Comments on: Behind Facebook’s “Support Literary Journals” Cause http://www.americanshortfiction.org/blog/?p=303 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 14:59:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: The Money-Raising Buzz: CLMP’s Putting On a Spelling Bee – American Short Fiction blog http://www.americanshortfiction.org/blog/?p=303&cpage=1#comment-4629 The Money-Raising Buzz: CLMP’s Putting On a Spelling Bee – American Short Fiction blog Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:30:00 +0000 http://www.americanshortfiction.org/blog/?p=303#comment-4629 [...] for CLMP’s bee, why not spell relief to our nation’s literary journals another way: “Support Literary Journals” by subscribing or renewing expired subscriptions to those that keep you [...] [...] for CLMP’s bee, why not spell relief to our nation’s literary journals another way: “Support Literary Journals” by subscribing or renewing expired subscriptions to those that keep you [...]

]]> By: Elizabeth Westmark http://www.americanshortfiction.org/blog/?p=303&cpage=1#comment-1509 Elizabeth Westmark Sun, 14 Jun 2009 19:25:32 +0000 http://www.americanshortfiction.org/blog/?p=303#comment-1509 I didn't know about the Facebook effort, but ironically, just this morning posted an offer to readers of my blog to send them a copy of various literary journals that I subscribe to, with the objective of helping them to realize - if they don't already - the richness and value of the medium. I've had a few takers already, and will add to my list as I am ready to "turn loose" of other copies. The journals are of great benefit to me as a person coming to a writing life late on, and living out of the mainstream in the splendid Longleaf pine woods of panhandle Florida. I hope the Facebook cause, your post above, my small effort and other ripples in the pond will lead to increased subscriber bases. I didn’t know about the Facebook effort, but ironically, just this morning posted an offer to readers of my blog to send them a copy of various literary journals that I subscribe to, with the objective of helping them to realize – if they don’t already – the richness and value of the medium. I’ve had a few takers already, and will add to my list as I am ready to “turn loose” of other copies. The journals are of great benefit to me as a person coming to a writing life late on, and living out of the mainstream in the splendid Longleaf pine woods of panhandle Florida.

I hope the Facebook cause, your post above, my small effort and other ripples in the pond will lead to increased subscriber bases.

]]> By: Stephanie http://www.americanshortfiction.org/blog/?p=303&cpage=1#comment-1496 Stephanie Thu, 11 Jun 2009 17:04:52 +0000 http://www.americanshortfiction.org/blog/?p=303#comment-1496 Here is the thing with the journals. Until I started taking creative writing classes, I had never heard of any of them. I would say an average consumer has no idea what a literary journal is or what it does or how it stays in business. It's almost a "For Writers, By Writers," kind of a deal. There are exceptions, of course. I worked for a lawyer who said she liked to pick up journals to read when she travels because they are perfect travel companions. They're not a huge commitment, like a novel. They're diverse. You can hear a lot of voices in one, small place. I also think writers have a love/hate relationship with journals. I love journals, have a shelf full at home and have a lot of subscriptions, not to mention I try to pick one up whenever I am at a bookstore. (But, ah-ha, you can hardly find them in a bookstore. There's a few indie-ish bookstores around Phoenix that I know carry a bigger selection than, say, Borders, but most people shop at Borders.) However, most writers crave acceptance from journals. They're like our old crushes whose houses we drive by in the middle of the night. We love them, we obsess over them, but they reject us. I think sometimes, especially when you first start, it's a hard fight that gets frustrating. That being said, I do my best to support where/when I can. There is so much good writing out there in those journals, and it really does kill me that the magazines might be dying. My absolute favorite thing in the world is to be paging through a journal and happen upon an amazing story by some random writer. I find so much awesome writing that I would never otherwise know about. But, when I tell people, "Oh, I read this story in such and such journal," they say, "I don't know what you're talking about. I only read US Weekly." I don't really know anything about business models or how a good one works, but I imagine part of that is PR and spreading the word, which is what is happening here. This is awesome (the blog, the interview, the cause). I jumped on the Facebook cause, and I'm inspired by subscription rallly. I'll do my best to spread the word. Here is the thing with the journals. Until I started taking creative writing classes, I had never heard of any of them. I would say an average consumer has no idea what a literary journal is or what it does or how it stays in business. It’s almost a “For Writers, By Writers,” kind of a deal. There are exceptions, of course. I worked for a lawyer who said she liked to pick up journals to read when she travels because they are perfect travel companions. They’re not a huge commitment, like a novel. They’re diverse. You can hear a lot of voices in one, small place.

I also think writers have a love/hate relationship with journals. I love journals, have a shelf full at home and have a lot of subscriptions, not to mention I try to pick one up whenever I am at a bookstore. (But, ah-ha, you can hardly find them in a bookstore. There’s a few indie-ish bookstores around Phoenix that I know carry a bigger selection than, say, Borders, but most people shop at Borders.) However, most writers crave acceptance from journals. They’re like our old crushes whose houses we drive by in the middle of the night. We love them, we obsess over them, but they reject us. I think sometimes, especially when you first start, it’s a hard fight that gets frustrating. That being said, I do my best to support where/when I can. There is so much good writing out there in those journals, and it really does kill me that the magazines might be dying. My absolute favorite thing in the world is to be paging through a journal and happen upon an amazing story by some random writer. I find so much awesome writing that I would never otherwise know about. But, when I tell people, “Oh, I read this story in such and such journal,” they say, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I only read US Weekly.”

I don’t really know anything about business models or how a good one works, but I imagine part of that is PR and spreading the word, which is what is happening here. This is awesome (the blog, the interview, the cause).

I jumped on the Facebook cause, and I’m inspired by subscription rallly. I’ll do my best to spread the word.

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