It IS a small world after all

I got an e-mail from a past contributor this weekend who was having trouble corresponding with a small press chapbook publisher. It seems back in December a check for half the cost of publishing his chapbook was sent off to the publisher with the understanding that production would begin shortly after receiving it. Apparently final payment was due before delivery.

The problem came when “Darrin” wanted to follow up on the progress of his work. After numerous e-mails to the publisher with no reply, he decided to write to me to see if I had any thoughts about how to approach the situation. Specifically he wondered if he was ever going to see his money again. A fair concern, even though at this point the check had not yet been cashed.

Being small press myself, and not having a financial interest in the situation, I took the side of the small publisher offering a number of scenarios that could have come into play.

Playing “devil's advocate” I explained to Darrin that operating a small press is unlike larger publishers in that should something happen to the owner of the press; car accident, prolonged illness or even ... death, in all likelihood you will not get your piece published any time soon ... if ever. At the very least it would slow things up considerably. After all, unless you believe in the afterlife and the whole business about spirits needed to complete unfinished business before retreating through the great white tunnel, it's just not gonna happen.

But “give 'em a break” was my advice. Three months minimum regardless of what they say in their guidelines. It's amazing how time flies. I would venture to guess that most small presses are "hobbies" ... meaning, they're not the primary source of income for the person putting it all together. If it's like ESC!, well, I'm IT baby ... the whole enchilada. I list a few names in the masthead because they're people who will read for me when I need an honest and objective opinion or provide quick layout help but, as for real help? Don't have it. As for income, I'm waaaaaay in the hole with ESC! as you no doubt know from reading my last editorial (ESC! Magazine, V8N2).

In other words, I said, don't get mad at someone who's doing something more as a labor of love than for money.

Seeing that only four weeks or so had passed since the check was mailed I said, “Darrin, you need to give it a bit more time in case the check hasn't been received yet. Try to follow up with other authors he's published to see if they've had similar experiences. Find out the procedure for canceling your check should your worst fears become reality.” Keep in mind that I was shooting from the hip when I wrote that. I don't know this publisher and it HAD only been about four weeks since the check was sent so I advised ... give it some more time.

It was a Saturday and I had a few minutes and thought I'd look up the publisher myself because the name seemed vaguely familiar. After a quick Google search, I found the homepage and checked out some of the other titles he'd published.

Browse. Browse. Browse.... Hey! Bingo!

It turns out a couple of the chapbooks published by this small press were by ANOTHER contributor to ESC! Magazine! In an odd twist of fortune, “William”, the other writer, and I had been trading e-mails just that morning, so I fired off a quick question as part of my reply to another issue: “What's up with this place? Is this normal?”

Within minutes I had the answer -- and validation for my reluctance to hang the guy without knowing the full story. It seems there HAD been an accident in his family recently and, additionally, his second child had just been born! Good gracious but anyone would fall behind in that situation! Not only that, William personally knew the publisher and was willing to promise on his behalf that the chapbook would get published!

Without passing along all the details, I immediately forwarded the reply to Darrin who had, during the time this was happening – all of 15 minutes or so, already gotten a reply and explanation from the publisher himself! Now everybody was happy and I was left amazed that, though none of us had ever met face to face, in a matter of an hour or so, we were able to find an answer to Darrin's problem, verify the reputation of the small press publisher and, most amazingly, I was the conduit for this to happen. It was, after all, through Darrin and William's association with ESC! ... with me ... that we were able to resolve the issue for Darrin as quickly as we did.

That sounds a little “pat-on-the-backish” but when I brought ESC! Magazine to the Internet back in 2000, that is what I envisioned happening. I want our website to be a place where writers can congregate (in the forums) and share information about small press publishers and magazines they like (or to be wary of), their experiences as writers and the struggles they face as well as anything else they'd like to discuss.

ESC! Magazine is for all writers but most of all, the aspiring writer. One who, with feedback, can discover that, yes, his writing can “move someone to an emotional response ... how satisfying that feeling is ... to be able to communicate in such a way that elicits an emotional response from the reader.” That's a direct quote from another contributor. One who, since last Summer, has found great solace in his writing. One who first found his voice in ESC!

That is what ESC! Magazine is all about.