You don’t have to be an editor to cringe when you hear the oft-misquoted phrase “the proof is in the pudding”. We all know that the “proof” of the pudding is in the eating.
In other words, something has to be experienced in order to determine just how good it is.

We do this with On Spec all the time. We shamelessly try to entice new readers at conventions and trade shows, by waving a copy or a promotional item in front of them, and attempting to convince them that we offer a unique reading experience; one that is going to change their world view or improve their quality of life somehow. In this day and age, even $6.95 is difficult to part with. So what will it be? Copy of On Spec or a latté? In a perfect world, a copy of On Spec PLUS a latté makes an excellent pairing, but first, we have to get past the “I have never heard of you” challenge (referred to in a previous editorial).

So we do “the pitch”. Authors often come to us to pitch their story ideas, and...