R E C . A R T S . C O M I C S . C R E A T I V E
P R E S E N T S

F R E Q U E N T L Y A S K E D Q U E S T I O N S

Version 1.0
Last revised 10/26/97

FAQ Maintainer:
Mike Escutia


Updates and Changes:

This FAQ is being posted to the Usenet newsgroups rec.arts.comics.creative, alt.comics.lnh, and rec.arts.comics.info. A copy of it is also available via the Web at http://www.eyrie.org/~ergh/RACC-Presents/rpfaq.html.


Contents:

  • What is RACC Presents?
  • What types of stories can be written for RACC Presents?
  • Can I use another writer's characters?
  • What imprints can have stories in RACC Presents?
  • Is there only one slot available for stories in the [MISC] imprint?
  • How long should story submissions be?
  • Are multi-part stories allowed?
  • When can I send my submission in?
  • How many stories will be in each issue?
  • Okay, I liked a particular story. How can I find out more about its imprint?
  • What newsgroups will RACC Presents be posted to?
  • Is there a website and/or FTP site for RACC Presents?
  • How will I know when the newest issue of RACC Presents is being posted?
  • How frequently will RACC Presents be posted?
  • So who's the editor in charge of all this?
  • Why? ------------------------------------------------------------

    1. What is RACC Presents?

    RACC Presents (henceforth known as RP) is an anthology that celebrates the diversity and creativity found on rec.arts.comics.creative. Unlike previous anthologies which have been for only single imprints, RP does not discriminate against any imprints, as long as they are appropriate to RACC.

    2. What types of stories can be written for RACC Presents?

    There are four different types of stories that you can write:

    The most important thing is that stories should be appropriate to RACC. Fan-fiction involving copyrighted characters is not allowed, and stories should be in good taste. See the RACC FAQ at [Insert URL here] for more information on what types of stories are appropriate to RACC.

    3. Can I use another writer's characters?

    Not without permission, and then only if you've already written stories set in that universe. Also, it'd probably cause more confusion than you'd like, as new readers will associate the characters with the wrong writers. So we (the editorial we, that is) don't recommend doing it unless you know what you're doing.

    4. What imprints can have stories in RACC Presents?

    Any of the imprints on RACC can be represented in RACC Presents. The anthology does not discriminate against imprints based on genre or seniority (or lack thereof). However, there can only be one story per imprint per issue. Basically, this is to allow for the greatest variety of stories within any given issue, while at the same time being fair to all imprints.

    If you're planning on contributing to an issue, you need to sign up in advance to reserve a slot, as well as to have first claim on the imprint you're writing in. To do so, just send email to the editor letting them know that you wish to reserve a slot. Please be sure to mention what imprint you'll be writing in! Once an imprint is "in use" for an issue, any and all subsequent submissions for it for that issue will be rejected. There is an available openings page that lists how many slots have been taken and which imprints are in use. It is recommended that you check this list before reserving a slot.

    If all goes well, each issue will have at least one imprint, hopefully more, that is making its RP debut. Whether or not this actually happens is something that will have to be seen.

    5. Is there only one slot available for stories in the [MISC] imprint?

    Nope. Series that normally fall under [MISC] are in their own individual imprints, so don't think you're competing with other Misc. series for a slot. (As a side note, I would -love- to do an all-Misc. issue once RACC Presents is established.)

    6. How long should story submissions be?

    Ideally, stories should be 250 lines or shorter in length, though you can go up to 300 lines if necessary. If you have to go over that length, it might be better to post your story separately.

    Please note that all stories appearing in RP will be reformatted to remove blank lines between paragraphs, with an indentation of five spaces being used to mark the beginning of a new paragraph. This is primarily to avoid the confusion that sudden changes in formatting can result in, but it also has the side effect of shortening the number of lines a story takes up. In other words, your story may still fit within 250 lines, even if it's longer when you finish writing it.

    7. Are multi-part stories allowed?

    Ideally, we'd like to have each issue of RP be as stand-alone as possible, so that new readers aren't completely lost. However, we'd also like to have one multi-part story running as a way of introducing readers to the concept of serialized stories (an important thing on RACC). At this time, we don't have any such story lined up, but we hope to rectify that soon.

    8. When can I send my submission in?

    To keep us from drowning in submissions, submissions for a future issue will not be accepted until after the current issue has been posted. A Call For Stories will be made on the website shortly after the current issue has been posted to there. We ask that you not send us submissions before then, as it gives us more work to do.

    9. How many stories will be in each issue?

    Right now, we're planning on having seven stories in the first issue, with subsequent issues depending on how the first does. The idea is to allow for as much variety as possible.

    It should be noted that the last slot for each issue is reserved for the editor, so that he or she can contribute a story of their own. The editor has the option to pass for a particular issue, at which point the slot will be freed up for others to use.

    10. Okay, I liked a particular story. How can I find out more about its imprint?

    Each issue of RACC Presents will have a reference list that will give more information about the imprints represented, including a website (if known) and FTP address. If you want to find out more about a particular story's imprint, the best thing to do would be to check out its website, if there is one. You can also send email to the writer of the story if you want.

    11. What newsgroups will RACC Presents be posted to?

    RP will only be posted to two newsgroups, rec.arts.comics.creative and alt.comics.lnh. It does not belong on any other comics-related groups, and thus will not be posted to any.

    12. Is there a website and/or FTP site for RACC Presents?

    Yup. The website, maintained by Mike Escutia, can be found at:
    http://www.eyrie.org/~ergh/RACC-Presents/

    It includes an HTMLized copy of this FAQ, and will include all of the issues of the series. The website will also have a page devoted to the current "upcoming" issue that will list what imprints are going to be represented in that issue and how many slots are still available. This is mainly for contributors who want to check to see if they can write something in any given imprint for that issue.

    For those FTP users out there, RACC Presents is available at the Eyrie, as part of the rec.arts.comics.creative FTP archives, at:

    ftp://ftp.eyrie.org/pub/racc/racc-presents/

    The files are gzipped, so you will need to use a file-uncompression program that can handle gzipped files, such as gunzip. Alternatively, you can simply leave the .gz extension off; this tells the Eyrie FTP daemon to automatically unzip the file for you.

    13. How will I know when the newest issue of RACC Presents is being posted?

    An announcement will be posted one advance to certain newsgroups. It will give not only the date of the actual posting, but also the URLs for both the website and the ftpsite. The posting dates will also be announced on the website.

    The announcement will be posted to the following newsgroups:

    This is a tentative list, and is subject to change over the coming months.

    14. How frequently will RACC Presents be posted?

    Right now, we're planning on posting monthly, with a possible change to bi-monthly depending on how the first few issues go. It will never be more frequently than monthly, though.

    15. So who's the editor in charge of all this?

    The current editor is Mike Escutia (ergh@eyrie.org), who also came up with the idea of RACC Presents in the first place. Mike is a longtime contributor to both RACC and its sister newsgroup, alt.comics.lnh, having written his first story in late 1992. He is the author of several series, including Pliable Lad (LNH), The Hero Patrol (Superguy), Adventures in Heroing (Superguy), Tapestry (Crossroads), and Memoirs of a Pliable Lad. He also has a few projects in the works that he can't tell you about just yet. Most of his writing can be found on his writing pages.

    In the future, there may be an associate editor for RP, but there hasn't been any decision made about it yet.

    16. Why?

    Why not?

    -fin-


    Copyright (c) 1997 Mike Escutia, all rights reserved.

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