--- Over the Transom ---
Why I dumped most of my writer’s
magazines
By Sandy Raschke
Times change. When I began writing
for publication in 1991, I went to our local library to find out
what magazines were available for writers. I found two on the
shelf, The Writer and Writer’s Digest, that
could be checked out for three weeks at a time, and a series of
Writers’ Market books in the reference section. Within
months, I was subscribing to several magazines for writers and
had purchased the annually-updated Writer’s Market,
Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, and Poet’s Market.
I was serious about writing and believed these resources were
important to the development of my craft. Then, through various
submissions, I learned about Poets & Writers,
Scavengers’ Newsletter and The Small Press/Small
Magazine Review, and added them to my resource shelf.
When Cynthia and I became co-editors of Calliope in
1995, all these reference materials became more important
because they served as a foundation for the Markets column.
After subscribing for a few years, I realized that the
two most popular magazines were re-circulating their
articles—updating them for a new subscriber base, but the topics
were virtually the same. Then a few years ago, I noticed that
the focus was shifting, from craft to what I’d call “feel good
stories,” inspirational interviews and articles on how to
overcome writer’s block.
Now I realize that we all need inspiration and
motivation from time to time, and reading about how unknown
authors got their first break, or how well-known authors
overcome problems or develop tips and techniques for better
writing, can enlighten or ignite a recalcitrant writer to
action. But how much is too much? I soon found myself flipping
through these cheer-leading missives and heading straight for
the Market Listings. That is, until one of the magazines dropped
their market listings entirely and prompted the reader to
purchase the hard copy or subscribe to an online version of the
annual market resource book.
I decided recently to let that
magazine subscription lapse, and another one, because it
had raised the subscription price too high for me to justify
continuing with it. I’m aware that specialty magazines are
often expensive, but one has to weigh the value they provide,
compared to the free options available to writers who use the
internet.
Most of Calliope’s
subscribers know that I’ve spent a lot of column space
ranting about how many publications have dropped their print
versions and migrated to the internet, and how cozy it is to
hold hard copy in one’s hands, highlighting the appealing
portions rather than having to stare at a screen with aging
eyesight and then “downloading” the information desired. Okay,
I’ve now come to my senses. I’ve moved into the 21st century—by
necessity, not temperament. I don’t like it, but it is the
reality I must live with, especially since we’ve retired and are
more frugal with our expenses than in prior years.
So in the future, Calliope’s readers may be
seeing more references to web sites in the market listings. My
view is that 99% of us are only a few minutes away from a
library that allows access to the internet at little or no
cost. It’s no different than having to look through the
library’s computerized book catalogue to find a book on the
shelf. Try it. It will open up a new world of possibilities
for your work.
We are pleased to present in this
issue an original short story by William F. Nolan, previously
interviewed by Jerry Airth in our Summer 2007 issue (#116). Mr.
Nolan, also an artist, has written hundreds of short stories,
articles, screenplays, and novels, including Logan’s Run,
which was adapted for film in 1976. He is also the author of
How to Write Horror Fiction, part of the genre writing
series of Writer’s Digest Books. This is the only “how-to” book
on writing I’ve ever purchased, and to which I attribute the
sale of my first two short stories.
--Sandy