Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Presenting the ToC for - Oh wait!

You know how every single magazine and anthology has a Table of Contents available online, right? 
Not in this case

Why am I bringing this to your attention? Supposedly I have a review in there of MMORPG The Secret World. But obviously you wouldn't know that unless you bought the magazine issue, had it delivered, and opened it up to see for yourself.  

Outraged? No. Baffled? Yes.

For one, how are potential would-be buyers supposed to judge whether the product is worth their money? From a seller's point of view, this is just dumb.

Once upon a time, I tried to sell Kirby Vacuums (I don't recommend this job. Ever.) You didn't simply show the customer the box and told them that there was more inside. No. You got every damn piece out, showed them how it all works, and even vacuumed their carpet. Because a customer won't be interested unless they know what's inside the box.

People want to know what's in the magazine, not just the highlighted stories.

Another reason is the lack of public recognition toward the contributors. As I said, how would you know that I had a review in there, if you didn't buy it first? That's kind of sad that I have to tell you (and all you have is my word), rather than looking up the ToC.

For writers, public recognition is a important, because that's how writers get their name out into the world. If people recognize your name, they tend to follow your stuff and might even purchase it. So to not include all the contributors in that pathetic little blurb, which would only be acceptable on Facebook or (Twit)ter, is a good way to alienate them. 'Cause you know, it's not like magazines need contributors--oh wait!

Weird thing is, White Cat seems really inconsistent about this. Some of the Sam's Dot issues have a ToC, while others don't. Don't know if this is a decision, or just pure laziness.

Contacted the editor a couple days ago about this... Haven't heard back. Editors: they respond when they feel like it. The editor had promised to put a ToC up on his blog, which as you guessed, didn't happen.

Not sure how to feel about this other than disappointment.

4 comments:

  1. That is REALLY irritating. I wonder how many reviewers they lose for that?

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    1. You never know, some writers are willing to take more let downs than others. I would hope they'd realize the mistake and rectify it.

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  2. White Cat is a mess. I can't tell you how frustrating it was to have three stories forthcoming in three different Sam's Dot zines right when the merger happened. Scifaikuest and The Fifth Di... escaped, but there may be no hope for Aoife's Kiss, Cover of Darkness, or the others. You'd think a ToC would be good for business, right?

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    1. Sorry to hear about that, Milo. I don't understand it, either. White Cat seems to have these big grand ideas, but when it comes to actually running a publication... It never seems to go right. I remember last year when White Cat's editor neglected his magazine, in favor of going after a plagiarism lawsuit.

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