rispacooper | Important Question!

(Important to me anyway, and only I matter, muahaha).

Does anyone know of any original slash zines or actual in print on paper novels of original slash that have been published? And no I don't mean Anne Rice or Mercedes Lackey-ish stuff. I mean a bound and possibly illustrated edition able to be held in my hot little hands. I am aware of a few scattered websites devoted to posting the OG stories, and also of course, erotica publishers, and gay romance novel publishers, and yaoi as illustrated "art" (I really detest yaoi sometimes) but seeing as how slash falls somewhere between those, I wouldn't exactly calls those sites helpful.

And related to this, in a more philosophical/rhetorical/whistling idly in the breeze kind of way, I was wondering if a) there is enough good Original Work on the net to merit a zine. And then b) even if there were, would anyone pay to read it? You'd have to be pretty damn sure of the content you were getting, unless it was just a printed version of an online collection you had already read and just wanted to own.

Is slash even that interesting when it's not fanfic based? Without a following automatically built in, would anyone care? Hmmm.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

answered my own question a bit
For Those Interested (http://www.lionheartdistribution.com/originalgay.htm)

However, now I have more questions. How popular are these things? And how good are they? Is it worth the price? Who has read these?

This would all depend on whether one reads slash for the LURVE or teh secks. If one is reading for the porn, I s'pose there would be an interest, but if one is reading for the LURRRRRRRRRRRRVE, then I don't see how it could be appealing seeing as how it takes quite a bit of source material to establish LURVE - ie this is where fic comes in. So I think it's appeal is tied into the whole "Why we read/write slash" debate.

interesting. well what about the Saga (the one and only, with my fav OTP...and by that I mean of course Shanny and Faraz heh heh). That established quite a bit of lurrve as well as teh secks, and some of those original zines seem to come in several volumes. That implies it can be done. I just don't know if it's done as well as the Saga.

Personally, I like slash for both it's trashy qualities and for those moments that transcend that. When it's romantic it's all the better. A thinking woman's romance novel kind of thing. If that's possible.

Well, my pairing as Shanny/Langy, as you well know heh *ahem* I don't know. I think something complex needs lots of room to develope, so maybe not something overly complex in a zine. But hmm. I don't know.

see i'm thinking, unless you know the author, even a zine needs kind of fandom to keep it going or to automatically create an environment of excitement...if you know the author beforehand, you already have a sense of where the story would go etc... and you wouldn't need a review before buying. people will chance it for an author they enjoy.

the problem with original fic reviews is that websites and blogs devoted to that tend to end up being nothing but posts from authors promoting their own stuff instead of comments about other people's.

rispa, isn't marquesate getting her work published, like for real? I think there is a market for your material, but I think that it is limited.

I don't think you necessarily NEED a fandom, but I think it helps a tremendous amount. I also think that the notion of fandom means different things to different people. In the beginning of fanfom, I was horrified to learn how YOUNG so many people were. Mostly women, medium age 22. This explains why a lot of the fic is mediocre because most readers are plowing through this stuff like romance novels. I'm not saying I don't write a type of romance novel, because I actually think I do, but at least it's highbrow porn. Mediocre fics with lots of dicks and little plot keep a fandom alive.

Having said that, I've also read some of the most fascinating and brilliant stuff in fandom. Writers who write rings around most conventional fiction. The problem is getting the readers.

Perhaps the only way to get readers is to write something kickass in a populare fandom and then lure them in with real fiction. I am loathe to advertise that I actually have a book out because, well, am pretty sure my publisher would have six different kinds of caniption fits if she knew I was writing porn. Also, I have a family and I'd kind of like to keep my slash identity somewhat separate from my RL identity.

Also, another problem to consider is the issue of posting your material on the net and then shooting yourself in the foot when you actually find a publisher. Lots of publishers are wary. I noticed you've copyrighted Sins, which is great but it still means it's out there and I think you'd have to disclose that to a publisher.

Also, I think you're a kickass writer and I consider Sins a fandom unto itself.

My friend Fiona Glass at the webzine Forbidden Fruit (www.forbiddenfruitzine.com) publishes a quarterly e-zine of literary slash writing. She's currently seeking a publisher for a print anthology for the best stories of the first few years, which I'm happy to say I'm included in.

There's a market. It's generally found in "erotica". Actually, gay "romance novels" have several publishers now, and are really taking off. There's a good resource site called the Readers and Writers of Erotica Association, or something. They have a pretty comprehensive website with calls for submission, publishing links, editors, tips, etc.

Ta.

Oh shit. Re-reading your post, I realize I told you a bunch of stuff you already knew.

Ha. Sleepy this afternoon. Stayed up til six AM. Sorry :)

Important Question!

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