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Wayfarer FAQ
Q. "How much do I get paid to contribute?"
Unfortunately, we cannot pay authors for content, nor can we provide the traditional free contributor's copy.
EXCEPTION! SEE THE Character Contest!
We are a community of limited size; contributors come entirely from our potential subscriber base. By providing free copies to contributors, we lose subscribers. With the Worlde Arcane Kalmanak 2003, for example, nearly every potential buyer was a contributor; we honored the offer of free contributors' copies, and we gave away nearly three times as many as we sold -- net revenue (which would have gone to support our free games!) was in the red ink.
The Wayfarer subscription rate is very low, affordable by anyone who can afford to rent/own an internet computer and who has leisure time to play games at MysteryAndMagic.com. Until our subscriber base grows, we are simply fiscally unable to buy content or to send out free copies.
Q. "Well why should I contribute for nothing?"
Contributors who have been published understand the difference between posting free, unregulated content online -- quick, easy, anyone-can-do-it -- and the process of going through revisions, overview, editing, and finally seeing their work printed. Being a published author or artist is membership in an elite club of accomplishment.
Besides, you "contribute for nothing" when you post moves in the free online games, right? Take it one step further.
Q. "Well if it's an 'elite club' am I good enough to get printed?"
There's only one way to find out. Write, draw, paint, compose, revise, refine ... submit. Not everyone will be able to produce content good enough for publication; but some (possibly with editorial direction) will rise to the challenge.
Q. "What's the editorial process like?"
The editor reviews and responds to a submission, usually with requests for revision or expansion. The author/artist revises and resubmits, maybe just once, maybe several times, until the editor is satisfied that the piece is ready for printing.
Then the piece goes to the editing stage, for whatever minor corrections are required (punctuation, grammar, spelling for text; graphic processing for images). This stage of the process is outside the view of the author/artist.
Finally the piece is composed into the next issue of the magazine, and it goes to press.
Q. "I hear the editor's a hard-ass."
That's not a question! But you could look at it that way. You could also say that Wayfarer holds to an uncompromising standard of quality.
Q. "How long does a story have to be?"
We are concerned with quality rather than quantity. In fact, there is no minimum or maximum word count for any single (non-serial) fiction, poetry, or essay submission. A story worth reading will probably require at least a couple thousand words ... but a good 2,000-word story will be accepted over a meandering, fluffy, empty shell of 6,500 words. Do not concern yourself with word count. It is a distraction and a deception. If your piece runs too long to fit into a single issue, we will serialize it across a few issues.
Q. "Can I write a column or a serial?"
Sure! However, review the serial requirements above.
Q. "I want my art printed on the cover, in color! What do I have to do to win the cover spot?"
The "best" artwork of the month, in terms of professional quality and suitability for the front of the issue, will win the cover spot. The art will necessarily be manipulated to accommodate the cover's title, content blurb, etc.
Q. "The Guidelines say 'MysteryAndMagic.com requires that all content published in Wayfarer will not be made available online.' Does that mean I can't put my own pictures in my own online gallery?
This requirement is meant to protect the value of Wayfarer content for which our subscribers are paying. Why should anyone send money for fiction and art that is posted on the web?
That said, the intent of this restriction applies more specifically to the online RPG community than to the entire Internet in general. Roleplayers share their artwork in the "Elfwood" galleries, for example, so posting your Wayfarer pictures there will decrease their value in Wayfarer; an artist using his renderings in an online portfolio, however, intending his website for professional exposure, would have little impact on subscribers to Wayfarer.
Remember that contributors' content remains their property: in the final reckoning, they can do with it what they wish, with the understanding that disseminating Wayfarer content within the RPG community directly devalues the support for MysteryAndMagic.com for which their submissions were originally intended.
Q. So, if we can't use the content from Wayfarer in the games, what good are character profiles and artifact/equipment write-ups?"
The enjoyment of Wayfarer is not intended to lie solely, or even in large part, in the practicality of its use within game settings. Fiction and artwork exist for the gratification of the reader and viewer; essays should educate and enlighten; all ideas and all imagination within Wayfarer or any similar magazine should stand as an end unto themselves, separate from any practical application.
That said, there remain ways to use Wayfarer content online, in the games, without posting the actual content itself. One easy method is to refer to the content in passing, as a historical event or a current rumor. Another method is to use pieces of the Wayfarer character profiles and equipment write-ups as inspiration for new material useful in the games. Indeed, a character from Wayfarer could be played as a PC or NPC (with the permission of the creator) in a main or supporting role, provided that his profile and/or rendering are not taken in whole or large part straight out of Wayfarer and duplicated online; the same is true of artifacts and equipment.
Q. "Is this rated PG or Adult?"
All of MysteryAndMagic.com, including Wayfarer, maintains a policy of "no offensive content," meaning no vulgar language and no explicit, graphic portrayals of sex or violence. However, sex and violence being integral parts of the human experience, often useful elements of storytelling, they may be used as long as their application follows common sense, courtesy, and decency. We have minors reading our online stories and viewing our artwork -- we must not cross the line between generally acceptable public content and adult, mature, "R-Rated" (or "X-Rated") private content.
Q. "Where can I get it?"
Single issues and subscriptions are available from the MysteryAndMagic.com Store.
Q. "Can I get Wayfarer by email, or in PDF?"
Wayfarer is solely a paper publication -- a physical, printed, hands-on, shelf-worthy compendium. There is no electronic distribution.
Exception: There are selected free samples online.
Q. "Where can I talk with other people about Wayfarer?"
In the MysteryAndMagic.com Forum.
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