other what B7 fandom *ought* to be about to the other person.
Again, very true. But you can discuss things. That's partly what fandom is about. However, Leah and Annie don't like discussing things. They get very nasty about it. They try and twist your words to "win" their "argument". They don't like answering straightforward questions. They killfile you.
So, for example, it isn't legitimate for Annie to say that *fandom* has got nothing to do with the actors -- only that *her own preferred experience of fandom* has nothing to do with the actors.
But Annie's involvement with fandom involves the direct exploitation of the actors, and especially their images.
Likewise, someone else can't say that *fandom* isn't about meeting your fannish friends at cons
True.
Dislike some of the main actors involved? That goes back a very long way, and it probably isn't my place to discuss it, seeing as I was one of those on the opposite side of the schism than Ms. Wortham and Ms. Rosenthal.
This is very interesting. So basically, what I have been picking up on is the residue of something that happened long ago, but that Annie and Leah can't let go of.
Asking *them* why they
dislike certain actors isn't going to get you a calm, objective response.
In fact, no response at all. This dislike doesn't stop them cynically exploiting the actors' images though, does it? What "love" can there be in drawing someone you dislike? But then, if you are drawing someone you dislike in a situation you know "that certain someone" would find grossly distasteful, well, "love" is one thing we are certainly not talking about..
What if you then go on to distribute these images? What do we have then? If it's not for money, and it's not for love, what does that leave? Malicious glee perhaps, hatred even, revenge, possibly.
and asking anyone *else* is doomed to be mere speculation.
Depends on whether you ask the right people.
The experience of editors down the years is that there *are*
objections,
and resulting loss of sales, to mixed zines. From both camps. It's
not
just the loss of sales, either, it's having to deal with the
bitching
from people who think that the merest hint that two men (or two
women)
could have a sexual interest in each other turns it into a filthy pornographic rag; and at the other extreme, the people bitching
about
having to pay for this boring gen stuff when all they want is the action. Or the ones who want only slash and gen, none of that
horrid
het.
But then that's the price you pay when dealing with a controversial
subject.
I know that compromises have to be made, but the end result is still ghettoisation.
<sarcasm>Nasty evil editors, how dare they be considerate to the desires of their audience! Never! They should shove their sexual politics down people's throats, in the name of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity!
</sarcasm>
I think you're a nice person, you know that? But sometimes even the best of us make mistakes. My statement above was a stating of the current status quo. I've worked on zines, I know that you have to compromise. I've had to myself. I'm not trying to condemn anyone in this respect. I raised a question, it was answered, I state the result. If anyone wants to challenge that status quo, then they are very brave indeed, but that still doesn't mean that the audience can't be challenged, or re-educated. It would be hard going, though, I'll admit.
It shouldn't surprise you that I'm one of the ones who won't buy a mixed gen and slash zine. Sorry, Tavia, I'm sure there are good stories there, but there are other stories that I Will Not Read, so I'm not going to buy the zine.
Don't apologise. I can see where you are coming from, and your decision makes perfect sense.
There are people who won't buy my zine either (shrug) (I even had someone come up to me at a con once, ask me if there was Doctor Who in the zine, and I said no, and he walked off without even bothering to look at the zine.)
Well some Doctor Who fans can be very narrow-minded, but then to some degree, can't we all?
Shane
"I don't take anything on trust" --Avon
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Shane Little