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This is an edited version of a forum thread which ran on 5th/6th September 2007. It's an interview, or perhaps more of a discussion, between EditRED and the co-editors of
34th Parallel. It's the first in a series of forum interviews where ER members are invited to participate in question and answer sessions with respected literary magazines, journals and zines.
34thParallel Publishing was founded and created through the collaborative vision of two writers, Martin Chipperfield (jjsmith) and Trace Sheridan (tcbswan). Recognizing the need for independent book publishers, they formed the press with the goal of assisting other authors to write and reach readers.
Aiming to promote and publish the exceptional writing of new and emerging writers, they've also just put out the first issue of 34th Parallel Magazine, a literary magazine which is available in print and .
Read the first issue here.
(NB* Thought the following thread has been edited, some typographical quirks and chronological inconsistencies have been preserved to retain the 'live' flavour of this transaction. Remember to keep hitting 'refresh' everybody!!!)
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jjsmith: Sound check...
1-2-3-4
tcbswan: Smile
sean merrigan: Morning Martin, evening Trace - thanks for participating in the inaugural EditRED forum interview. I for one am quite excited....
tcbswan: Good morning! We are very excited too!
jjsmith: Hey Sean, hey Trace, gday!!!!!!!!!!! The Thursday sun is just hitting the window.
sean merrigan: G'day mate. Right, let's get cracking. Martin (jjsmith) how did you and Trace meet, and what prompted the 'vision.'
jjsmith: Well Sean
we met right here
on this forum
jjsmith: we were reading each other's stories
commenting
just like everyone else
jjsmith: and then one day
Trace said
how about doing a magazine
and I said yes
tcbswan: And...if I may cut in :)
we were both a little frustrated about the whole publication process and how difficult it is for 'unknowns' and relatively unknown writers to get work published.
sean merrigan: There's a lot about rejection letters in the blurb on your site, was the impetus behind starting this magazine a feeling of being let down by conventional publishing routes (be they zines, journals or books)?
tcbswan: Oh, well--since we are both writers--we have received a fair amount of rejection letters. I think this is par for the course when you are trying to write seriously. Still, when looking through ezine/journals contributor blurbs--I noticed that very few had first-time authors represented in their magazines.
sean merrigan: You mean they all start looking a bit 'in house'?
tcbswan: Most magazines say they are open to first time writers--but are they really?
So, to answer your question--yes, we wanted to address those who may have slipped through the publishing cracks (so to speak) and those who have been let down or overlooked by the mainstream presses.
tcbswan: Ultimately, we believe that an individual's publication history is not necessarily an indication of their ability as a writer.
Believe it or not, a lot of editors are impressed by which magazine has published a writer's work--even if they won't admit it.
jjsmith: You read stuff on edit red
from really great writers
and you realise
there's a lot of stuff
that never gets published.
sean merrigan: And so, behold the lavish first issue of 34th Parallel Magazine, and it's a beauty. Was this the first time you guys had produced something like this (individually, I mean)?
tcbswan: Yes and No! THANK GOODNESS--Martin solely is responsible for the wonderful design of our magazine! He has a background in print and web design.
jjsmith: I've been in magazines and newspapers
all my life
editing and designing
mainstream
and also
little magazines of my own.
I wanted to make use
of the technology we have now
but i wouldnt have ever
started into it on my own
I needed Trace
to get it together.
tcbswan: So, this was right up his alley. Thankfully, his experience and talent gave us the creative vision and expertise needed to produce the magazine--and really made it stand out!
jjsmith: We want the mag
to be a kind of a tabloid
for writers
we want to make writing
look as glitzy as it is
and we want to treat the writers
like pop stars
sean merrigan: It does look great. You must be very pleased. It's a very eclectic mixture of genres - is there an overriding thematic when you choose your work, or do you just judge in terms of quality?
jjsmith: yes the theme is
that it has to touch us
the best writing is
when you get lost in it
tcbswan: I love reading literary magazines but sometimes find the straight text on plain white boring. We both wanted the magazine to be visually appealing.
And as Martin mentioned--we wanted to focus as much on the writers as we did on what they'd written.
tcbswan: We look for stories that take us some place--
jjsmith: We have this story
in the next issue
and I reckon another literary mag
would reject it
but we've accepted it
because we lived the story
and both of us said to each other
we were thinking of it
for days after
tcbswan: ...and not just stories, the poems and prose we read as well should draw us into what is happening with the work.
sean merrigan: This is interesting - I feel you're right - but why was focus on the author (rather than just the writing itself) so important to you?
tcbswan: We don't have a specific theme or genre of story that we look for--and we hope that this is reflected by the variety of writing we published last time.
The best sort of writing is the kind is memorable--it's the story/poem you can't stop thinking about.
jjsmith: For me the focus
on the author
is a visual thing.
To some extent
when we read mags
we look at the pictures of the celebrities
I wanted a mag
that was full of people
tcbswan: We're writers :) And I think writers are interested in other writers, what motivated them, how they came to write, etc.
jjsmith: we are always interested
in people and so as well as
their photos i wanted to
put in as much stuff
about them
as possible
and so we do these interviews
with writers
and some of the stuff they say
is as extraordinary as their writing
and in doing the interviews
the writers have said to me
they have been as much inspired
as we have
tcbswan: And you know--one of our goals is to help little knowns become known. smile. By focusing on the author (in addition to their writing)--we hope folks will remember them.
sean merrigan: OK. This leads me on to a question BrindleyHD raised: Should we, as writers, be trying to get editors to publish what we have to say? Or be trying to write in the way that they 'recognise'?
jjsmith: OH!!!!!!!!!!!!
you should only write
what you write
forget the editors
if you want to please the editors
get a job as a copywriter
tcbswan: I might add though, that the key is to find the right magazine for your work. Sometimes it isn't that the story isn't written well--it's that it isn't a good fit for the magazine where you've submitted. And this could mean they already have a story for their next issue that is too close to what you deal with in yours.
You should read the magazine and get a feel for what the editors want before you submit.
jjsmith: and also
when you get a rejection
dont ever be disheartened
because sometimes
what you write
could be shakespeare
but it might not
necessarily fit with
what the mag wants
that really happens
maybe you write the best
detective story in the world
but the mag already
has another one
and can't use any more
sean merrigan: Karjon was curious about first impressions: How important are titles? If a title doesn't grab you, will you wade on, even though you have hundreds of submissions to get through?
jjsmith: that's a good question
you know a title
doesnt even figure on the radar
when i read a submission
but once we accept the story
then the title becomes
really important
jjsmith: i suppose the most important
thing with a submission
is those first few parts of the story
it's like any other thing
when youre reading a mag
you read the first few pars
and then decide if you
want to read further
sean merrigan: Have you ever stopped reading a story before finishing it because of the first few sentences? This from babpul
jjsmith: as soon as my mind blanks out
i stop reading...
jjsmith: there was one exception
to this only the other week
we got this story
and it opened so badly
my mind blanked out totally
but for some reason
i kept scanning down
and suddenly this story
came to life...
like WOW!!!!!!
tcbswan: No--we read all the way to the end! I should say I do! :)LOL
tcbswan: HAHAAHAHAH!
jjsmith: yeah trace is a good girl
she reads everything right through
tcbswan: We have a collaborative approach to reading stories. First off, we understand that we're getting stories from folks who may be building their writing--developing authors. So, we go back and forth--there are stories where we see potential and discuss if it can be worked with or not.
jjsmith: someone has to do it
sean merrigan: OK...on a more general note, Kerosene enquires: Do publications overlook a few minor typos or errors as long as the story/poem is super duper?
jjsmith: yes we rewrite the whole thing
if its not super duper
tcbswan: I think publications vary. Some are hard-nosed and your work goes to the slush pile the first typo they find. But we are a little bit more forgiving. If you've got a really great piece--we can work with you, to a degree.
tcbswan: KIDDING
he's KIDDING!!!! we don't :) HAHAHA!
jjsmith: trace doesnt notice
the typos anyway
tcbswan: HAHAHAHAAHAHAH! OMG! Do NOT listen to him!!!
sean merrigan: OK.. and here are two related questions from two ER stalwarts:
Is it advisable to submit the same work to a magazine more than once? (From Lapoeta)
If a writer you've previously published refers a piece to you, do you show a bit more preference or pay more attention to it? (Teri)
tcbswan: I'll take the first one: No--Unless they ask you to, move on there are other places you can send it. For the most part, you have one opportunity with a particular piece and if they pass on it, for the most part, that's it.
But you can always wait a year and try again. Magazines have turn over and they might get a new person who loves your story or poem.
jjsmith: okay
well if the work has been rejected
i dont really see the point
of submitting it again
and yes i am all in favour of
publishing work by someone
we have previously published
for instance
i loved dave morrison's poem
in the first issue
and i just emailed him
the other day asking for something else
34thParallel should have a certain flavour
that people can rely on
tcbswan: Let me say this though about going with writers we know-- they can be anyone--we aren't basing this on where they've been published before as much as we are trying to continue to nurture the relationship we've started with them. We want 34th to be a 'writers' magazine--and to be a collaborative effort on every issue.
sean merrigan: OK...before I throw this discussion open to 'questions from the floor, can you let us know when the next issue of 34th Parallel Magazine will be out?
jjsmith: you mean
when it is supposed to be out???
jjsmith: OCTOBER
NEXT MONTH
YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
sean merrigan: Hahahahahahaha....and are you currently accepting submissions?
tcbswan: We always accept submissions--rolling submissions--anything that we don't look at for October will be considered for the next issue.
sean merrigan: And you can find all the submission details
here
..and get yourself a fine hardcopy
here
sean merrigan: Now we'll take some questions from the rest of the community.
*wields huge boom stand*
Any takers?
Informal Grae: Hi, Informal Grae here. Great interview all round - seemed to work well from where I was. Question. have you surfed around your target sites (be they EditRed, existing contacts personal sites, etc.) and seen a piece of work that you just want to grab for your issue?
tcbswan: Oh, yes! As a matter of fact we have
contacted authors after visiting their personal sites,
and on sites such as EditRed, and
asked them to submit. We've also asked folks
outright to let us publish their work. It just
depends on how good it is.
Informal Grae: Thank you, Trace. Next...
decaturboy: Yes, Sean. I'm Jim Duley, long time listener, first time caller.
Trace / Martin, you live on different continents spanning a number of time zones. How has that affected your ability to collaborate effectively, if at all? Any tricks you can share?
jjsmith: well its like the internet
was made for this kind of thing
we can work together
almost as if we are in the same office
we use emails and im
and call each other
tcbswan: Hi Jim, you know gmail has also made it easy for us to set up a virtual office. this in addition to our magazine website. Using the gmail account as our working mailbox we can open and edit pieces at the same time, leave messages, and even use the gmail IM to discuss a story or poem in real time. This is helpful.
I also never sleep. HAHAHAHA
decaturboy: Thanks to both of you. Continued success on your publication.
tcbswan: thanks Jim!
sean merrigan: Yes. The whole 'global community' idea becomes a lot more plausible once you give up sleep... Who's next?
Informal Grae: Thanks, Trace and Martin. 2 further questions if I may.
Is your 34th Parallel magazine something that fits in smoothly with your day-to-day writing, work, families? Are you looking / have you planned for a long term viability?
tcbswan: Well Grae, my 2 year old just jumped off a plastic table on rolled over his big fluffy elmo chair and bounced onto his toddler bed.
...we make it fit--like we make everything else fit. :) As to the long term plans for the magazine--we plan to continue as long as we can. Initially, we wanted to just do an magazine. Now, our plans include eventually publishing books. So, stay tuned.
pat browning: Yes. Great mag guys. Just a quick question regarding submitting stories - where do you stand on the issue of 'risque' material? Is it ok if it's aesthetically justified?
jjsmith: we dont want erotica
for the sake of it
but if it's a part of the story
we're not prudes
tcbswan: send it and we'll read it. See if it fits--
pat browning: makes sense! props to you for launching a great project. Good luck.
Informal Grae: So, regarding fitting in your 34th Parallel commitments with families and work, being a 'night owl' could have benefits towards clear-minded editing, then?
tcbswan: Oh yeah--and lots of coffee in the morning.
RJWilliams: How do you avoid falling into the same trap as other Mags (who accept pick pieces from previously published writers only)? I'm sure many ZINES at one time had the same ideals as you've stated here in this forum, but inevitably have fallen into doing what was safe (accepting contribution from a limited pool of writers).
jjsmith: in the next issue of 34th
we are carrying a feature
on other ezines and all that
and as part of it
i was talking to matt ward
the editor of skive
jjsmith: and he mentioned that same problem
anyway he decided
to keep his mag
open to allcomers
and that's what we will do
always
but rj the mag
will always have
a kind of flavour
that we bring to it
it will always reflect
our own mag style
in the same way
that you pick up the new yorker
and you get a certain style
Informal Grae: Like the 'City Smells' competition thread that EditRed is running and the "Wee" Challenge #10 (with Sean's used hankie as a prize) is your 34th Parallel 340 word Challenge the first of many - it certainly seems to have got a large response and raised a lot of interest?
Last question from me (promise) as work in am - thanks all for a splendid interview, I'll catch up on the rest later today - Thanks - Grae.
tcbswan: Even though we don't have a set policy say something like not running the same author twice in a row, we are always open to writers we haven't read
tcbswan: We're very pleased by the turn-out for our exclusive ER contest! HHAHAHAHAAH! Publication is the best prize we could think of...
nonalienabductee: How are you funding your magazine? A lot of the short story magazines are going under due to lack of reader interest and rising costs. Do you plan on publishing ads to defer things, or what are you planning?
tcbswan: Blood, sweat, and tears.
jjsmith: we are funding the mag
through sales at the moment
but we intend to carry
advertising
but youre right niccole
we want to make a mag
that people want to buy
tcbswan: Thanks nonalien, good question.
Seriously, eventually we will most likely
do ads--Martin's background will be helpful in
this effort (and mine as well PR) so we'll see.
Funding for these sort of things is always challenging--
and of course what we are doing--we do it for free, right
now.
Let me mention though, we hope to change this.
And a bit about contests from above--we plan to have
two more formal contests giving away more than just
a spot in the mag. We'll let you know about this.
Ash19640: I have to ask guys, given the competition you're running: where does the name of your magazine come from and who thought it up: what is the mystery behind the "34th Parallel"!!?
tcbswan: We're fighting just now about whether to tell or not HAHAHAHAHA
jjsmith: hey ash
first of all we wanted a name
that went to the top of the list of links
so we had to have a number
HAHAHAHAHA
and you know what????
i never knew it until trace told me
we live on the same parallel
34th
except she's in the northern hemisphere
and i'm in the south
northernoik: Can you tell us any more about your intention to publish books ?
tcbswan: Well, as writers we have both sort of struggled with whether to write books that 'sell' and thus find a publisher or to write what we want knowing that we may never be able to convince a publisher the book can sell.
I think this is every writer's struggle--if they are concerned about their book being published.
Publishing books will allow us to publish and promote books that may not fit within the scope of popular publishing houses. We want to find that gem that's been overlooked.
jjsmith: but i suppose we should have thought up
some title like hot s--t
Teri: Hi, Trace and Martin. Great interview.
Do you think you'd ever consider putting together a short story anthology?
jjsmith: hey teri
my local group of writers
wants to do an anthology
and we are thinking
maybe we could publish
it for them
so yes maybe we will do
anthologies anyway
THE BEST OF 34TH!!!!!
Ash19640: The cover art in the first edition was very effective: do you plan to create a gallery within the magazine or include more pictures in future editions, maybe as graphics submissions in addition to the writing?
tcbswan: Good question ash,
We definitely will continue to include more pictures. We are always interested in accepting submissions of photography and graphic art in addition to the writing.
Just let us know when you submit you have some art you'd like us to see!
jjsmith: hey ash
about graphics
yes we want more visual stuff
we'd love to carry comics too
gmarco: Hey! So, coming from ER to doing the magazine thing, I was wondering how you look at submitted works; what do you look for, what do you like, dislike?
Also, how do you feel, having been in that same place before, but now turned around as the editors?
Lastly, do you plan on keeping a firm root in the ER community? I think your contest is evidence of this already!
jjsmith: hey garrett
ALWAYS EDIT RED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
we look for stuff in the submissions
that makes us go WOW!!!!!!!
being turned around as editors
has been inspiring
because we get to know other writers
and we love that we can
make something good for them
tcbswan: I know a good story or poem when--i think
man! i wish i'd written that--
ER is a place where i read stuff like that
so--we'll always be here. we're writers
first and foremost--we just do that
editor gig on the side (smile).
sean merrigan: OK One and all. There's just time for one more then I'm going to have to wind this
sean merrigan: That's the last question please...over to you Martin and Trace
(My God! I've started sounding like a game show host -sorry)
tcbswan: you've scared them off sean!
AHAHAHAH
Ash19640: Are you much influenced by other journals ?
jjsmith: HAHAHAHAH
jjsmith: in the next issue
we are featuring loads of other mags, 34 to be exact
we arent influenced by them but we see ourselves
as part of that community
tcbswan: We look at other journals--we read what they publish and study their design--we do this to admire their work and learn from what they are doing.
We want to establish and help create this a community of journals/magazine--and really collaborate on some projects with them--that are all open to new and emerging writers. In our next issue we are interviewing the editors from Skive, Word Riot, blueprintreview, just to name three.
But we are also publishing the writing of these editors--because like us they are writers too.
Right now, I think we have an incredible opportunity to fill a niche that has been neglected, namely new writers. We look at what other journals are doing also to decide what we'd like to do differently.
Ultimately, we want to stand out--after all there are hundreds of journals out there. Our goal is to make 34th something writers will not only submit to, but buy, and read.
karjon: Just nipping in to say thanks, enjoyed the interview. Well done all involved. G'night,
tcbswan: Great questions y'all thanks for joining us!
tcbswan: Many thanks to you Sean and all the EditRed Staff
for getting behind our little magazine and
for the opportunity to talk to ER - THANKS!!!
sean merrigan: And that just about wraps it up for the first ER Forum Interview. I'd like to say a very big thank you from all at EditRED to Martin and Trace for taking the time to talk to me, and also a very big thank you to all of you who've participated in this discussion.
jjsmith: THANKS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!
