DargonZine is the publication vehicle of The Dargon Project, Inc., a collaborative group of aspiring fantasy writers on the Internet. We welcome new readers and writers interested in joining the project. Please address all correspondence to <dargon@dargonzine.org> or visit us on the World Wide Web at http://www.dargonzine.org/, or our FTP site at ftp://ftp.dargonzine.org/. Issues and public discussion are posted to newsgroup rec.mag.dargon.

DargonZine 23-3, ISSN 1080-9910, (C) Copyright September 28, 2010 by The Dargon Project, Inc.

Editor:Jon Evans <thegodling@verizon.net>, Assistant Editor: John White <john.white@DREXEL.EDU>.

DargonZine is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial License. This license allows you to make and distribute unaltered copies of DargonZine, complete with the original attributions of authorship, so long as it is not used for commercial purposes. Reproduction of issues or any portions thereof for profit is forbidden. To view a detailed copy of this license, please visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 559 Nathan Abbott Way, Stanford CA, 94305 USA.

Editorial 

by Jon Evans
<thegodling@verizon.net>

Through a bizarre series of connections, I found myself at an interesting wedding last weekend. Very posh, very well-to-do, and very expensive. Among other notable faces in the mid-Atlantic region, I had the pleasure of speaking with the editor of Style magazine for a bit, and we hashed on challenges of the publishing world, though from differing perspectives. The most notable contradictions were based on the difference between a profession and a hobby. As the Editor, he has financial authority which compels his writers to produce the content he dictates, but he also has to worry about the financial viability and competitiveness of the magazine. He has a significant marketing staff and budget; however, a poor decision can result in loss of funds and even possibly loss of future advertising revenue. From a monetary standpoint, my job is much easier as I do not have those worries. Conversely, I also cannot compel my teammates to produce -- they are volunteers, and as such, have the pleasure of writing at their leisure. Fortunately, DargonZine is not a financial organization that must compete or die.

It was these (admittedly brief) discussions that brought me back to DargonZine, however, and the marketing drives we have initiated in the past. What different tasks can we take to make our presence more public? What are viable options for a relatively unfunded entity to get its name known? I am not simply asking rhetorical questions, here. If you have ideas, please feel free to contact me. I welcome the discussion. At the very least, if you are a fan of DargonZine, tell your friends! Spread the word! We are digging up some old plans and ideas that we never fully embraced previously, but make much more sense (to me, at least) now that we have roused ourselves again.

Meanwhile, issue three of the 2010 year is upon us. D'artagnon Wells brings us Hogtied, which continues the story of the warrior-mage Kiev, and the mystical trio of Vable, Tanbry, and Arvyn. The second story is another one from Rena Deutsch. Second Chances is a bit of a Dargon ghost story, reuniting us Simona and her friends. As ever, we wish you good reading. Enjoy!

-J