Blue Pencil

Blue Pencil is a multimedia	 newsletter offering tips and articles on fanzine production by Carolyn Cooper.
From the first issue: 
==The Creator Was Nervous==
==What Was Planned==
==Issue 1==
Blue Pencil 1 was published in June 1985 and has 16 pages.
The editor writes: "The Tuesday following IDICon II, a group of very special California K/S fans & editors gathered at my house for dinner and provided most of the information in this Roundup." 
* Roundup: This months' topic was "Saving Money." 
* Let's Hear It For Cheap Zines!, essay by Maggie Nowakowska 
* What Happened to the Cheap Zine?, essay by Carolyn Cooper
* The Worst Zine in the World, essay by Paula Smith
* a letter by Susan M. Garrett which praises the idea of "Blue Pencil" and explains at length how to submit to zines
==Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1==
==Issue 2==
Blue Pencil 2 was published in 1985 and contains 16 pages. 
* Kiss my !X@$**! Obligations of the Editor to Contributor by Cynthia Lockwood
* "Behind the Blue Pencil: Censorship or Creeping Creativity?" (excerpted from Jaques Barzun's article in "The American Scholar", Summer 1985)
* "Copy Editing: Hand to Hand Combat" (excerpted from The Elements of Editing: A Modem Guide for Editors and Journalists by Arthur Plotnik)
* more practical suggestions on zine publishing
* a letter from Joan Verba that comments on fanzine prices. She writes that producing inexpensive fanzines is still possible. Verba also adds: "For the record, I have little complaint on fanzine costs -- if I want a fanzine, I'm willing to pay a premium price if I think I'm getting premium work. The point I want to make is that a relatively inexpensive fanzine can be done."
==Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2==
==Issue 3== 
Blue Pencil 3 was published in January 1986 and contains 26 pages.
The theme of the third issue fandom and profit.
* What Is Profit and Is It Evil?, an essay by Anonymous, Carolyn Cooper, and Mary Lowe, examines fan attitudes toward publishing fanzines at a profit. It discusses "The Breakeven Method," "The Base Cost Method," "The Market Value Method," "The Martyr Method, "The Philanthropic Method." The essay discusses transparency in costs and why zine eds are so dodgy when asked the question of how much it cost to published a fanzine, prepayment for zines, and partnership pitfalls.
* Ancillary Merchandising: The Selling of Other Products to Defray Costs, an an article on how to market fannish items at cons (by Carolyn Cooper?)
* How to Look Like a Speckled Trout, or, How to Become Your Own Printer Without Owning a Press -- And Is it Worth It?, how-to essay on do-it-yourself zine printing (by Carolyn Cooper?)
* there is a long letter of comment from D. Doyle about "Blue Pencil" #2
* the editor prints a plan for future issues, of which only #4 was published
==Issue 4==
Blue Pencil 4 is undated but was published in late 1986 and contains 18 pages.
* The Invasion of Consumer Fans or Have Fans Become Jaded?, essay by Carolyn Cooper that was inspired by discussions at MediaWest* #6. In it, the editor satirically offers several marketing niches for zine eds based on different fandoms: Star Trek: "The Safeway Approach" -- Star Wars: "The Designer Zine Approach" -- Miami Vice: "The Honda Scooter Approach" -- The Brits (Blake's 7, Doctor Who, The Professionals: ""The Intelligent Elitist Approach" -- The Stephen J. Cannell and OTHER Category" 
* Walking the Tightrope: Experiments and Risk Taking in Zine Design, essay by Carolyn Cooper 
* The Bigger They Come: The Trials and Tribulations of Megazines, essay by Jeanine Hennig
* very detailed instructions for making your own inexpensive lightbox
* Marysue Dixon Predicts, essay by Carolyn Cooper
* Writing Pretty: Design Tips for Writers, essay by Carolyn Cooper
* A Question for the Audience, essay by Carolyn Cooper (Cooper had received interest about "Blue Pencil" from an Apa-guy but was hesitant to provide her zine to him as non-media zines and media zines and Apas were so different in terms of audience, profit, discussion and whatnot. Her dilemma illustrated the differences in the way even sub-groups perceived about each other)
==The Proposed Issues That Were Never Published==
In the first issue, Cooper printed detailed plans for seven issues. They were never printed.
===Issue 5===
* May '86 
* SYSTEMS ANALYSIS (Recordkeeping, Scheduling & Other Business-Like Jobs)
*SOAPBOX 1: Becoming BATTTLEcreek - Do Fans Expect Too Much Business-Like Behavior From Publishers?
*ROUNDUP 1: Keeping Records -- Which Ones & How?
*ROUNDUP 2: Estimating Deadlines for Editors, Artists, & Writers
*ROUNDUP 3: Dealing With Delays (Solutions & Tips)
*FEATURES: Mailing Lists - By Hand & By Computer; Where Have All the Zines Gone? (Sales Records); Banking-Handling the Money Easily & Accurately; Preparing Material (Including artwork) for Mailing; Touching Someone - Effective Phone Techniques
 
===Issue 6===
* Aug '86 :
* DON'T DO ME ANY FAVORS (Contributors' Responsibilities & Helpful Techniques)
* SOAPBOX 1: But I'm An Artiste! - Obligations of the Contributor to Editor
* SOAPBOX 2: Free Contributor's Copies: Necessity, Nicety or Are There Limits? 
* ROUNDUP 1: Submission Tips: Finding, Selecting & Submitting to Needy Zines
* ROUNDUP 2: Improving Your Craft: Technical Tips & Tricks for Writers & Artists 
* FEATURES: Handling Rejection; The Editor Is Your Friend - The Care & Stroking of Editors; Money Saving Tips for Starving Artists (Inc. Writers); Computer Tips for Contributors; Manuscript Preparation; Developing a Concept In Art
===Issue 7===
* Nov '86 
* LIVING IN A MATERIAL WORLD (Marketing & PR Techniques)
* ED. VOICE: My World & Welcome To It - Marketing & PR Are Not Dirty Words
* SOAPBOX 1: Can You Buy a FanQ & Are They Worth Anything?
* SOAPBOX 2: This Product Maybe Hazardous to Your Health - Are There Limit to Zine Promotion & If So, What?
* ROUNDUP 1: Promoting Your Efforts - Besides UT & Datazine, how do you promote your zine?
* ROUNDUP 2: Favorite Marketing Techniques You've Seen or Used
* ROUNDUP 3: Flyer & Ad Preparation Tips
* FEATURES: Publicity, Marketing, Advertising & PR - What's the Difference & How Do they Work; Ten Tips to Handling Angry Customers; Positioning: Finding Your Readers & Creating an Image; Publicity Ain't Just Stunts; Other Marketing Tools Besides Ads & Flyers
==Similar Fanworks==
===Print Zines===
* Communication the Hard Way (1975)
* Stylus (1980-82) 
* A to Zine: The "How-To" of Fan Publishing (1982)
* Artforum (1989-90)
* The Fantastically Fundamentally Functional Guide to Fandom (1989-90)
* Blue Pencil (1985-1986)
* How to Do a Zine (1991)
* The Quick and Dirty Guide to Fanzine Publishing (1991)
* The Writer's Exchange (1991-2000)
* A Medical View of Hurt/Comfort (1996)
===Online===
* The Craft of Writing (1996)
* Dr. Merlin's Guide to Fan Fiction (1996)
* Tips for writing better fan fiction (1999)
* How to Write Almost Readable Fan Fiction (2000)
* Holy Mother Grammatica's Guide to Good Writing (early 2000s)
* How to Construct Alternate Universes That Work as Fanfic (2001)
* The Rain In Spain Is In My Ass a Pain: Dialect do's and don'ts (2003)
* Purple Fanfic's (total lack of) Majesty (2004)
* How to Write a Sex Scene (2005)
==References==
Category:Star Trek TOS Non-fiction Zines
Category:1985 Zines
Category:1986 Zines