You Don’t Say?
Published January 14th, 2007 | 
Bush admits US added to Iraq turmoil
“The US was right to invade Iraq, but choices made after the initial invasion have eroded security in the country,” President George Bush said in a television interview that was to be broadcast overnight.
“I think history is going to look back and see a lot of ways we could have done things better,” Mr Bush said in the interview on the CBS program 60 Minutes.
Questioned about the instability in Iraq, Mr Bush said: “Well, no question decisions have made things unstable.”
Where is Clint Eastwood When You Need Him?
Published January 13th, 2007 | The other day I was having a discussion with Yellow Mama editor, Cindy Rosmus about the merits of paying v. non-paying publications. The impetus for this discussion were some remarks made by this newbie publisher of an alleged paying publication (I say “alleged” because I’m not convinced the writers are being paid, but that’s neither here nor there). Anyway, this publisher suggested that non-paying ezines were somehow less credible than paying markets. Considering the fact that Cindy is an editor of a fledgling non-paying ezine and I am an editor of a non-paying ezine market (2 ezines, in fact) and one of the pioneers of online literary publishing,we both righteously took umbrage at the suggestion.
As both an editor and a writer, I feel like I can speak to both sides of this issue. As a writer, I will confess to you that I do sometimes actually get paid for the things I write. Sometimes it’s just a token payment and once in a while it’s hundreds of dollars. But, I’ve never made a living as a writer. That’s okay. As long as I’m able to write and there’s a willing audience for what I write, I don’t have to be rich with million dollar book deals and a house in the Hamptons. To me, as nice as it is to get paid, I’d rather be published in an excellent non-paying publication with a decent and intelligent readership than a crappy mediocre publication that pays a dubious sum of money, but doesn’t give me the showcase I feel my writing deserves.
However, it is as an editor of a non-paying publication that I truly feel insulted by this newbie online publisher. I think the point is I can’t pay not because I don’t want to or because, as a writer I wouldn’t like to get paid myself but because I don’t make a dime of profit from Asterius Press. What little bit I do make has to go right back into the operation just to keep it going: supplies, webhosting, domain registration fees, pob rental, printing costs, shipping costs, etc. Most of what I need to pay out has always come out of my own pocket.
I used to work in retail when I started Asterius. You know how many back-breaking, ball-busting hours I had to work, unloading appliance trucks and the like to even publish the first issue of Devil Blossoms? Never told anybody this — certainly not the author, but when I did Robert O’Neal’s first collection of poetry, I paid part of the printing costs with the money I made from one of my own poetry readings.
When I was still publishing books/chapbooks I did pay royalties — albeit not a fortune. When I hear that arriviste publisher (a charletan who has an agenda) talking down to non-paying publishers like we’re stealing something from the writers we publish it just pisses me off. It’s an attitude I occasionally get from some of the writers who submit work to me as well, suggesting that they are “donating their work to me” as if I’m exploiting them, sitting in a jacuzzi somewhere rolling fatties with $100 bills. That’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. And I’m not mentioning all that here and now because I’m fishing for either sympathy or congratulations. I don’t want or need credit for what I do or the sacrifices I’ve made. But, I’ll be good and God-damned if I’m going to suffer disparagement from someone who’s been online for all of about two seconds and hasn’t earned a good reputation and hasn’t paid the dues I’ve paid.
It isn’t just about the money either –it’s my time and effort too. Hours spent teaching myself different kinds of rather expensive software, web design, transcribing pages of raw manuscript, dealing with crybaby writers who do their level best to get on my last nerve who don’t care whether I’m doing well or on my death bed and down to my last penny so long as they get theirs. Don’t get me wrong, for the most part I still love doing it, but sometimes I see wagons circling and bullets flying and I wonder why I even bother when I could be devoting all of my time and energy to myself and my own writing.
Oh Yes, Some Days I Feel Like the Baskin-Robbins of Bad Writing
Published January 10th, 2007 | I am a much happier guy when I have a big project to work on. When I’m am forced to do tiny little chores, even if accomplishing those little chores will ultimately make the big projects easier, I tend to get aggravated and procrastinate until I can procrastinate no more. And that’s what I’m doing right now — procrastinating. I’m writing this blog entry instead of doing what I should be doing — reading submissions. I have quite a lot of them, all sitting in a loathesome pile on my bed, where they’ve been laying since breakfast. There’s not one good piece of writing in the bunch, I’m sure. I haven’t even read these submissions yet, but I’ve developed a sixth sense about it. I can tell by the way these animals address their envelopes whether or not I’m going to like their stuff. For instance, if the envelope is addressed in red ink or pink marker — it’s a teen chick sending me her bad teen angst diary poetry. If a college insignia is printed on the envelope — it’s some academic douchebag with a long, dull cover letter and his entire C.V. telling me what a great and accomplished writer he is and how he’s doing me a favor by sending his stuff my way. Of course, his poetry is always as long and as dull as his cover letter. If the envelope has pizza stains on it — it’s a Charles Bukowski wannabe informing me about his alcoholic lifestyle and how all his ex-wives are “bitches”. If there is artwork on the front of the Japanese anime variety — it’s a sub from a male teen Goth asswipe with much pimple-faced angst, vampire stories or poetry and at least one piece that suggests he’s a day away from shooting up a school. If the return address is a prison — it’s a handwritten submission with bad rhymers about rape or putting a cap in somebody’s ass. Oh, I will of course read all of these manuscripts — it’s my job, afterall, but some days I feel like the Baskin Robbins of bad writing — it comes in 31 flavors and you get stomach cramps if you try to digest too much of it!
