The Interview:


Was your ezine launched with the author or reader in mind?


SUW: Sein und Werden was definitely launched with the author in mind. I just kept coming across these great pieces of prose and artwork on blogs and forums and felt this work needed to be showcased, or at least given a lift in the right direction towards further publication. I chose the web for that because of its accessibility and my own financial limitations. Things started, and then they kind of ran away with me. There were more and more unsolicited submissions (though I do still often trawl the web for work that I think will appeal both to my sense of what this zine is about, and to its readers), so the thing just escalated.


TT: The ezine was launched with the reader in mind, mainly for ease and cheapness and quickness - the reader is able to download a copy on the day of release and read the contents straight away, whereas with the printed version they would have to wait a week or two. It's hard to put an exact percentage on how many readers are writers/contributors - I have no way of checking exactly who has bought the ezine copy and who has not; however, from feedback, I do know that potential contributors do buy the ezine copy before submitting. Also, all contributors receive the ezine copy free.


GIV: Both. I don't know that Global Inner Visions has a role. It is simply a passion of mine that allows others to explore their passion, either the reader or the writer. The idea has morphed into something beyond what I started.


GD: Both! I wanted to offer readers the opportunity to discover work often overlooked from talented, up-and-coming writers, as well as providing a showcase for more experienced writers. Our literary articles and interviews are of interest to readers and writers alike.

We particularly aim to promote exciting and original prose and poetry, while also featuring a wide range of articles on writing-related topics. I would estimate that a large percentage of our readers are also contributing writers, hence our focus on writing-related articles. We encourage all contributors to read at least one issue of the magazine prior to submission.



Will screen-read ezines ever replace the short story bookstall magazines and newspaper and periodical space dedicated to fiction and poetry?


SUW:  I don't think so. There will always be a love of printed books. A lot of people love the look of books and magazines, the feel and smell of them. They love the fact they are portable, that they can snuggle up in bed with them. It's like vinyl vs CD. For a while vinyl disappeared from the shops, but then it started creeping back in. True music lovers like the non-digital, raw sound, the cover artwork etc. Same with ezines - you can print off the text if you want to read it away from the screen, but it's not beautifully designed like a book.

Also, we went on to publish hard copy issues of Sein und Werden in the first place because a couple of contributors did not have access to a computer, so even printing out a PDF was not an option for them.


TT: In a way I hope not! I enjoy browsing through books and magazines at bookstalls, and there's nothing better than the feeling of a book. But I do see the advantages; it would be so much easier and tidier in my room to have one simple machine to store several books and magazines - advantages would mean less trees being shredded to make paper, which would be a great help to the environment. Being realistic, I do think there is a very high chance that paper editions will dwindle out. Just the way everything else has over the years, such as the record - which became the CD, and now the I-pod/MP3 player, all readily available via the internet - so it's obvious that one day books/magazines will follow those steps.


GIV: Yes, but not totally. It is the internet thing you know. All print media is suffering a decline. I don't think print will die, but it will certainly shrink.  The internet is why. The reason printed material won't go away completely is portability. There is still a lot of world out there that doesn't have the internet.


GD: Only if the new palm book systems take off. Currently, I think people like curling up with a book, so sitting at a PC screen cannot compete. Dedicated readers may print out their ezines, but the expense and time involved will be prohibitive to most. This is one reason why we always provide a print copy of Gold Dust alongside our PDF version.



Why did you open a literary ezine and what did you think qualified you for the job?


SUW:  Because of the volume of truly great (in my opinion) work online. Also I was coming across authors and artists who were too lacking in confidence to send their stuff off to the few remaining print magazines, so I kind of stepped in and said hey, you know? I really love what you're doing here. Let me publish it alongside x and x on the web. What qualified me for the job was simply a dedication to getting good quality writing and artwork out there. If I had the funds, I'd set up a publishing company. I really admire such places as Afterbirth Books, Twisted Spoon Press, Centennial Press and Henry Rollins, who set up his company to publish the kind of writing he felt inspired by.


TT: My main reason for starting the magazine was my own experience trying to find a market for works that push the boundaries - twisted stories. (I've lost count how many times I've received the reply from an editor saying my own pieces were too twisted for their magazine). There's not that many out there …

I've worked alongside Gold Dust magazine, so you could say I had the 'behind the scenes view' and I fully understood what was needed and what I had to do to get the magazine off to a flying start, and I had a handful of very good friends who were willing to help me get going.


GIV: It was part of my grand scheme to conquer the world. What qualifies a person to raise a child? Giving birth! Twenty-five years with the world's largest newspaper didn't hurt.


GD: There are many, many literary magazines on the market already (more than 500 in the UK alone!), so why launch yet another? I founded Gold Dust because I felt readers would like to read a magazine that covered the best of undiscovered authors, whether previously unpublished or those with an already impressive writing resume.

At university, along with my then boyfriend, I created an alternative lifestyle magazine for Freshers' Week, bluntly entitled Illegal, which we sold as part of a clubber's group. It included interviews with hip hop artists, articles on topics such as skateboarding and street drugs, and a fashion shoot. We printed the simple double-sided black-and-white format on a home photocopier and sold about sixty copies - not bad for a first attempt!

After finishing my degree, I looked again at magazine publishing. As a lifelong magazineaholic and writer, I felt more than ready to launch Gold Dust. But this time I wanted a really professional-looking magazine, and it was now perfectly possible with the advent of POD (Print-on-Demand technology) publishing. This advance in the publication industry means that high-quality books and magazines can be produced at extremely low cost.

By searching the Internet (something I'd only heard whispers of at university), I came across Lulu.com, an American POD company, which produces books and magazines for free and make their money by taking a chunk of the cover price. Once I had put together issue 1, I uploaded it to Lulu and it was instantly available for sale to the public.