In the Spotlight: An Interview with Lynda K. Roper
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | In the Spotlight: An Interview with Lynda K. Roper |
| Interviewer: | Anne Muscarella |
| Interviewee: | Lynda K. Roper |
| Date(s): | March 1992 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom(s): | multi |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
In the Spotlight: An Interview with Lynda K. Roper is a 1992 interview conducted by Anne Muscarella and printed in A Writer's Exchange #2.
The interview was Lynda K. Roper and the topic was The Monthly, an adzine of listings and reviews.
From the Interview
Because we couldn't afford a TV in the early married years, I didn't see Star Trek until it was in reruns. I was immediately hooked. Shortly thereafter, I attended my first Con (pushing my son, now 17 years old, in a stroller) and bought my first zine.
Then I discovered the adzine "Universal Translator." When my first issue arrived, I was delighted to discover there was a woman nearby (Northern Virginia) who was planning to do a new fanzine. I was so fascinated with the idea, I just had to get involved. Having no idea as to "proper procedure," I composed a resume (including my educational and employment history,) a formal letter (requesting I be "considered" to work on her zine in some capacity) and mailed them. The next day my "application" was answered by a phone call and invitation to visit. The woman turned out to be the same woman who sold me my first zine at my first Con. The result was that I ended up typing parts of "Thrust," the first K/S anthology; Carol Frisbie "thrust" me into the heart offandom.
When my last zine/novel was published, I waited for months afterward to see my ads appear in the then existing adzines. There had to be a better way to advertise, I reasoned; if no one else was going to do it, it might as well be me. Since I wanted as much advertising for my own zine as possible, I decided to start a monthly. Since I couldn't think of a good title, THE MONTHLY is what it became. THE MONTHLY is now in its third year of publication.
Two years before starting THE MONTHLY, I was in the process of co-publishing a small magazine with another woman who had done so on her own for years. The venture never panned out, but I was intrigued with her system. Instead of lists, she used 3x5" cards to keep track of subscribers, in alphabetical order, broken into sections according to when their subs ran out. It was an excellent system. Since it worked so well keeping track of subscribers, I reasoned it could work well with ads as well. Not only were ad cards easier to file and work with, but they could be easily returned to contributors when it's time to either renew their ads or bring their information up to date. Thus, I could publish an adzine with up-to-date information every month. Contributors could send in their ads, marked with the number of issues they wished their ads to run, and then not give another thought as to whether their zines were being advertised until their ads were returned. This method has worked right from the beginning.
When I first began, I was warned by friends that a monthly adzine would probably not be well received-fans were accustomed to bi- monthlies. My assumption then was that I could have fun with this little venture for about a year, then fold due to lack of fan interest. I also planned, since interest would be limited, to continue offering THE MONTHLY at a cheap price. Two years later the size of the zine tripled and had to go to reduction; the subscription price had to rise to keep up with the size of the issues and the increased postage.
Doing a monthly entails a tremendous amount of work. I have to keep on top of it almost daily. The payoff is when the mail comes and brings a compliment from a subscriber, and maybe even a few lines about themselves and their fandom interests. For me, doing a monthly adzine has opened a real line of warm communication with other fans. Last year, during the Gulf crisis (in which my husband was involved), getting issues of THE MONTHLY ready kept my mind occupied and off the possibilities that war created. The work involved in doing a monthly publication is worth it!
"The Monthly" has one hundred subscribers - and I consider that figure overwhelming, considering THE MONTHLY is one of seven adzines being published. With people out of work and low on cash, I'm amazed I have so many subscribers.