THE MAJOR EVENT!
So what is
the 'major event' that I left you pondering last issue? Well, from
the next issue, we hit the big time with full newsstand distribution
throughout the UK and, eventually overseas. The summer will be spent
frantically preparing for this launch and praying that it all works
out! We have signed an agreement with the largest independent
newsstand distributor and now all we need to do is make everyone,
public and newsagents alike, aware that we exist. One of the
problems is that PAGE 6 does not mean anything to those who don't
know (there are going to be some sorely disappointed first time
buyers who expect two sets of boobs!) so we have extra work in
educating Atari owners who have not come across us before. If we
were called Atari World, or something similar, it would be easier
but we are not and, nearly five years on, we are not changing names
now! If you fancy helping out, there is something you can do. Just
get all your non-subscribing friends to walk into their local W.H.Smith and ask them if they are going to be stocking PAGE 6 from
September. Tell them it is distributed by Seymour and maybe we will
sell more than a few of our first 'newstand' issue.
If you are worried that PAGE 6 might deteriorate
into another run of the mill magazine full of 'read it on the train
and throw it away' articles, don't. We will introduce a few more
'casual' features but intend to continue with the long reviews, long
listings, utilities and more serious articles which we believe
dedicated Atari users want. If we fail to attract the casual user,
so be it. At least they, and you, will continue to have the choice.
One thing we must do is plan ahead more, hence the 'Wanted' ads
elsewhere. Hopefully we will hear from you if you have anything to
contribute. Don't be shy!
Finally, don't run away with the idea that big
time distribution means that we will be sitting back in luxury for
the rest of our lives! It doesn't quite work like that, believe me!
In fact, if we don't get it right, the reverse is more likely to
happen, and if we can't get the shops aware of the magazine, within
a limited promotional budget, you might well be the lucky owners of
the last few PAGE 6's! So, stroll into your newsagent and do your
bit and PAGE 6 will be around as long as Atari!
A DEAL WITH ANTIC
We have recently reached an agreement with the
American magazine ANTIC whereby we can re-print programs and
articles from their previous issues and likewise they can re-print
from PAGE 6. This, I believe, will be of benefit in many ways.
Firstly, it will enable you to see some of the best programs and
articles from the United States which you might otherwise never see
and, secondly, it will give PAGE 6 greater exposure and credibility
in the world at large. Additionally it will enable contributors to
gain the pleasure of seeing their work published in one of the most
respected Atari magazines in the world. What an ego trip!
Readers who already get ANTIC might not be so
thrilled with this news, but let me assure you that PAGE 6 will not
become a 'reprint service' for ANTIC nor, I am sure, will ANTIC copy
PAGE 6 wholesale. We each will retain our individual style and PAGE
6 will be only reprint items which we feel will be of wide interest
to our readers. The fact is that the majority of our readers do not
read ANTIC and therefore will now have access to even more Atari
material. The aim of PAGE 6 has always been to 'explore ATARI
computing through the exchange of information and knowledge' and now
readers will have access to a little more.
COMPUTER SUPPORT OR COMPUTER COWBOYS?
Several Readers seem to have lost money in recent
months with Computer Support. So have we. The last time I spoke to
John Lawson of Computer Support he spun me a yarn about not being
able to keep up with orders, moving to new and better premises and
getting the bank to help with expansion. Load of bull, it seems, as
he happily carried on cashing people's cheques and not sending the
goods. What's more he didn't pay for the ads in PAGE 6 with which he
got that money. So what can you do, if you sent Computer Support
money and did not get anything in return? Very little, it seems. The
classic remedy is to take action through the Small Claims Court, but
if you do not succeed you merely loose a little more. Rather than
tell readers to take this action without knowing whether it would be
successful, we have tried ourselves. We failed. We have tried to
trace Mr. Lawson at three different addresses without success. We
have even had someone go down to the latest address in Gravesend
only to find empty offices and be told by the people downstairs that
they had never heard of Computer Support. Unfortunately, if you
can't trace the company, there is no point in taking action in the
Small Claims Court, the fee is non-recoverable.
What you could do if you have lost money through
Computer Support is write to me with full details. I can't promise
that anything can be done but it may prove useful to know the full
extent of readers' losses in case we can take any further action. In
the meantime, if Mr Lawson is reading this, he might like to do the
decent thing and refund people's money?
Someone else to watch out for is N.J. Gregory who
advertised The Slave some issues ago. We did not lose out but have
had several letters from readers who sent money off and have
received nothing in return.
Why do these people have to let everybody down?
