S.A.S.E. or You Want an Answer When?
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| Title: | S.A.S.E. or You Want an Answer When? |
| Creator: | Susan M. Garrett |
| Date(s): | April 1989 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | multifandom, print zines |
| Topic: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
S.A.S.E. or You Want an Answer When? is a 1989 essay by Susan M. Garrett.
It was first printed as a part of The Fantastically Fundamentally Functional Guide to Fandom, an instruction manual meant to explain the basics of fandom and fanworks to new fans and to be a reminder to more seasoned fans.
This essay was also reprinted in Southern Enclave #44 (Winter 1996).
The essay is meant to address careless and rude fans who both create and consume fanworks:
With a little bit of common courtesy and common sense, fans could make fandom a really keen place to work and play. Fans created this playground and only fans can be responsible for their actions.
Some Topics Discussed
- without S.A.S.E.s, fanzine fandom would crumble
- what is an S.A.S.E. (spelled both "S.A.S.E." and "SASE")
- how do you create a letter and an S.A.S.E. that is complete and effective
- why hasn't my SASE been returned?
- "Editors do fanzines for fun. They can't afford to spend $20.00 a month on postage sending information to people who may or may not be interested in their zines. If you send an SASE, they know you're interested."
- the mutual power of the S.A.S.E.
From the Essay
The SASE (self-addressed, stamped envelope) is the ultimate tool of fandom. Without it fanzines would fold, readers would weep, cities would crumble, and...well, you get the idea. The proper use of the SASE not only saves you time and money, but also can determine whether or not something ever sees print. There’s power in that there 25 cent stamp!
I don't send SASEs to zines that aren't in print yet. Why waste the stamp, it may never come out!When you look in the PROPOSED or IN PLANNING STAGES sections of zine listings, you’ll see a number of zines with no finalized content. If one catches your fancy, send it an SASE and you may keep it from disappearing into eternity. Brainstorming with friends often leads to the creation of a really incredible idea for a zine. So the editor puts a listing in a trade zine to see if anyone would be interested. If there’s no response or not enough response, the idea slowly fades away, never to be seen again.
An SASE exerts a certain amount of power. It tells a zine editor ‘Hey, you’ve got a potential reader, here!' If there are enough SASEs, the zine gets put together and sent out—your SASE gets used. If the interest isn't there, no zine — and your SASE is used to deliver a note saying, “Gee, not many people were interested, so we’re not going to do this, but thanks for the interest.” Either way, you had an input into what is going on, you determine whether a zine lives or dies! Isn’t that power? For a twenty-five cent stamp?
Other Essays in This Series
- The Seven Deadly Sins of Fandom
- S.A.S.E. or You Want an Answer When?
- Telephone Courtesy OR How to Make Enemies Without Even Trying
- A Buyer's Guide to Fanzines OR How to Not Drop $200 in a Hurry
- Ordering Zines by Mail OR Waiting by the Mailbox
- The Letterzine OR The Gift of Gab
- Research, OR Ignorance is Not Bliss
- Pseudonym
- Simultaneous Submissions, Resubmittals, and Reprints, or, Where I Have I Seen This Before?
- The Fanzine Bill of Rights
- L(etter) O(f) C(omment) or How Am I Doin'?
- What to Do with an LOC, or, The Roar of the Crowds
- Copyright Law and Fandom, or, "Am I Gonna Get Sued?"