Last year I submitted a story to StreetLit Magazine (which they rejected) and somewhere in the process they must have captured my email address. That would explain the recent email I received from them pleading for support.

It began by saying how “ephemeral” independent literary magazines are and how so many promising ones “take a year or two and they go bust.” This is exactly the situation StreetLit finds itself in, as “submissions decline, and with it, the income that sustains the myriad fees associated with running an independent litmag.”

They never address why submissions have declined, that might come close to taking some creative responsibility, only that they do – like leaves fall from the trees in autumn, I suppose.

However, reading between the lines of their narrative it’s not difficult to detect an attitude that is pervasive among many new lit mag publishers that almost guarantees their failure.

The attitude is one of elitism. The idea that they are doing the literary world, including all us writers who contribute our work for nothing, and in the case of StreetLit, get charged $5 to have it read, a great favour. They are making a huge sacrifice for which we should not only donate or work, but also donate our cash.  

In their begging letter, they blame their ineptitude on us writers, stating we “complain about reading fees but then they also complain about the lack of cool independent litmags”.

I just read Duotrope’s “Weekly wire” which list 61 cool lit mags, while an “Advanced Search for Publishers of Poetry” on the same site shows no less than 686 listings. Where is the “lack of cool independent litmags” they say we’re so concerned about?

They whine about the cost of Submittable, the online platform that streamlines workflows, even while other (more successful) publications choose to use Google forms, or regular email at no cost.

Apparently, they don’t realize that writers also have expenses – Duotrope, writing software, computer hardware and programs, courses, books, etc, and none of us are asking them to chip in to defer our expenses. It’s not just publishers for whom it’s a labour of love.

They’re so broke, they can’t even buy the team of volunteers (sob) “a coffee once in a while.“

“We are not The Paris Review,” they lament. “We do not gain venture capital investment, sponsorships, advertisement fees, nothing.”

Why not? I mean, if it’s good enough for The Paris Review why not StreetLit?

There are several ways a literary magazine can generate revenue including soliciting advertising. Businesses that might be interested include writing software like ProWritingAid, editors, book marketers, hybrid publishers, writing programs and retreats. There might also be an opportunity for government and cultural grants, maybe even corporate sponsorships.

Of course, someone would have to prepare a proposal and pitch them and it’s far easier just to charge writers: basic $5; expedited response $10; 24-hour response $24; and feedback $30. All the while rejecting probably 90% of them.

“No-one is holding a gun to your head,” they write. “Reply ‘unsubscribe’ and we’ll fall off the face of the planet. You don’t even have to read this. It’s all optional.”

Well, I read this, and I understand “it’s all optional”, and I’ve decided to hit unsubscribe.