Zwol.org

We need Writer/Editors, Pencilers, Inkers, Letterers, Colorists, Web Builders, Graphic Designers, and some to help with the Business end of things (Operations). Pay is a back end percentage. Please write affinitystormrecruiting@gmail.com.

Hey Ray,
Not the first time I've seen you making posts...was actually considering contributing years ago. However, what turned me off to your company was not only the lack of up-front pay but most importantly the failure of many of your projects to result in finished comics. I've heard many stories about the variety of ways that a project can fall into neglect from the perspective of both your former writers and artists...and apparently many projects have fallen into limbo due to the lack of feedback from your staff.

Has this changed?
Have any of your projects seen completion recently and has that netted money for your freelance creative staff?

Years ago, the reasons I and others were given was that you were a new company still getting your sea-legs. But now it's nearing a decade since you've started recruiting. I feel that before anyone should work for you again, that there should be assurances from management that your policies have changed in some way. Projects should not wait in limbo for months without a response from management. There has been way too many solicitations for new talent and very little production of a finished product (if any).

This may sound harsh, but after hearing very negative testimonies about your company for years I feel these issues should be addressed for the benefit of all prospective hires. I and others want assurances that the work we make for your company will move past the concept stage and make it into physical or digital sellable issues.

Best,
Robert Finch

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What he said all the way

thanks for the info guys

Ruyei wrote:Hey Ray,
Not the first time I've seen you making posts...was actually considering contributing years ago. However, what turned me off to your company was not only the lack of up-front pay but most importantly the failure of many of your projects to result in finished comics. I've heard many stories about the variety of ways that a project can fall into neglect from the perspective of both your former writers and artists...and apparently many projects have fallen into limbo due to the lack of feedback from your staff.

Has this changed?
Have any of your projects seen completion recently and has that netted money for your freelance creative staff?

Years ago, the reasons I and others were given was that you were a new company still getting your sea-legs. But now it's nearing a decade since you've started recruiting. I feel that before anyone should work for you again, that there should be assurances from management that your policies have changed in some way. Projects should not wait in limbo for months without a response from management. There has been way too many solicitations for new talent and very little production of a finished product (if any).

This may sound harsh, but after hearing very negative testimonies about your company for years I feel these issues should be addressed for the benefit of all prospective hires. I and others want assurances that the work we make for your company will move past the concept stage and make it into physical or digital sellable issues.

Best,
Robert Finch

Hey Henry,
All I’m sure of is that, 5 or so years ago, everything I stated about the poster’s comic organization was going on. I even had some direct interaction with the company itself, as well as interaction with quite a few writers and artists. I also was given access to a humongous database full of incomplete works, with names of folks I knew at the time attached to those files. The company head said that the incomplete works were because of limited resources due to the company’s youth, but the writers and artists I met with added to the story and claimed that their proposals were enthusiastically received, but then they were asked to wait an unacceptable amount of time without response from the head editor.

But that was all a long time ago. In my mind, the best case scenario is that the publisher in question has gotten his (or maybe her) act together.
So optimally, I hope I will get a public response from my very blunt provocation to fill in some blanks. I haven’t been on Zwol for a while, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this situation has changed in some way. But if I don’t get an acceptable response...well...

I’d just say that it’s best to be suspicious of working with this group for now.
Best,
Robert Finch.

thank you ruyey

Ruyei wrote:Hey Henry,
All I’m sure of is that, 5 or so years ago, everything I stated about the poster’s comic organization was going on. I even had some direct interaction with the company itself, as well as interaction with quite a few writers and artists. I also was given access to a humongous database full of incomplete works, with names of folks I knew at the time attached to those files. The company head said that the incomplete works were because of limited resources due to the company’s youth, but the writers and artists I met with added to the story and claimed that their proposals were enthusiastically received, but then they were asked to wait an unacceptable amount of time without response from the head editor.

But that was all a long time ago. In my mind, the best case scenario is that the publisher in question has gotten his (or maybe her) act together.
So optimally, I hope I will get a public response from my very blunt provocation to fill in some blanks. I haven’t been on Zwol for a while, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this situation has changed in some way. But if I don’t get an acceptable response...well...

I’d just say that it’s best to be suspicious of working with this group for now.
Best,
Robert Finch.

Ruyei wrote:Hey Ray,
Not the first time I've seen you making posts...was actually considering contributing years ago. However, what turned me off to your company was not only the lack of up-front pay but most importantly the failure of many of your projects to result in finished comics. I've heard many stories about the variety of ways that a project can fall into neglect from the perspective of both your former writers and artists...and apparently many projects have fallen into limbo due to the lack of feedback from your staff.

Has this changed?
Have any of your projects seen completion recently and has that netted money for your freelance creative staff?

Years ago, the reasons I and others were given was that you were a new company still getting your sea-legs. But now it's nearing a decade since you've started recruiting. I feel that before anyone should work for you again, that there should be assurances from management that your policies have changed in some way. Projects should not wait in limbo for months without a response from management. There has been way too many solicitations for new talent and very little production of a finished product (if any).

This may sound harsh, but after hearing very negative testimonies about your company for years I feel these issues should be addressed for the benefit of all prospective hires. I and others want assurances that the work we make for your company will move past the concept stage and make it into physical or digital sellable issues.

Best,
Robert Finch

We are publishing. But the reason people don't make money is they don't see it through on the back end percentage. Which I get. The problem is I haven't made money for myself to reinvest, hence the backend. But we have things much more worked out. I am not going to go through the details here, but if you want to see what we have going on, email affinitystormrecruiting@gmail.com and join tentatively.

We have a LOT going on, but are trying to build material before we go all out on a full run. I've always felt if fans need to wait more than a month between installments, then they lose interest. This is why when we have 4 issues completed, we will do a Kickstarter for that book. But again, people need to see it through. Again, I underdstand if they don't. The plan is more detailed than that, but this is not the place to discuss it.

Ruyei wrote:Hey Henry,
All I’m sure of is that, 5 or so years ago, everything I stated about the poster’s comic organization was going on. I even had some direct interaction with the company itself, as well as interaction with quite a few writers and artists. I also was given access to a humongous database full of incomplete works, with names of folks I knew at the time attached to those files. The company head said that the incomplete works were because of limited resources due to the company’s youth, but the writers and artists I met with added to the story and claimed that their proposals were enthusiastically received, but then they were asked to wait an unacceptable amount of time without response from the head editor.

But that was all a long time ago. In my mind, the best case scenario is that the publisher in question has gotten his (or maybe her) act together.
So optimally, I hope I will get a public response from my very blunt provocation to fill in some blanks. I haven’t been on Zwol for a while, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this situation has changed in some way. But if I don’t get an acceptable response...well...

I’d just say that it’s best to be suspicious of working with this group for now.
Best,
Robert Finch.

Communication is more streamlined now. Maybe I learn slow, and for that apologize, but there is a lot quicker turnaround and communications now. But as we start growing our staff again, I will count on the team to communicate with each other, not just to me. Like I said, we have things more together now. Its still hard to keep people for back end, but the dedicated team I have is doing some amazing things.

And I have made some changes to the recruiting process that will help. Like I said, I may learn slow, but I do learn.

Besides what is advertised, I am looking for help RUNNING the company. That is something I've been lacking all along with a lot of promises from people that never come through. I want to focus more on the creative end. If anyone can help on that end, we may be able to make things happen even more effectively. I will post a separate ad.

I do NOT regularly check Zwol posts, however. I neglected to put my contact info in the original post, for which I apologize. Affinitystormrecruiting@gmail.com.

Thanks for the reply Henry,
It sounds great that you’re acknowledging your mistakes and attempting a new approach. Bringing on more permanent staff members sounds like a great idea, as it would allow you to better manage freelancers and help you focus more on the editorial aspects. However, I still don’t feel like my question has been answered.

I’m sorry to be harsh again, but I asked if your company’s policies and/or organization had improved. You didn’t really answer yes or no, but stated that you were in the process of hiring more staff in order to address the problems I brought up. Frankly, I’ve been seeing you requesting more staff for years, and I don’t feel confident with that answer alone.

My primary concern was that you were recruiting comic staff, approving projects, and then not providing the organization and/or resources to allow these stories to reach a sellable state. If you don’t have a solution for this issue presently, it’s my opinion that you should not post ads looking for new talent right now. It would be one thing if you were paying talent upfront, but you’re only offering back-end pay. This is unfair to those who work under you, as they do a lot of work and ultimately get nothing out of it for their efforts.

I still think finding a business partner of sorts can possibly be a good idea, as it would give you a person to help you create a viable game plan for your company. But until you have this plan, I don’t think you should look for any artists, writers, or other freelancers. Focus on either bringing on a partner and/or reorganizing first. Although alternatively if you decide to pay your staff upfront for each project I think that would be a reasonable solution as well, as it wouldn’t leave your writers and artists completely out in the cold.

I wish you the best,
Robert Finch

Ruyei wrote:Hey Henry,
All I’m sure of is that, 5 or so years ago, everything I stated about the poster’s comic organization was going on. I even had some direct interaction with the company itself, as well as interaction with quite a few writers and artists. I also was given access to a humongous database full of incomplete works, with names of folks I knew at the time attached to those files. The company head said that the incomplete works were because of limited resources due to the company’s youth, but the writers and artists I met with added to the story and claimed that their proposals were enthusiastically received, but then they were asked to wait an unacceptable amount of time without response from the head editor.

But that was all a long time ago. In my mind, the best case scenario is that the publisher in question has gotten his (or maybe her) act together.
So optimally, I hope I will get a public response from my very blunt provocation to fill in some blanks. I haven’t been on Zwol for a while, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this situation has changed in some way. But if I don’t get an acceptable response...well...

I’d just say that it’s best to be suspicious of working with this group for now.
Best,
Robert Finch.

Thanks for your feedback. I understand your concerns.

Our systems never stop evolving. I am not exactly sure when some people were involved, or what their intended role was (barring looking it up). But, here are some ways things have evolved in recent years.

In the past, it was my intention for communication to funnel through other people in management. When we grow to that size again, that will again be the case. But I have systems set up in our orientation process that put people in contact with the right people, and become familiar with our organizational structure. We have handbooks. My turnaround time on most emails is a lot better than it was. Usually I get back in a few days at my worst, unless I have to be away, which I announce in advance. Admittedly, I might put off reading an email that seems like a quick response or very low priority with someone I am already in active discussions with elsewhere. Even low priority emails are answered quickly if I am not actively communicating with them elsewhere. In the past, emails were left sitting for months. That is by far no longer the case. I know its not a perfect situation, but it is VASTLY improved.

We still use the forums, but they have been streamlined, and we have a detailed orientation process, that among other things, guides you through the forums. The orientation has also been streamlined. It has always been evolving, and I am sure will continue to evolve. Also in orientation you will be given Handbooks that detail policies and procedures.

We no longer use Box and Yahoo! Groups, but have moved to Google Drive. Unfortunately, I was used to Box, so there is still a bit of a learning curve for Drive, but ultimately I think it will prove to be an effective tool.

We have a lot of inactive projects, but most of them are mine that I wish to develop, and have never gotten any real commitments from anyone to work on them. I understand what you mean by unfinished, but do you mean unfinished particular issues of a given book? Because we have many of them, approaching 30, but many are as yet unreleased.

We have branched into eBooks, have done a mini launch, and are gearing up for a major launch. These are a lot easier to produce than comic books, and unlike comic books, Amazon will actually market them. Money from eBooks will be partially funneled into the comic books. We have also begun developing a Kids Books line.

We have begun a 4/7/30 funding plan. Four issues of a given book completed will warrant a Kickstarter, that the lions share of net intake will go to paying staff for that book, marketing, a print run, and distribution. When we have 7 books in a given division, there will be a Patreon. When we have 30 books we will be seeking investors. I WILL need help with crowdfunding and seeking investors, though, although with the latter, I will be the driving force. Like I said on Zwol, I believe that people who have to wait more than a month between issues of a particular book lose interest, hence waiting for 4 completed issues before the Kickstarter. With the Kickstarter, funding the books, we will get our staff to move faster. Without upfront pay, it typically takes many months for a fully staffed comic to be completed. And a lot of staff do NOT want to wait that long. I get it, and I don't have a solution for that yet.


People may have wasted what they think is a few hours on us, and decided not to wait for the payoff. There is a lot going on that is not readily apparent to new staff. Understand, that this is my life's work, and I really need to generate some more positive publicity, even if at minimum to say that we have made some positive improvements since they last checked us out. So, although I am fully aware that is not any of your problem, many have felt led to make negative posts about us, and this is for the most part, hurting the staff that I do have who are working hard. So, if you are willing and able to devote a little time to our orientation process, and you think anything has improved, please post something positive about us on Zwol. If you don't feel that way, you have every right to say so. I think and hope you will have a more positive experience. However, I know the forums are not for everyone, but if you try this, I ask you to keep an open mind. I have a schedule for orientation, but if you can devote 20 minutes a week to it, and give feedback as you go along, you may be helping me streamline. Again, I know its not your problem, but I HAVE worked hard to make changes, and there will DEFINITELY be a payoff., Even if I were to die, I have people in place to keep things going. I know that sounds morbid, but I want people to know I am committed to their success. At the very least, do this for the writers and artists that are and/or have completed some fantastic work. A lot of people HAVE devoted hours, days, months, years to this enterprise, and of those, even many of those that have left will see a payoff, if I can help it.

I guess that's enough for now, and I am sure this post will get mixed reviews. Just remember that there is more than my hard work at stake here. Thanks for listening.

First off, really sorry for calling you Henry, Ray. I’ll endeavor to do better.

Anyway, this seems far more advanced than what I’ve heard from you and others before, so I’m glad that you’re making progress. I’m still fairly skeptical given the testimonies I’ve had from others, so at the moment I still feel you have a lot to prove. But I’m very happy that you’re making steps and being open to criticism. That goes a long way for me.

However, understand that you have an uphill battle regarding rehabilitating your image for some of us. From the folders I’ve seen and the conversation I’ve had with former collaborators of yours, I definitely disagree with you about the concerns of those who contributed writing and art to ultimately incomplete projects. Even a 12 page comic can take tens of ours amongst a creative team team, and it’s generally disappointing (if not infuriating) to see that work wasted or disregarded. I feel your treatment of these creators was...frankly...unethical, and I hope you take a more creator-friendly approach in the future. It seems like you intend to, so that’s great. But I wouldn’t hand-wave away your mistakes. Making sure your creators have the support they need and ultimately get paid should be your priority, even if that payment comes from back-end pay.
Yes, creators who work on back-end pay are notoriously finicky (which is why I don’t recommend it). But I still feel you should be dedicated to support every single project you approve. I don’t feel the burden should rest solely with the creative team.

In any case, you’ve more than addressed my concerns. I appreciate your polite responses.

If I could recommend something, maybe ask some of your current staff members to write and/or demonstrate their support? I think it will help.

Best,
Robert Finch.

Ruyei wrote:First off, really sorry for calling you Henry, Ray. I’ll endeavor to do better.

Anyway, this seems far more advanced than what I’ve heard from you and others before, so I’m glad that you’re making progress. I’m still fairly skeptical given the testimonies I’ve had from others, so at the moment I still feel you have a lot to prove. But I’m very happy that you’re making steps and being open to criticism. That goes a long way for me.

However, understand that you have an uphill battle regarding rehabilitating your image for some of us. From the folders I’ve seen and the conversation I’ve had with former collaborators of yours, I definitely disagree with you about the concerns of those who contributed writing and art to ultimately incomplete projects. Even a 12 page comic can take tens of ours amongst a creative team team, and it’s generally disappointing (if not infuriating) to see that work wasted or disregarded. I feel your treatment of these creators was...frankly...unethical, and I hope you take a more creator-friendly approach in the future. It seems like you intend to, so that’s great. But I wouldn’t hand-wave away your mistakes. Making sure your creators have the support they need and ultimately get paid should be your priority, even if that payment comes from back-end pay.
Yes, creators who work on back-end pay are notoriously finicky (which is why I don’t recommend it). But I still feel you should be dedicated to support every single project you approve. I don’t feel the burden should rest solely with the creative team.

In any case, you’ve more than addressed my concerns. I appreciate your polite responses.

If I could recommend something, maybe ask some of your current staff members to write and/or demonstrate their support? I think it will help.

Best,
Robert Finch.

Projects are not ultimately incomplete, although I can definitely see how it may appear that way. People have left projects, and others have taken up the reins. Most work with art you have seen (as far as individual issues go), has at least one or two issues completed, although not without time and a lot of effort.

With that said, I hope you understand I am very dedicated to every project I approve. I AM slower to approve new projects, as I need meet my commitments to existing and former staff, and finish projects in progress. And although art has been moving forward, at least slowly, there are quite a few scripts that have been languishing a LONG time, so I need to devote my resources to them, rather than take on new projects. It HAS been hard for me to say "NO" to really good ideas in the past, but I have put a lid on new comic book projects some time ago.

Ruyei wrote:Thanks for the reply Henry,
It sounds great that you’re acknowledging your mistakes and attempting a new approach. Bringing on more permanent staff members sounds like a great idea, as it would allow you to better manage freelancers and help you focus more on the editorial aspects. However, I still don’t feel like my question has been answered.

I’m sorry to be harsh again, but I asked if your company’s policies and/or organization had improved. You didn’t really answer yes or no, but stated that you were in the process of hiring more staff in order to address the problems I brought up. Frankly, I’ve been seeing you requesting more staff for years, and I don’t feel confident with that answer alone.

My primary concern was that you were recruiting comic staff, approving projects, and then not providing the organization and/or resources to allow these stories to reach a sellable state. If you don’t have a solution for this issue presently, it’s my opinion that you should not post ads looking for new talent right now. It would be one thing if you were paying talent upfront, but you’re only offering back-end pay. This is unfair to those who work under you, as they do a lot of work and ultimately get nothing out of it for their efforts.

I still think finding a business partner of sorts can possibly be a good idea, as it would give you a person to help you create a viable game plan for your company. But until you have this plan, I don’t think you should look for any artists, writers, or other freelancers. Focus on either bringing on a partner and/or reorganizing first. Although alternatively if you decide to pay your staff upfront for each project I think that would be a reasonable solution as well, as it wouldn’t leave your writers and artists completely out in the cold.

I wish you the best,


Robert Finch

Robert,

To address your point, it is precisely to meet the commitments made to previous staff that I am recruiting. I need artists to finish these projects. I don't actually NEED much in the writing department, but I DO need editors and people on the business end to help make the existing and former contributors work successful. Writing is the carrot I offer to recruit editors and operations staff, but I have many unmanned projects, anthologies, primers, and eBooks available so starting new books with new commitments is not what I am doing. I am well aware of the issue of not being able to meet commitments. Like I said there ARE many writers whose scripts have been waiting. But it is useless to recruit artists without having an editor to run the book, or usually a group of books, hence the call for writers (plus these forums may or may not be for recruiting editors, but I think that many of the writer/artist combos on these forums might fare better if there was an editor involved).

With that said, I am also aware that there are other reasons that there may be a negative rep here. I have worked with many people, and most of the people who have spent any amount of time with me who have left, have left on a positive note, unless there are things that they are not saying to me. But I can think of, unfortunately, more than a few people who I have turned away because of negativity on my part. There is no excuse for this. As leader of the team, I am accountable to them. I wish I can say I will never make that mistake again, but I am truly sorry for doing this in the past, and like to think I am doing better.

Another point, there have been people with me who have been turned off by multiple orientations when they pick up a new job. This has been addressed, and although there are occasions a full orientation is called for, mainly when there is an obvious near total disconnect, or if the job moves you around between Affinity Press, Storm Games, Affinity Press Books, and our Operations Departments, but that is usually not the case. Even then, I indicate that certain steps can be skipped. I am working on a streamlined version of that, but in place of the full re-orientation for those staying within the confines of Affinity Press, I have developed the Express, which can be completed in 10-15 minutes. Any questions, please write affinitystormrecruiting@gmail.com.

All im reading is a monumental project with no financial backup, not sure how this would end up in success for all people involved.

I would save some money up, focus on ONE great idea, pay at least a great colorist to do the cover and a few pages worth of art, and spend some money promoting that stuff, and see if that gets enough people's attention to carry on or not.

that's my two cents.

Adrian,

Under other circumstances that would be good advice. I have many talented people working with me, and a year's worth of material we will begin releasing in the next 30 days. So cutting the line extremely wouldn't be feasible at this time.