Blog No. 136
Zine number four is officially out in the wild. It, like the others before it, took longer than expected. Part of that is on my shoulders (as the guy who puts the layout together) but the major reason is that this time around we have ads. Anchor Coffee House, a favorite café of mine, and Paper Heroes, one of Christian’s regular haunts, graciously agreed to throw us a little cash to help fund the printing of the Zine. We still had to pay some out of pocket, but their contributions helped us find a local printer and spread the latest issue. The snag came with creating the ads and getting their approval. Both locations were easy to work with and very amicable, but I don’t have much experience making ads and finding the extra time to jet over to those stores and bother the owners to get their OK took time.
Again, I suppose it’s my fault really. I procrastinated because I was intimidated, then when I finally got around to designing some options, I had no time to go through the note, edit, and final approval process. Unlike the last time, everything else was ready for printing. It’s tough to ask artists to work on the cover, comic, and other interior pieces, and meet a deadline when the have so many other things going on (like school, work, and other projects that aren’t free). So far all the Drink and Draw folks have been amazing, and the Zine probably wouldn’t exist without them.
So the June Zine is out at the end of the month. Last night Christian and I did the rounds and dropped them in the local places. We have a few more spots to hit (some places are pretty far and some have odd hours, but you can likely find them somewhere nearby. We are still planning for two more this year (September and December) but we may have to take a step back at the end of the year and evaluate how many we do in the future. It costs time and money, and we are both behind on our novels, editing, and Adventure Worlds. I love doing it, so I may keep up something on my own (if it ever becomes too much of a pain for what it’s worth).
On another note, I have finally taken the leap and bought a new laptop. I have been working on my tablet and keyboard, and while they are super handy, they lack the capabilities to do any serious writing (at leas as I had found). I still use the tablet loads and I hope to get more use out of the keyboard (it was an awesome gift from my folks and it’s a great product) but with the novel looming and my penchant for writing in the wild, the laptop is a better choice. The cost was a hit (even thought I saved up ahead of time) so I hope I can use that as motivation to burn the midnight oil.
So, a very special thanks to Anchor Coffee House and Paper Heroes for making the latest Zine possible. Get yours at your local coffee shop, comic book shop, bookstore, bar, café, or wherever we managed to drop them off!
Ben Van Dongen 
I worked for years with many different businesses and found that many students are glad to work for the experience alone, especially if they’re pursuing a literary career. There are also many seniors who would love the chance to get out and help out just for something to do. Maybe we can find some unpaid helpers to make your life easier. We can talk about it.
Hi Christine,
I’ve worked in a few of those programs while I was going for my teaching degree. They can be really great for the people involved and the businesses.
I don’t think I mentioned it in the post but our real issue isn’t the work, it’s the reward. I would be happy to do a zine every month if it resulted in views on the site, but sadly, too many people think that’s all we are (or are not interested in looking and further than the printed page).
You’re always coming to us with ideas and suggestions! I really appreciate it Christine!
Ben