From: marrus@(omitted)
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 12:57:29 -0600 (CST)
To: wyvern@agora.rdrop.com
Subject: rumors of Gor
Tal, Scott
While doing some research for work, I came across your site, and I can indeed confirm that Vision Entertainment is starting a magazine of the World of Gor, beginning with Book 22, Dancer of Gor.
As far as Heavy Metal goes, we are would like to birth the magazine through them in a 30-odd page installment. While I do not yet have a solid date for this, I am aiming for an early 1998 release.
The first 60 page magazine is beautifully drawn and inked, and is currently being colored here in NYC. I don't know how you folks found out about us, but I hope this clears up some of the questions I've heard floating about in the ether.
Marrus
Creative Director, Gor Magazine
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 17:04:21 -0800 (PST)
Well! This is great to hear--may I post your letter to my website to
bring folks up to speed on what's happening?
Does Vision Entertainment have a web page to which mine could be
linked?
I'm sure that Gor fans would love that. From: marrus@(omitted)
I have no problem with your posting the message, and I appreciate that
you
asked my permission. If you would, though, please don't pass around my
address - I'm so busy trying to make this magazine as true to John Norman's
vision as possible that to suddenly become innundated with the queries of
eager fans would be counterproductive to my task.
As far as the website, we do have one in production, but it still is a
ways
away from completion. It is my intention to have lots of original art from
the magazine on the site, as well as updated musings and stories from Mr.
Norman himself, in addition to many other things Gorean.
Thanks for your interest and enthusiam for the project!
Marrus
From: marrus@(omitted)
Tal Scott,
I've got a small problem here at Vision, one I'm hoping you might be
interested in helping with.
As I told you, I'm the creative director on Gor Magazine. I was hired
on
initially as the art director, but as we are a small company (about 10
people in my division), over the last year I have found myself editing,
inking, and writing, as well as handling hiring and firing, advertising,
marketing, website designing, and sqabble settling.
This means I was feeling spread quite thin when my publisher walked in
and
asked me to complile a list of devoted fans who might be interested in
receiving mailings of upcoming Gorean events, special magazine promotions
and parties, contests, etc.
I started doing some more research and frankly was amazed by the sheer
numbers of people out there who have dedicated themselves to the Gorean
lifestyle on all levels.
If I could clone myself two or three times, I probably could get a
comprehensive list together without jeopardizing the look of the magazine.
To be completely honest, the look and consistency of the magazine is what is
most important to me, but magazines don't last very long if no one knows
about them.
So my questions for you are these: Is there an enormous Gorean mailing
list
already in existence? If not, do you know of anyone who would be willing to
help us in the seemingly monumental task of composing one? I'm thinking
that the list would also include those people interested in BSSM in general.
The first four magazines taken from the 22nd book will be erotica.
From
there on, I will be breaking down the entire rest of the series, each novel
having 4-6 graphic magazines dedicated to it. It's an enormous project.
Can you help me or at least give me some suggestions? It would be
greatly
appreciated.
Thanks,
Marrus
I was about 80% done replying to your letter when my connection
disappeared...along with the first draft. My apologies if this rewritten
letter is short in places. :-)
((SNIP))
>So my questions for you are these: Is there an enormous Gorean
mailing list
No, there's no Gor mailing list that I'm aware of--but the mailing
list
server software doesn't appear to be too difficult to use; creating such a
list should be pretty easy. (I've never created a mailing list myself,
even though I've been on plenty of them. If you can't find directions
easily, I can ask around. The job doesn't look at all prohibitive.)
On the other hand, please do think about the alt.books.gor newsgroup!
While it won't give you a list of who's reading, it will certainly
propagate information well. (Once the magazine is ready to ship, posts
(non-spamming, of course) to other appropriate newsgroups will be in
order, but that won't be for a while from what you've said.)
>Can you help me or at least give me some suggestions? It would be
Let's see what I didn't lose in that disconnection. :-)
The graphic novel/magazine industry isn't one that I'm particularly
familar with save as a customer; whatever avenues of advertising are
normal go without saying. (There's a publication that catalogs adult
comics, etc.; listing Gor Magazine there is self evident, no doubt.)
I don't know what kind of promotional events are within your budget,
particularly at the beginning, but anything that gets potential customers
aware of the magazine is good.
As soon as Vision Entertainment gets its website up, quite a lot of
Gorean websitees will link to it, of course!
While it's easy to think of net promotions, most of the prospective
customers probably aren't going to find out about this over the net;
advertising in other venues, like comic shops, will likely be more
effective (though more spendy).
I know that *I* am very interested in the promotions that you mention
in
passing up in the snippage! But I already know about the magazine and
plan to buy it anyway, so from a business standpoint they're superfluous
unless I attract other customers by talking about them, I suppose. :-)
>Thanks,
My pleasure!
From: Scott Sanford
To: marrus@(omitted), wyvern@agora.rdrop.com
Subject: Re: rumors of Gor
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 09:49:11 -0600 (CST)
To: Scott Sanford
Subject: Re: rumors of Gor
Creative Director, Gor Magazine
Date: Wed, 19 Nov 1997 17:41:14 -0600 (CST)
To: wyvern@agora.rdrop.com
Subject: Looking for fans
Creative Director, Gor Magazine
>already in existence? If not, do you know of anyone who would be
willing to
>help us in the seemingly monumental task of composing one? I'm thinking
>that the list would also include those people interested in BSSM in
>general.
>greatly appreciated.