Make it new
The 2010 AWP conference is just a few short weeks away, and if you’ve been to the conference before you know how overwhelming a scene it can be–hordes of small presses and literary magazines promoting their newest products, all of them vying for the same, ever-shrinking readership. What is perhaps most fascinating is that most of them follow the same publishing model and even use the same, tired language to describe themselves (“[Name of magazine] is dedicated to publishing the finest prose and poetry”). By the end of the three day bookfair, it’s hard to decipher one publisher from the next; attendees are usually left with the overwhelming feeling of sameness and the not-so-difficult decision of which complimentary copies to leave behind (this giving-the-milk-away-for-free sales model is a conversation for another post). I don’t think I’m saying anything new here. Hell, this very site (which is closely linked to a lit mag) has even lampooned the standard submission call. For better or for worse, a lit mag is a lit mag is a lit mag.
But there are some exceptions, some intrepid folks out there are trying new things, and the following is a brief list of the more interesting print endeavors out there (sure, you can do a lot with digital media, but you can’t sell it at book fair):
McSweeney’s
Okay, McSweeney’s is old news. They’ve been around for a while, and some may argue that they are more interested in book design than literature, but their most recent publication, The San Francisco Panorama, is something to see. Sure, it’s awkward to read and it’s so massive that it could never be a sustainable model for daily newspapers, but they went for broke, and I respect that.
One Story
I don’t subscribe to a lot of magazines, but One Story makes the cut. Sure, it’s pretty nondescript as far as design is concerned, but the stories are often winners, and a new story shows up every three weeks. What’s better, since there’s only the one piece, by default, every piece is memorable (On a similar note, I imagine it’s a huge ego stroke to be accepted for publication–every write wants to be the main attraction).
Found Magazine
I’m sure everyone is aware of this one. Random folks find random pictures and notes and submit them via the web. Said random pictures and notes are reprinted online, and eventually, the creme de la creme find their way into print. The results are always funny and occasionally profound.
Significant Objects
Okay, so this one is not technically a print publication, but there are tangible objects to be had. The idea: A writer invents a story about an object purchased at a thrift store. Now invested with new significance by this fiction, the object should — according to the site’s curators — acquire not merely subjective but objective value. How to test the theory? Sell the object on Ebay. The winning bidder is mailed the significant object, along with a printout of the object’s fictional story, and net proceeds from the sale are given to the respective author.
Abe’s Penny
I love this one. It’s a monthly postcard with art on the front and text on the back; designed to be enjoyed in the time it takes to walk from your mailbox to your front door. So simple, so cool.
There are others, right?
Steve, is the eBay buyer informed that the story sent with the object is fictional?
Yeah. Some of the stories have been written by some fairly big names–Lethem is the only one I can remember at the moment, but there are others–and that’s part of the appeal… you’re buying an object that inspired Lethem (or another writer of note).
About twelve years ago, a friend of a friend of a friend bought a dictaphone at a Goodwill store, and the tape in it was an audio diary of a guy who was (is?) the most narcissistic sex addict on earth. Many copies of the tape were made, passed around to several different circles of friends, and the man was christened “Dick Masters.” I’ve been meaning to write a series of linked stories based on his monologues, your barking entry might be just the reminder I needed.
Thanks.
[...] Bark, I read a post about magazines who try new things and how most lit mags all say the same thing about their mission. At the AWP Bookfair last year, a [...]
Last year in Chicago, Hobart gave out ashtrays to people who bought the magazine, or maybe who subscribed. They also had bottles of whiskey on the table. I’m not sure who got those.
Now that’s how you sell a magazine.
I’m often dissatisfied with the line lit mags use that says something like “we’re trying to capture the human experience.” Something about it just irks me, though I haven’t pinpointed my problem with it (I bet I could find it in the DSM IV, though).
The goal, I’m guessing is to sound like a horoscope in the language that you use to describe your mag–to hit that perfect balance of generality and specificity so that every potential submitter thinks “Oh, we’re a perfect fit, I’m going to submit here” just like how every Capricorn thinks “Yeah, I am as stable as a rock and hardworking.”
From a recent fortune cookie: “You will soon discover your hidden talent.”
I can’t wait!
When I went to AWP in Austin, there was a guy at the book fair selling decks of cards with lines of poetry on them. It wasn’t a litmag; they were all his, a collection of sorts, but it was a cool idea. I carry the deck around in my backpack and take it out when I want to be prompted to write. So that’s seems like a good idea. Print poetry or short shorts on objects that will get used. Make a board game out of them or something.
A board game would be rad!
Here’s my million dollar idea (patent pending):
Serializing a story on Kleenex–something uplifting and disposable to be read while sick at home.
Now I just need to get on the Swimming with the Sharks show…
Love these! Don’t forget the serialized novel project Nightmare Trails at Knifepoint. Each month subscribers receive a new, cliffhanger installment!
Very cool, Nick. Thanks!
I’ve been thinking the exact same issue myself lately. Glad to determine someone on the exact same wavelength! Great posting.
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