If A Zine Falls On The Internet...

A week ago I attended The Dot Gets The Com at Bouchercon. Sean Doolittle, Stephen D. Rogers, Bryon Quertermous, Russel D. McLean and Adam McFarlane talked about the rise of ezines and their value to readers and writers.

Today, Bryon announced that the new issue of Demolition will be the last.

Ever since the panel I've been thinking about some of the discussion points raised, and others that weren't raised. I remember back in 2005, when I joined a mystery writers' group, I was told that nobody took having a short story published online seriously. It wasn't "real" publishing.

Those attitudes contribute to the difficulty ezines have in getting nominal subscription fees or paid advertising. Unfortunately, the financial factor is part of the reason that many ezines ultimately fold. In his post, Bryon stated one of the reasons for ending Demolition was because of a lack of quality submissions.

This is, unfortunately, directly connected to money. Authors will choose to send their stories to venues that pay instead of ones that don't. As a result, paying markets will always attract a higher volume of submissions.

Spinetingler pays. We've worked hard to raise the amount to $25 per story. It isn't much, but it does allow the writers to see a small return for their hard work.

Unfortunately, that contributes to different issues. We have a lot of submissions to wade through, and while some are diamonds many are dross. This is the first step in a time-consuming process.

The second is actually working with writers to refine the story, to make it sparkle. And when Bryon says "the morons are getting more and more prevalent" I don't think it is just him. I think it's a reality that many of us are struggling with.

What is probably working against editors like Bryon and myself is the fact that as writers, we know how we like to be treated, so we try to be fair and considerate. You start off vowing to reply to e-mails, to be timely in processing submissions... but soon reality sets in and you realize keeping up would be the equivalent of a part-time job (and some days, full-time). (And for the most part, the reason it would be so time-consuming is because of writers who pester, or argue over rejections, or don't follow submission guidelines. Few readers e-mail to say "Great job!" but you certainly get a steady stream of complaints over the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes into creating every issue.)

The result is that editors have to draw some tough lines. I honestly don't know how Gerald So and Kevin Burton Smith keep at it after all these years. They've managed a system and have a track record that has cemented their place as a respected leader within the ezine market.

Somehow, they've stayed sane and keep it going for over 10 years.

Ezines have a critical role they can play. Potential new readers can sample work and may be enticed to pick up an author's book. Potential agents and editors can click a few buttons from their office and read a writer's material. There's the gratification of seeing your work recognized and published, and all your friends can see it without paying money to buy a magazine.

For writers, the online crime fiction marketplace just got a little bit smaller. I'm not sure if someone will step in to fill the void, because as Bryon can tell you himself, it's a hell of a lot of work. As editors, we must draw our lines in order to stay on top of things and just get the basics done.

I learned this past year that I couldn't do the ezine alone. I have someone who does all the formatting and website work. I have others contributing reviews. Jack Getze has joined the team as a regular editor. I couldn't make the issues happen without them.

And so, while I'm sad to see Demolition take its final bow, I raise a glass to Bryon and Dave for all the hard work they've done to support the crime fiction community, for providing us with quality fiction to indulge in, and for some of us giving us a publishing credit we're proud of.

All the best, guys. You'll be missed.