I went to a panel discussion on literary journals yesterday in part because I was interested in what the panel had to say about small press publications (as a result I came away with a few good websites including a small press book distributor), and in part because I am the de facto tech guy on campus during the residencies. As an aside, the first full day we were trying to video the seminars and I was asked to stop the video and bring to the camera to the main house. When the seminar was done I discovered that it was never started. That meant, on Monday, I ended up running video on all seminars, sitting in one of them so I can get credit for it, and then delivering the video recorders back so the data could be downloaded and put onto a school website. In this case, they couldn’t get the video projector to work and one of the literary mags had a presentation he wanted to do. I was able to get the projector working and then had to grab my computer to create a secure computer to computer network (between Macs, far easier than trying to create a similar connection on a PC for a Mac to join) so the publisher of an online mag could get at his data. It worked and it didn’t.
Anyway, the point to all this . . . money is an issue. I don’t have a lot and Hollow City is a labor of love (and a different business model) which means information on how other people function in a similar (though maybe not related) field is invaluable to me as an editor, publisher, writer, programmer, and etc. I discovered two things, first that people will submit fiction even if it means no money, and second that some kinds of publications expect that a non-business model consisting of subscriptions, donations, and association with a university is sufficient to generate an income.
What does this mean? Well, first, one of the panel members said, and I quote, “You can’t make money with fiction online.” This is something people tend to repeat over and over again. I disagree. Second, using a traditional advertising model or swapping ads with another similar publication is one way of getting subscribers.
Here’s the thing. In order to increase readers you have to reach out. Reaching out does not include reaching out to those who are already reading a similar kind of publication – though that is a form of it. You have to give readers a chance to discover something new and (I believe) you have to give them a chance to pay for that something new. Granted, the model of “free” the internet has been built on for so long is compelling, but “free” doesn’t mean give away your bread and butter. In any situation where fiction is offered for free where donations, advertisements, or a subscription model doesn’t exist, you (as the provider) are making a big mistake.
-John