What to consider when starting an online poetry journal.
July 29, 2013 12:46 PM Subscribe
Poetry Editors: I'm considering launching a mostly-online poetry journal, and I want to make sure I'm thinking about everything I need to be in the early stages.
I want to do this for a number of reasons: I think I have a unique idea for the publication in terms of scope and style, I want to give others the chance to publish work in new venues, I want to meet other writers (in other geographic areas) with similar interests, and I am looking for long-term creative project to explore some skills (editorial, design for print, project management).
I am pretty good with web design and content management systems, but I kind of want this to be totally dead simple and maybe just a static site rather than another Wordpress install. What are the foreseeable problems with that? I have a great hosting package already, so costs are negligible there.
Schedulewise, I'm thinking of publishing bi-monthly or quarterly online, with a low-run print annual.
I'm thinking I would definitely subscribe to submittable to handle submissions, and would request a listing on Duotrope (who have their own great guidelines for new pubs). Where else should I promote my request for submissions?
My other questions are: how many other editors and readers should I include? What are people's feelings about how many issues to run yearly? Am I just going to be totally inundated?
What am I just totally not thinking about?
I want to do this for a number of reasons: I think I have a unique idea for the publication in terms of scope and style, I want to give others the chance to publish work in new venues, I want to meet other writers (in other geographic areas) with similar interests, and I am looking for long-term creative project to explore some skills (editorial, design for print, project management).
I am pretty good with web design and content management systems, but I kind of want this to be totally dead simple and maybe just a static site rather than another Wordpress install. What are the foreseeable problems with that? I have a great hosting package already, so costs are negligible there.
Schedulewise, I'm thinking of publishing bi-monthly or quarterly online, with a low-run print annual.
I'm thinking I would definitely subscribe to submittable to handle submissions, and would request a listing on Duotrope (who have their own great guidelines for new pubs). Where else should I promote my request for submissions?
My other questions are: how many other editors and readers should I include? What are people's feelings about how many issues to run yearly? Am I just going to be totally inundated?
What am I just totally not thinking about?
Also, maybe you should aim for quarterly first and see how that goes. It'll take a while to build up enough quality submissions and build your reputation as a journal among other online venues. Less is more, in this case.
posted by Miss T.Horn at 1:17 PM on July 29, 2013
posted by Miss T.Horn at 1:17 PM on July 29, 2013
I've published a fair amount, and was the assistant editor of a small nationally distributed print journal a few years ago, but I've never started my own and don't imagine to have an understanding of what's involved. But when I send my work out, here's what I tend to look for in prospective journals:
Is the work they've previously published fantastic, or at least solid? [This is especially tough with newer journals, and is often the result of lots of hard work soliciting bigger-name writers, building a backlog of good work to rely on, and having connections to lots of writers already. Right off the bat you should expect that at least half of what you publish will be solicited, even though you might hope otherwise. A few issues down the line this could change depending on how your goals for the journal change with more experience.]
Will this journal last? Does it seem like it'll stick around for more than a couple years? [This is kind of a nebulous question to answer--but most important is whether they update regularly: if they're a quarterly, do they put out issues on a quarterly schedule? Even better, are they posting a poem a week, or interviews with authors featured in the upcoming issue, or a YouTube link to Thriller every so often, even? Also, does it look good? Is the visual aesthetic compelling yet readable, and not a decade out of date? I'm not (just) a snob; to me these things indicate a level of engagement.]
I'll post more when I think of them, and am interested to read what other advice you get.
posted by tapir-whorf at 2:49 PM on July 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
Is the work they've previously published fantastic, or at least solid? [This is especially tough with newer journals, and is often the result of lots of hard work soliciting bigger-name writers, building a backlog of good work to rely on, and having connections to lots of writers already. Right off the bat you should expect that at least half of what you publish will be solicited, even though you might hope otherwise. A few issues down the line this could change depending on how your goals for the journal change with more experience.]
Will this journal last? Does it seem like it'll stick around for more than a couple years? [This is kind of a nebulous question to answer--but most important is whether they update regularly: if they're a quarterly, do they put out issues on a quarterly schedule? Even better, are they posting a poem a week, or interviews with authors featured in the upcoming issue, or a YouTube link to Thriller every so often, even? Also, does it look good? Is the visual aesthetic compelling yet readable, and not a decade out of date? I'm not (just) a snob; to me these things indicate a level of engagement.]
I'll post more when I think of them, and am interested to read what other advice you get.
posted by tapir-whorf at 2:49 PM on July 29, 2013 [1 favorite]
Snarky follow up about fantastic work: it always baffles me that tiny journals right out of the starting gate ask for your best work when they don't have a lot to offer in return [in terms of circulation, or token payment, or the creative capital of publishing with X very cool journal]. I know we're supposed to think of writing as a completely selfless pursuit to which value shalt never be assigned, but from a professional angle it's probably wiser for me to send my best work to Tin House and its ilk than to Flyspeck Quarterly out of Saltpeter State University. All this smartalecking to say that I've always wondered why smaller/newer journals don't explicitly ask for previously published work. They'd set themselves apart by being one of very few venues around that don't expect first serial rights, and would legitimately have a very good chance of getting genuinely amazing work, albeit with a "This first appeared in the Paris Review 32.2" note somewhere on the page. The trade-off is probably that the editors would have to put in extra legwork verifying permissions (right?), but it seems like a fairly small price to pay. Someone correct me if I'm completely off base here!
posted by tapir-whorf at 9:46 PM on July 29, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by tapir-whorf at 9:46 PM on July 29, 2013 [2 favorites]
« Older What comes after dropping out of a surgical... | How do I become a mature, professional adult? Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
Squarespace is a nice alternative to Wordpress, journal-wise. Static pages just seem like a lot of work, but some online journals do them. Is Narrative static? I don't know much about web design.
posted by Miss T.Horn at 1:16 PM on July 29, 2013