The Def Guide to Zzap!64

CraigGrannell wrote:

jerellis1 wrote:Let's say it would need to be 100 pages long, some of which could be free ads (or even reprints of the greatest ads to appear in the original magazines); that would leave around 80-90 pages of editorial content, the burden of which could be shared equally by half a dozen enthusiastic (and perhaps slightly tipsy) writers over the course of the next twelve months... that would make for a very impressive but perfectly feasible issue!

Define 'feasible'. 107 was 32 pages and that was enough of a pain in the backside to get sorted and design; Rob's was double that at 64, but he's clearly totally insane.

Well... I think all I'm suggesting is that it could be done - of course, it would take a lot of hard work, but if you take 90 pages of editorial, split them between six people (15 pages each) and give them a year to pull it together, then that's barely a page per person, per month...

When I wrote the 8-Bit Book, I ended up writing around 240 pages in total - roughly 400 words per page - and I turned it around in just over six months (thankfully it didn't require a lot of editing as I'm not too bad at stringing readable prose together)... we (the publisher and I) then spent about nine months designing the look and layout of the book, gathering screen shots and other images, proof-reading every word and piecing it all together, and the book was finally published less than 18 months after the initial idea had been hatched.

Best of all: I wrote the book while I was training to be an English teacher at a grammar school!

So I guess by 'feasible' I mean that anything's possible if you really want it badly enough. I can understand anyone who slaved over issue 107 having reservations about going through it all over again; I haven't managed to find the time or motivation to start writing a follow-up to the 8-Bit Book yet and it's been well over a year now since it was published. But that's why it's a good idea to try something new and different - I may not have the editing experience that others have but I'd be more than happy to take this project on and lead it over the next 15 months.

Just imagine... the bulk of the issue 107 team gathered together with some fresh new faces in a cosy pub shortly before Christmas, throwing around ideas for the following year's Zzap! 64 Christmas Special... can't think of many things that I'd find more satisfying than that!

jerellis1 wrote:Well... I think all I'm suggesting is that it could be done - of course, it would take a lot of hard work, but if you take 90 pages of editorial, split them between six people (15 pages each) and give them a year to pull it together, then that's barely a page per person, per month…

For 107, the editorial wasn't really the problem. We had enough writers, who were good enough that Gordo and I didn't have to do too much brutal editing, although, to be honest, dealing with some of the guys was a bit like herding cats. This meant stuff rarely came in on time, which subsequently caused the biggest problem for me: designing and laying out the magazine, which was down to yours truly. That took a ton of time, and even if you had a few people working on it, a largely untemplated 100-page magazine is perhaps a month's work to do well and at least a fortnight's work to do badly. It's not a small job by any stretch of the imagination.

Fair play if someone really wants to grab that and run with it, but I'd say they're mental if they do.

Just imagine... the bulk of the issue 107 team gathered together with some fresh new faces in a cosy pub shortly before Christmas, throwing around ideas for the following year's Zzap! 64 Christmas Special... can't think of many things that I'd find more satisfying than that!

Over a cosy email client, more like!

2012 is also ten years since we did 107.

But yeah, what Craig said about there being a reason to do it besides being 'another one' is the #1 reason I'm not firing all cylinders to get started.

But I know as soon as I crack that puzzle...

(agh, I should be working, starting a new job and having to prove yourself is a right pain)

Gazunta wrote:2012 is also ten years since we did 107.

Jesus.

Jeeeeesus!

To which I'd like to add "Christ on a bike".

And just to stir the pot further...

(forgive the inaccuracies and the such... )
IMAGE DELETED....

Ha! Class! Doesn't look like an Oli original though

Iain wrote:Doesn't look like an Oli original though

No, they're a bit hard to come by...

andy vaisey wrote:

Iain wrote:Doesn't look like an Oli original though

No, they're a bit hard to come by...

Here you go then... steal an Oli image and a quick edit later...

That's the cover sorted then, Craig!

Well I know of one potential gold medal review to suggest

Wow amazing (PoP). Let's hope the 1541U supports EasyFlash soon so I can play it on a real C64.

Sixteen Plus wrote:Well I know of one potential gold medal review to suggest

Gazunta wrote:2012 is also ten years since we did 107.

[Darth Vader]NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooo![/Darth Vader]

Always preferred the older style contents page myself. Like a mug of comforting hot chocolate...