After several years of daily blog posts, I’m switching to weekly. Check out the first official weekly installment next Saturday.
News Digest features the week’s new releases from the world of digest magazines, with a few ancillary titles I can’t resist like The American Bystander and Amazing Stories.
From the Vault spotlights a vintage digest magazine.
TDE Updates provides a peek behind the scenes about the coming issue of The Digest Enthusiast and any new developments on the current issue such as reviews.
Reading Pile Last Saturday, I finished reading Alec Cizak’s latest anthology Lake County Incidents. A terrific read, highly recommended for students of the unusual.
On Monday, the Winter 2020 issue of Nostalgia Digest. Another excellent mix of Americana and nostalgia—celebrity bios, word origins, movie serials’ rise to popularity, Sunday dinner traditions, readers’ reactions, and Lucy and Ricky’s heyday that includes synopses of their later hour-long specials. A wonderful issue!
“One of the things I worked out [for Cartoon Trader] was a strip I called Stovepipe,” Joe wrote in 2010, “which mostly showed the positive but funny aspects of being the tallest kid in the neighborhood. It wasn’t until sometime after we’d ended the Cartoon Trader that I got the idea of doing a couple of adventure stories with Stovey as the hero.”
By 1993, Joe had completed two stories and published them in a handmade volume, an early, independently produced graphic novel. He submitted the project for publication to Kitchen Sink, who declined the offer with much regret. Editor James Vance wrote: “‘Heart’ is a quality that’s missing from most of the submissions we receive…” and despite not seeing it as commercially viable for Kitchen Sink “…I’d be very happy to see it in print and available…”
At first glance, J.N. Darby’s digest-sized Murder in the House with the Blue Eyes may appear as a singleton. But the lower right corner of its cover reveals it’s “A Thrilling Mystery Novel,” from Atlas Books, produced under their Margood Publishing Company imprint in 1944, and therefore not an elusive One-and-Done.
For further candidates and their fates read Steve Carper’s series “One-and-Dones” that appears in The Digest Enthusiast No. 7–9.
If there’s one thing readers of The Digest Enthusiast’s print edition want, it’s color. Me too. It’s something I’ve worked the numbers on many times over the past five years. With KDP (formerly CreateSpace aka Amazon) a printed color equivalent of the b&w TDE would run $25 or more. The “or more” would be another $6 to earn 35¢ a copy in expanded distribution (Barnes & Noble, etc). I played with page counts and page sizes, but the numbers never worked.
In November, Lulu.com sent me an invitation to their work-in-progress Beta site, which offered two color options, Standard and Premium. The Premium looked as high as KDP, but the Standard option looked promising. I worked up a color version of TDE10, submitted the files, and ordered a proof. It looked great. In comparison, Lulu’s cover didn’t have quite the depth of KDP’s, but the step up to a color interior was more than worth the trade-off.
Scans from the TDE10 printed books, Left: KDP, Right: Lulu.com
I was ready to switch to Lulu until I found out their Beta site wouldn’t go live until late in the first quarter of 2020. I may try them in June for TDE12, but TDE11 was due in January. I thought about continuing with KDP in b&w, but having seen what’s possible, I couldn’t go back.
Alec Cizak had explored working with IngramSpark (IS) a year earlier for Pulp Modern, but didn’t end up using them. They offer a full service to publishers, but unlike KDP, they aren’t selling to end users, they’re selling to booksellers. That means a built-in bookseller margin that’s substantially larger than the publisher’s. Still, their distribution channel is significantly larger than amazon’s, and amazon is included. They also offer both Standard and Premium color options.
Moving from a direct channel like amazon, to an indirect channel is risky. Sales numbers will lag, so I won’t have a good idea how a color TDE is being received until months after the fact. The price increase to $18.99 may kill its appeal. It’s a gamble, but also a chance to learn more about publishing and potentially reach a wider audience, which includes libraries—an area where the book could do very well if given the chance.
Getting started with KDP offers no overhead. The whole production process and the ISBN number is free. With IS you need to bring your own ISBNs, purchase the setup ($49), and incur a charge to revise your book file if a last-minute change is required ($25 ea.). It’s not cost prohibitive, but does give you pause if you’re not confident you can get it right the first time.
Unlike Lulu, IS requires 1/8” clear space in the gutter of pages that bleed, to ensure the best adhesion in bindery. I was a little concerned it would show, but it was undetectable on the printed proof.
Manhunt inside spread showing the 1/8” clear space in the gutter.
IS also provides a conversion service to convert your book’s PDF print file into an ePub file which it uses to distribute your book to a wide range of eBook vendors—Kindle, iBooks, Nook, etc. Their fee is $60 a page, so a 160-page book costs $96.00. You can supply your own ePub file, but that’s the only format they’ll accept. I couldn’t figure out how to generate an ePub file that would maintain TDE’s page design, like the Kindle Create tool. I considered hiring IS to convert the PDF file, but they don’t have an option to upload a PDF that’s specifically for the ePub. They use the print book file. I couldn’t do that. I create a separate file for the eBook layout with even margins all around. (Printed book files have a generous margin on the gutter side of pages to allow for bindery. Plus with IS, you’ve got that 1/8” white space on all the pages that bleed. Not acceptable.) Finally, you need a separate ISBN number for the ePub version of your book.
Most eBook readers display pages individually, not in spreads. Left: The print file with a wider margin and 1/8” clear space in the gutter, Right: The adjusted digital file with page elements centered.
For TDE11 I moved to IS for the printed book, and stayed with KDP for the Kindle version, using the Kindle Create tool to produce the print-replica look I wanted. I’m missing out on all the other eBook platforms, but maybe Lulu will offer an alternative when their Beta site goes live.
I ordered a printed copy of the book from IS before I released the file for distribution. They offer several print production and delivery options. The costs to speed up production of the book are reasonable, but I thought their quicker delivery options were overpriced. I selected their least expensive shipping option, about $4.25, It took ten days for the proof to arrive, not including the production time. A speedier delivery would have cost many times that. A little book like TDE11 can ship first class for about $5.50 and arrive in three days, so I don’t understand their shipment pricing.
IS also charges a $1.99 handling fee for every publisher’s order. So plan ahead, if you order one copy or ten, you’ll pay the $1.99 handling fee.
After I approved the printed proof, I enabled distribution. The book showed up on amazon a couple of days later. Three days out it is not available from Barnes & Noble, Powell’s, or Quimby’s, but I’m hopeful it will be soon.
Overall, I’m very happy with IngramSpark. They offer a quality color printing service and a distribution reach that includes amazon and beyond. I hope their services will enable TDE11 to reach more readers. We’ll find out in the months ahead.
The Digest Enthusiast No. 11 is now available in print and kindle editions—both in full color:
Interviews Janice Law (Madame Selina series AHMM) Paul D. Marks (Bunker Hill series EQMM) Jeff Vorzimmer (The Best of Manhunt)
Articles Peter Enfantino summarizes 1954’s final issues of Manhunt.
Vince Nowell, Sr. grapples with Beyond Infinity.
Richard Krauss spotlights Leo Margulies: Giant of the Digests.
Steve Carper dissects a Classic error.
Ward Smith quantifies Astounding’s formats.
Reviews Homicide Hotel from Gary Lovisi Tough 2 Paperback Parade No. 104
Fiction John Kuharik “Buckthorn Justice” art by Rick McCollum Vince Nowell, Sr. “The Good Soldier” art by Marc Myers Joe Wehrle, Jr. “Zymurgy for Aliens” art by Michael Neno
Plus nearly 150 digest magazine cover images, News Digest, cartoons by Bob Vojtko, and first issue factoids. Cover “Madame Selina” by Rick McCollum, 160 pages.
“Cartoon Trader was monthly from October to December 1989. The fourth issue, dated March 1990, was the last I’ve seen. In addition to Joe’s covers, it included Classic Cartoonist Cards, paper dolls, and a page of comic strips with Joe’s Cat Burglar, Stovepipe, Night Radio, and Karen’s Litter Lane.
“Night Radio offered a peek into another great interest of Joe’s—classic jazz. He collected 78s and played the saxophone, clarinet, and guitar. ‘I have fond memories of those few months we produced the Cartoon Trader, and still in my collection is a handful of very charming strips I prize which Karen drew for the zine about a feline couple living a zany suburban life. There will never be any more of those.’ In 2014, Joe published a 16-page mini comic collecting The Unknown Comic Art of Karen Wilson Wehrle. It includes her Litter Lane comic strips and eight color cartoons she drew fora proposed children’s book.”
I’m taking a short holiday hiatus from blogging to focus on friends and family, and wrap up the final stages of work on The Digest Enthusiast No. 11, which is due early in January 2020.
When No. 11 launches, there will be a price increase on back issues. Finances are still a bit dicey, so the increase is intended to help keep this thing out of the red. So if you’re thinking about filling in any gaps in your collection, now would be a good time to purchase any back issues. As always, TDE reader and contributor support is greatly appreciated.
Our new cover is the work of the talented Rick McCollum, an artist I’ve admired since the 1980s. It’s wonderful to feature his work here. It depicts Madame Selina from her AHMM series by Janice Law, who talks about the Madame’s adventures and cast members in her interview inside No. 11. (More about No. 11 contents to come.)
Your daily digest history and news servings will recommence in January. Best wishes for a happy and healthy new year! -Richard Krauss
TDE: One of your stories, “Yellow Ribbon” with series character Morris Boyette, ran in the Fall/Winter 2012 edition of Needle. Details that initially help flesh out the setting or characters, are later revealed to have greater significance, integral to the story. What’s the balance between serendipity and strategy as you plant these elements?
MB: For most stories it’s a combination of both. Because I often write the beginning with no clue where I’m going, I throw in a bunch of stuff just to set the scene, describe the protagonist, or establish the inciting incident. For example, in “Texas Sundown” (Down & Out: The Magazine No. 3), I wrote about a slice of cherry pie just because I wanted to describe a slice of cherry pie. Later, I realized that slice of pie foreshadowed the ending, so I mentioned it again in a way that added depth to the story that I had not imagined when I started writing.
Other times it’s much more deliberate. In the opening of “Dixie Quickies” (Black Cat Mystery Magazine No. 1), Tiny Campella stuffs a paperback novel in his back pocket. That and several other things mentioned in the first scene prove to be quite important late in the story, and most of them were intentional.
So, overall, I’d say serendipity and strategy play an equal role.
Needle Fall/Winter 2012 Contents Page Steve Weddle: A Note from the Editor Hugh Lessig “Victor Viral” Brad Green “Seven Feet of Fire” C.J. Edwards “A Hard Rep” Erik Arneson “Mess With Me” Rob W. Hart “Ginny Tonic” Seamus Scanlon “No Witnesses” Chris Rhatigan “Creator/Destroyer” Ed Kurtz “Dog Will Hunt” Kenneth Loosli “This Sorrow Is An Enemy” John Kenyon “They All Look Alike” Jeff Macfee “Trifecta” Garnett Elliott “The Romero Covenant” Glenn Gray “Venice Beach Birthday” Michael Bracken “Yellow Ribbon” Thomas Pluck “Gumbo Weather” Timothy Friend “Dog Night” Court Merrigan “The Scabrous Exploits…” Kevin Adler “The Interview” Kevin Brown “Two Birds, No Stone” Stacey Cochran “Eddie & Sunny” Matthew C. Funk “Everyone Know The Axeman” Jim Winter “The Heckler” Dan O’Shea “The Shroud of Turin”
Needle Magazine Fall/Winter 2012 Senior Editor: Steve Weddle Editors: Naomi Johnson, Daniel O’Shea, Stephen Blackmoore, Matthew C. Funk Creative Director Emeritus: John Honor Jacobs Cover: Scott Morse 6” x 9” 248 pages Print $10.75 Needle Magazine website
Although I didn’t ask a question about this particular story, it’s worth seeking out a copy of Pulp Adventures No. 27 to read it.
Synopsis Tina lost touch with her sister’s husband, Gerald, after Cheryl died many years ago. After a chance meeting in a restaurant, the two become reacquainted and begin dating. On the surface the relationship builds smoothly, but underneath each questions what’s happening to them and their true feelings.
Pulp Adventures No. 27 Fall 2017 Contents Page Audrey Parente: Editorial Adam McFarland “Angels and Animals” William Hope Hodgson “Jack Grey, Second Mate” Dana Edward Johnson “The Green Mask” Howard Hammerman “Not What I Ordered” William Dudley Pelley “A Case at Law” Max Brand “Hole-in-the-Wall Barrett” Audrey Parente interviews Gary Bullock, Journeyman Actor May Belleville Brown “A Repeating Romeo” Michael Bracken “My Sister’s Husband” Richard Brister “Sneak Thief” Raymond J. Brown “Thirty Days on the Island” H. Bedford-Jones “Irregular Brethern”
Publisher: Rich Harvey Editor: Audrey Parente Cover: Norman Saunders 7” x 10” 134 pages Print $12.95 Bold Venture Press website
It’s hard to believe that two years ago today Joe Wehrle, Jr. passed. Just days after completing his cover portrait of Rick Ollerman for The Digest Enthusiast No. 7.
The photo shows Joe at the drawing board in his home studio surrounded by drawings of Fawn, reference material, and comic strip originals. The comic strips on his board are for “Houseboat Summer,” an unfinished project that first sparked his imagination in 2014. He wore the Mickey Mouse watch on his wrist every day, even between battery changes.
Joe Wehrle, Jr. (pronounced “Wer-lee”) was a big part of The Digest Enthusiast right from the start. He wrote articles, contributed stories, and created illustrations—including five of our first seven covers. Just days after the last issue wrapped, Joe passed away, suddenly, the victim of a stroke. He died at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh on Sunday, December 10, 2017. He was 76.
Joe was born February 16, 1941, to Ruth and Joe Wehrle, Sr. in Punxsutawney, where he grew up and lived his life. He taught school for a few years as a young adult but worked as a freelance artist for most of his career. He married Karen Wilson in 1967 and collaborated with her on many of his creative endeavors for nearly 44 years. She was the model for many of his illustrations, most notably Fawn the Dark Eyed, and assisted him with the Cartoon Trader adzine in 1989. An occasional cartoonist herself, Karen was an avid blogger and an active seller on eBay. She preceded Joe in death on September 6, 2010.
Joe’s fiction continues to appear in The Digest Enthusiast courtesy of Jillian Rouse. In January 2020, issue No. 11 will feature Joe’s “Zymurgy for Aliens” with an illustration by Michael Neno. Joe’s bibliography appears on the Larque Press website.
