Talked to Southwest Writers Tonight
Zoom Call With a Bunch of Writers…
Fun group of between 50 and 70 at any given time and enjoyable to talk with. I talked about Writing into the Dark, similar to what I did on the big speech a few years back at the 20to50 Conference. Fun because it breaks down so many myths for writers. Forgot to mention that there is a book and a class by the same name. I really suck at self promotion. (grin)
But it was a fun hour-plus.
I got a great email comment and question this afternoon about Smith’s Monthly. Since I have started it back up, the question was if I was going to do a Kickstarter with it at some point. The answer is yes, but after I feel it is stable and publishing like clockwork every month. Then I will feel confident in doing a Kickstarter. And I will want to redo some covers before then as well. So maybe later this fall.
I will tell you this. Carrying 48 issues of Smith’s Monthly in one box to my new office is very, very heavy. About three million words of my novels and stories. Yikes.
The comment the email writer had was that he thought talking about doing your own magazine and the advantages and disadvantages would make a great Pop-Up. And I flat think that is a great idea because most don’t see the advantages, the extra cash streams, and so much more.
So that will be coming fairly soon this summer. Do your own magazine Pop-Up. Only with indie publishing is something like that possible.
Have I said lately how much I love this new publishing world?
5 Comments
James Palmer
The monthly magazine is a great idea, and there are so many things you can do with it for promotion and income streams. I don’t have the time to do a monthly, but i’ve thought about doing a quarterly once I have enough inventory. This past year decimated my production and creativity, but I’m getting back into things now. I’ve got a short story making the rounds at the magazines (Heinlein’s Rules) and working on a new novel. Anyway, great advice as always, Dean. I love seeing the pure fun you’re having in this new world of publishing.
David Anthony Brown
I’d be interested in that Pop-up. A ton of decisions go into putting together a magazine, most of which are hard to predict unless you’ve actually done it. I used to have a regular erotica magazine filled with only my own stories. Stopped at issue six, though not because of lack of material. Just a lot of work and I broke my own system pretty quickly.
Philip
I would 100% take that pop up. Lately I’ve been writing western short stories and have wondered if they might work well collected in a kind of retro style pulp magazine as another item in the magic bakery. Also, as I’ve seen you post, it would be fun as hell to have a stack of my own magazines. The only problem is my name is also Smith, so thanks a lot for already taking Smith’s Monthly as a name! :-0
Topaz
That would be a great PopUp.
In all workshops I watched so far, and whenever you mentionned your magazine, you advised not to start one up. Looking forward to learn on what points and how that has changed. (Or if I understood you wrong all the time.)
dwsmith
Generally, most people would do it wrong. That’s why in general I suggested that. But if you know how to do it, it would be great fun and a very valuable tool for a writer to do.
So Pop-Up coming.
How do I know how to do it? Well, I laid out F&SF Magazine in the form they still use 30 years later, Kris and I started Pulphouse Hardback Magazine, I started and designed Pulphouse Fiction Magazine and I started and designed Tomorrow Magazine, among others over the next thirty years after Tomorrow. That’s why Smith’s Monthly has reached 50 issues.