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This past week the HEROES mailing list has been faced with a discussion about HEROES, where it's been, and where it's heading. In this letter I'm going to try and cover all of the topics, questions, and concerns brought up, but I'll probably miss something. If I do, let me know and I'll touch on it later.
First, I want to let folks know how HEROES works in as what gets published and who our reporters are. Pretty much, you send it to me, I post it in an issue. I don't have a "staff" or a ready pool of volunteers ready to do my bidding. I might see a few regular contributors, but no one has committed themselves to HEROES month to month but me.
Why did I start with this point? Well, everything else touches on this fact. Let's go further.
Now, with the topics of discussion, I'll start with what began the debate, HEROES expanding into fields other than our current fanfic groups coverage.
Interest has been expressed recently into seeing HEROES cover on-line comic fiction set up much like fanfiction, only using original characters and titles in original universes. Someone even went so far as to offer to write a regular column on these groups and supply a links page.
I took the offer, seeing it as an actually steady article and read for folks. Also, some of these "indie" groups pull writers from the fanfic groups.
But, there have been some objections to this, as well as to the notion of HEROES eventually covering the fanfic archives.
Now, I can understand the concern that HEROES is growing too fast too quickly and at times agree. But, when I accepted these ideas, I was looking at content and being able to consistently provide an issue of HEROES every month.
The June issue almost never came to be. A week before release I had one article, no reviews, the issue #0, and News & Rumors from 3 groups. I'd rather skip a month than release an issue that could possibly drive readers away. I sent out a beg for articles and got a great response, thus, there is a HEROES.
But, without regular writers, I may have to beg each and every month. I don't want to beg, so, I take what I can get in the way of regular writers.
This also touches on another topic brought up, the lack of equal coverage.
Since I do not have a ready pool of staff, I take volunteers. The amount of coverage equals the amount of participation I receive group to group.
I know this may be harsh, but, unfortunately, there's not much I can do about it. I'd love to have equal coverage, maybe even assign a reporter for each group, but it's not feasible right now, and maybe it never will be. I apologize for not being able to provide the most thorough coverage possible, but I do my best.
Now, given the overall reaction, I have made these decision for the current and near future HEROES.
In covering independent comic writings, I'm putting an actual "division" on hold, as I am for the archives. Perhaps they will happen in the future, but right now I think we need to think about them more. BUT, I will post an article or two about them. While not exactly related to fanfiction groups, the indie groups do pull form the same writers and there is some interest, and the archives do exist and, again, some writers use those as frequently as they do the groups.
On the topic of equal coverage, I want to strive for this holy grail. I'd like to have folks volunteer to write for HEROES, at least one person interested in writing for each group, not necessarily from the group. Please, let me know if you're interested and how you'd like to help out.
HEROES is first and foremost the fanfiction GROUPS fan magazine, and at times I lose sight of that in wanting to cover any and everything and please everyone. I want to thank you all for keeping me focused and helping me along this path.
I see a big and bright future for HEROES, and we do need to take steps towards this future, but they do indeed need to be one at a time, and probably fairly small steps, too. I just need a little help and a little time.
Thanks folks, and I hope you enjoy what we have in store for ya in June's issue.
Jason Kenney
5.31.1999
