When we decided that part of Fair to Flair would be a quarterly publication, we let the idea sit for a little while. We wanted to get it right. I think this approach is going to work. It will make the publication unique, while offering a realistic launching pad for aspiring writers and journalists.
Fair to Flair Quarterly will not be a magazine in the traditional vein. It will include stories on current wrestling, groundbreaking journalism, and topical analysis. But we will curate it in a way that you can pick up an issue three years after its initial publication and enjoy it from cover to cover. This publication will last because of a single fact: we have a deep, complicated love for this art, and the words printed in its volume will be from the heart.
I don’t want to give the wrong impression. Fair to Flair Quarterly will not just be a bound compendium of positivity. Love is sometimes about pain, sacrifice, longing, and despair. Love is about longing as much as it is about gratification. And we long as wrestling fans. You know you do too. Love is about giving up the sensible and shooting for the impossible. We’ve all given up so much for this damned thing. It’s time we let the world know how we felt. And we need your help.
More than anything, we want Fair to Flair Quarterly to be a collection of feelings. What about wrestling makes you jump, cry, or yearn? What about it makes you sick, lonely, or welcome? What about wrestling breaks your heart, or makes you fall in love with the world? We want to hear from you in whatever publishable capacity you’d like to communicate.
We’ve anticipated a few of your questions. This will eventually be re-organized as an FAQ.
What will this Quarterly look like?
It will look like a softcover book, five inches wide, eight inches high. It will be somewhere in between 100 and 250 pages.
What’s going to be in it?
Longform journalism by the editors of Fair to Flair and awesome contributions by wrestling fans around the world.
Will you treat wrestling like a sport like most wrestling magazines do?
Absolutely not. Fair to Flair was created under the idea that wrestling is a fledgling (yet ancient) art form in need of exploration and dialogue, and the quarterly is our next step in this conversation.
Is it just going to be a real book?
Fair to Flair Quarterly will be a print and electronic publication, available from major online bookstores such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. But if you like PDFs (like, say, for your iPad), we’ll have those too. You’ll also be able to buy it for your Kindle.
And what’s this going to cost?
$25.
$25? That’s a lot of money.
We understand. But the price is the way it is for a reason: we want to be able to pay our contributors (contributors, see below). Big publications offset costs by filling the majority of their product with advertising. I can promise you: as we become more popular, we will get cheaper. Until then, you’ll be supporting independent journalists who will be pouring their heart out to you.
Will there be subscription options?
Of course. You’ll be able to subscribe to four issues of Fair to Flair Quarterly for $90. That’s $10 off the purchase of individual issues. We’ll also send you some fun goodies.
Starting today, we are accepting submissions for the first issue of Fair to Flair Quarterly. Send your submissions to editor@fairtoflair.com. Keep reading for rules and restrictions.
- We’re looking for non-fiction, fiction, photography, art, and other forms of mixed-media communique. Please send the works as attachments with file extensions another computer would have no trouble understanding.
- Writing should be no less than 1,500 words and no longer than 7,000 words. Keep footnotes down to under 20. Writing should be proofread and edited before sending to us. Our editing staff reserves the right to alter your submission, but we will communicate with you our changes before publication.
- Art and photography should be high-res, print-ready quality of at least 300 dpi.
- Writing and art should be clear of obscene profanity, pornography, and be appropriate to a PG-13 audience.
- Though we encourage works of fiction, copyright forbids us from publishing fan-fiction. Fiction cannot contain characters depicted on any professional wrestling program.
- Fair-use rules allow names of wrestlers to be used in arguments and journalism.
Contributors to Fair to Flair will be compensated with the following:
- A portion of the profits from the issue sold that includes your work. The percentage will be based off the number of other contributors and the size of your contribution (this will be paid twice a year, with sales information).
- A percentage off the cost of purchasing issues/subscriptions (to be determined later).
- Free digital copies of every issue that includes your work.
- Other goodies (similar to pre-order goodies, to be determined later).
Launching this publication has been a dream of mine for years. I’ve finally found a group of guys who share a similar viewpoint and a similar passion. I can’t wait to see what comes in, what we put together, and the look on all your faces when we make this happen. Enjoy WrestleMania this weekend, and keep us in your minds and hearts.
