Q: What is a Fanzine?
A: A fanzine is an amateur or fan-produced magazine containing stories and art created by fans about a particular subject, usually based on favorite characters from a TV show or movie. Before the internet, this was how fan fiction was distributed to others who wanted to see continuing adventures in their fandom, and is still a popular way to share stories and art today.
Q: What is a "ship" or "shipper"?
A: "Ship" is an abbreviation for "relationship," and a "shipper" is someone who enjoys fan fiction about relationships within a fandom. Hence the name of our publication: "Shipped" because all we're publishing are stories about relationships, and "First Class" because we're committed to making our zine a class act.
Q: Het? Slash? What are you talking about?
A: Sometimes it depends on who you ask what kind of definition you get, but for our purposes, this is how we define them:
Het: An abbreviation for "heterosexual." Basically a het story is one involving a romantic or sexual
relationship between a heterosexual couple within a fandom. Sometimes the relationship is established in
canon (meaning it's part of the storyline in the show or movie), and sometimes these characters have no
such relationship in canon. Either is acceptable for our zine.
Slash: Credited to Star Trek fandom for originating the term, slash is fan fiction involving a romantic or
sexual relationship between two same-sex characters. The name "slash" refers to the "/" mark placed
between two characters' names to indicate the pairing (ie, "Kirk/Spock"). As with het, the definition in
some circles has been expanded to include both pairings established in canon and those not.
NEW!!
Q: My fandom has characters who are established to be gay or bisexual in canon. How do I know if my fic is too "slashy" for Shipped First Class?
A: TV and movies have come a long way in recent years, and it's a fact that many mainstream fandoms now have characters established by the creators to be involved in same-sex relationships. Since characterization and remaining true to your fandom and its canon should always be your first priority when writing a fic, we're not going to ask you to do anything unreasonable like leave a gay character out of your story, or have him or her behave in a way other than what the creator has established to be NORMAL for him or her. However, since this is a het zine which will be purchased by readers who want to read het stories, we ask that the fandom's het relationships be the prominently featured ones in your submissions, and that any same-sex interaction not be gratuitous or presented in a titillating manner. In turn, we trust our readers to be mature enough to accept that.
Consider the following example from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer fandom. For those not familiar with it, Buffy is straight, and her dear friend Willow is in a same-sex relationship with a girl named Kennedy. If a BTVS story had a scene where Buffy witnesses a tender moment between Willow and Kennedy, and it gets Buffy to thinking about the state of her current or past relationships, this would be acceptable because it furthers the plot, and Buffy is actually the focus, not Willow and Kennedy.
If, however, the above scene included a blow-by-blow account of Willow and Kennedy making out, this would not be acceptable for our zine, because that is not what our readers are paying for.
Q: What's a beta reader?
A: The term stems from the realm of computers, when software is "beta tested" to make sure it works before being released to the public. Likewise, fan fiction should be "beta read" by someone knowledgable before being offered up for public consumption, whether to a printed fanzine or on the web. Basically, a beta reader is an editor who checks for language fundamentals like spelling, grammar, punctuation, structure, word choice, etc., as well as storytelling issues like plot, characteriztion, setting, pacing, etc. A good beta reader will tell you what you need to know, not just what you want to hear.
Q: My story was sent back with edits. Why?
A: Sometimes the answer is pretty obvious and it's a spelling error or plot hole or something that your beta reader missed. Other times, it's somethng less tangible. While there are a variety of fandoms and styles represented in Shipped First Class, we are striving for consistency not only in the rules of language, but also in certain nuances like the overall look and feel of the zine. We liked your story and are still interested in printing it, but the changes we outlined for you are necessary in order to make sure the piece meets the standards we've set and fits in well with the other material we've selected for publication.
Q: I don't agree with the suggested changes. What should I do?
A: Email us. We acknowledge that sometimes there are artistic and style differences that are open to interpretation, and we're willing to discuss it. Remember, though, that we've set our standards for really good reasons and that we're striving for a certain level of continuity throughout the zine, so while you may have done nothing "wrong," the piece may not have quite been what we're looking for, and the changes will help it to fit into our zine.
Q Will I get paid for my submission?
A: Sadly, no. Even in printed form, fan fiction and fan art must remain a not-for-profit labor of love in order to avoid copyright infringement, which means we can't turn a profit in order to pay you. It's not completely thankless, though. Writers who have a total of ten pages of material printed and artists who have three pieces printed are entitled to a free copy of the zine. Those published who don't meet the minimum requirements are offered a discount of 50% off the cover price of the issue they're printed in.
Q: Why do you want me to wait a whole year before I put my piece on the net or submit it to another zine?
A: Since this is a labor of love, the editorial staff has fronted their own money to get the zine printed. This isn't like a regular magazine where there are advertisers and sponsors paying for space to offset the cost to the consumer or the publisher. It's a huge cash outlay we've made of our own personal hard-earned paychecks. Keeping this in mind, lots of times people won't buy a zine if they can find the same stories for free on the internet. Creating a little "supply and demand" helps to ensure that we sell through our print run and make back as much of our initial investment as possible. Since most zines with subsequent issues come out annually, a year of exclusivity is a standard request from zine publishers; by the time a year has passed, the publishers are already promoting their next zine, and they figure that most anyone who was going to buy the prior issue already has, so it's okay to release the stories or artwork to other sources because it will no longer harm sales by "saturating" the market. We realize we can't enforce this, but it's considered polite to honor this kind of handshake agreement, because the publishers are actively promoting you and your work, which usually gets your other work more attention in the process.
Q: What's the difference between "pornography" and "erotica"?
A: Again, this will tend to depend on who you ask, but for our purposes here:
Pornography is gratuitous sex that does not serve the story. It does not further the plot and it does
nothing to reveal anything about the characters. It often doesn't have anything to do with a meaningful
relationship, and frequently reads awkwardly, or like a sex manual.
Erotica , on the other hand, usually involves characters in a meaningful relationship, be it just for that
moment, or forever. The sex serves the story in that it tells us something about the characters or the
plot that we may not have been able to glean in a non-sexual situation. It's not just about the titillation
(though that's a very important part of it!); it's written in such a way that makes the reader care about
the characters and why they're having sex.
Q: Who is the editorial staff?
A: The editorial staff is made up of five friends who share the same goals of excellence in fan fiction and fan art. Alphabetically, they are:
Aquarius: Fan fiction author in the Star Wars fandom; webmiss of the Han/Leia website This Is Some
Rescue and the Nerfherder's Playground forum.
Seren Kennard: Fan fiction author in the Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Robin of Sherwood fandoms;
experienced zine publisher of "Longbow" in Robin of Sherwood and "Resurrection" in Star Wars.
Sue Parsons: Fan fiction author in the Star Wars fandom; webmiss of the now-multi-fandom (originally
Star Wars) website A Larger World.
Laura Quiles: Award-winning fan artist, including Media West Con's 2007 Best In Show award;
accomplished fanfic illustrator, most notably in the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings fandoms.
Skye Rutherford: Fan fiction author in the Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Robin of Sherwood
fandoms; experienced zine publisher of "Longbow" in Robin of Sherwood and "Resurrection" in Star
Wars.
Q: Why are there so many different kinds of fandoms in Shipped First Class?
A: The short answer: because we like them all! Seriously, though, whether it's sci-fi, fantasy, horror, or
paranormal in nature, what these genres all have in common is that they deal with things "other-worldly." It's quite common that fans of one of these genres will also enjoy TV shows and movies of at least one of the others (ie, Buffy and Harry Potter have huge followings among Star Wars fans). Bringing them together in one publication not only satisfies those of multiple interests, but also gives others a chance to sample something they may not have considered before, adding maturely-written romance as another common thread.
To learn more about how to improve your fanfic, visit Bad Fanfic! No Biscuit!
Don't see the answer to your question here? Email Aquarius for inquiries about fan fiction, and write Laura for issues about fan art.
To receive updates on Shipped First Class, including content, price, and availability, you may join Some Rescue's Yahoo News Group. Aquarius will be posting the latest about the zine there, along with updates about her website.
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