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ISSNs and ALCS

edited June 2011 in - Resources
Do all magazines have them? Some have them in the magazine, but a lot don't. I've tried an internet search without luck.

The ones I'd like to know and can't find are

Best
Candis
My Weekly
Ireland's Own
The Weekly News
Woman's Day
Yours

Comments

  • This website, under Women's magazines, has a couple of them at least...

    http://www.business-magazines.com/product.php?prd=556465
  • I believe it's a legal requirement, PM.
    If you have any copies of those mags, the ISSN forms part of the barcode. Section 4 here http://www.bl.uk/bibliographic/issn.html is probably your best bet in that case.
  • Thanks, Liz - found a few on there.
  • I thought it was too, Webbo but there are some I can't find. Maybe they only have to have them, not give them in the mag? Will try the link. Cheers
  • The barcode thing seems to work!

    Thanks both of you. The only one I don't have now is Candis as that has no barcode (it's only available on subscription)
  • Is this for ALCS? If it is you don't need to show the ISSN numbers any more. If it isn't ignore me!
  • I'm ignoring you, Writebag!

    But only a bit - I was looking on ALCS the other day and noticed I didn't need the ISSN and wondered why I hadn't realised that before (Not having them to hand had put me off inputting the details) Glad to know it's changed and it wasn't just me being thick earlier!
  • Wandering off topic, (sorry PM) I input loads of stuff into ALCS a couple of months ago and all the magazine story entries are still 'pending'. Is this normal?
  • I've edited the title to put you back on topic, Heather.
  • They do take a while to pass Heather especially if you have entered 2011 items as they will not be paid until Feb/March 2013. We are paid everything up to the end of 2010 next year. But if it drags on send an email or ring, they are very helpful.
  • I put all my old stuff on at the same time, from 2008 or whenever the cut-off date was, so there was quite a bit. I expect someone has looked at it and thought they can't face it all in one go! :)

    I'll be interested to see if I get anything at all out of it - do people really photocopy Woman's Weekly? Or do ALCS just assume they might? It will be fascinating to see how it works.
  • I wondered how it worked too. In my library you can just copy books and magazines without it being recorded, so it must be similar to PRS - for music - perhaps?
  • My son was once amazed to find out by chance that an article he'd written was being used by an American college as a comprehension exercise.
  • [quote=Baggy Books]I wondered how it worked too. [/quote] And me.

    So far, I've only input a few things. Must get on and add the rest.
  • I've put my few on. I'll have more in a few months, but I write very little that qualifies.
  • Has any one received any money for fiction in magazines yet?
  • There's other threads about this - and yes, some receive regular amounts.

    http://talkback.writers-online.co.uk/comments.php?DiscussionID=178231&page=1#Item_36

    http://talkback.writers-online.co.uk/comments.php?DiscussionID=155772&page=1#Item_27
  • Heather, the answer is yes people do get paid for their fiction. I and my friends add all our fiction sales evewn the overseas markets. I always advise people to add everything and let the ALCS people query it. Sometimes you recieve more for a filler than what the mag paid.
    Even a few stories reaps rewards and for a few years.

    As for the recording of libraries etc copying our work. It is not checked, members of ALCS just get paid pro rata to what money is available. Cetain types of mags seem to reap bigger dividents. It's rather like Father Christmas visiting all writers for being good!
  • edited March 2012
    I have just registered and went to add my books etc but am a bit confused. Which section do poems in magazines go under? Is it the articles section as that has the ISSN number in the form? And does the poem have to be a certain word limit too?
    Re an anthology of poems I can see that goes under books section, but what do I put where it says other contributors? Do you have to list all the other people who have a poem in the book? There are about thirty in one book I am in.
    Also what do I put in the article section when it says number of authors? How does one know when it's a mag?
  • ALCS? ISSN? You what? Have I missed something?
  • I'd like to know this too!
  • Glad it's not just me :D

    Thought I was a bit thick!
  • Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society

    http://www.alcs.co.uk/

    ISSN -International Standard Serial Number
    all magazines have one- it's a series of digits that identify that publication.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Serial_Number
  • No, I was talking about kateyanne's post...
  • D'oh Liz!

    Never mind, my answer has been given.
  • Anything in magazines, including poems, goes in as 'articles'.
    If you don't have the ISSN you can leave it blank.
    You have to have an approximate wordcount, so it's a bit unfair on poems IMO but that's what i was told.
    It doesn't ask about other contributors for mags, only for books.
    For books you put the number of other contributors, not who they all are.

    Ask again if that's not clear.
  • Thanks Heather, thing is when I leave the ISSN box blank it flashes a message in red saying you missed the ISSN number and it won't go forward.
  • That's odd kateyanne.

    Under 'Add articles' the ISSN field isn't asterisked as mandatory and it says somewhere that you don't have to have it.

    If you are in 'add chapter/essay/poem', which is for contributions for books, not magazines, then the ISBN field IS mandatory.

    Just wondered if that is the confusion.

    If you have a copy of the mag you poem was in, then the ISSN is usually in a small print section near the front or back of the mag.
  • Kateyanne have you tried recently? It used to do that to me, but lately I've been able to input the details without the ISSN.
  • I didn't need the ISSN (I rang them and asked) and then spent an hour inputting all the stories since 2009 January (that's as far as they will let me go back, bummer, lost some years there!) BUT ...
    I checked in tonight and all my input has vanished. I've e-mailed them to ask if all this will reappear when they've authenticated what I put.
  • When I was putting together my hand-out for the talk the other evening, I discovered that the ALCS also administers PLR payments for UK writers with books in the Austrian, Dutch, Belgian, French, Spanish, German, and Estonian and Irish system.
  • Ceka, did you look under 'recent activity' - that is where things seems to languish till they're approved. If there's nothing there, that doesn't seem right. I've never had any disappear completely.
    It can take several weks before things are approved, then they send you an email to say it's been done.
    They are quite helpful if you email them.
  • Ceka my stuff seemed to vanish to but it came back when it was authorised so I think it must just go somewhere we can't see it.
  • Oh! Didn't look under recent activity, Heather!

    Carol, do you know if Irish magazines would also be included? I've had a few stories in Ireland's Own. Suppose I could try it and see.
  • The info on the ALCS didn't specify, but it's worth adding them. I'm sure if they don't qualify they'd tell you.
  • I can't see which items I've already added - can you tell me where to find the list? (I can see the list for 'recent activity' which shows there are items pending, but can't see the list of those already succesfully added)
  • I've been doing this recently as it has to be done soon. Can't help you PM, but do now that unless your name is on the title page you will get nothing, so an anthology is pointless to register.
  • *sticks head around door, looks confused, exits *
  • I'm inputting magazine short stories. I did some earlier in the year and was later told they'd been added, but I can't remember which ones I've done and which still need to go on.

    There is a section for adding stuff in anthologies. Seems odd to do that if they don't pay out.
  • PM, after you have logged in, you will be in the members area, then click on 'Add/View works', then on the RHS there is a little box with View at the top. Click on the relevant bit ('articles' for short stories) and they should be there. Hope that's not as unclear as it reads!!
  • Brilliant - thanks!
  • Ha ha - either I had a story published in 1905 or I made a typo when entering something.
  • Well, I know you've been writing a long time but...

    And if anyone is thinking it isn't worth doing this - it really is! You get a lot more money than you would think.
  • I missed out on years of backlogged work cos I read about this (thank you KA and PM and several others!) and then completely forgot about it until this spring. I've managed to get over 20 onto my list now and will be interested to see what kind of return I make at their next payout in (I think) February - is that right? Once a year?
    Anthologies may be pointless, Liz, but Annuals are not!
  • Yes, once a year. Next payout will include publications for the 3 years up to the end of 2011.

    I've included a number of stories in anthologies and they've been accepted onto the site. Can't really tell if they earned anything though, as the payment schedule was rather opaque (at least to me!)
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