Today I am
interviewing another Five Star/Cengage author.
Multi-published Brenda
Hill studied writing at several national institutions including Gotham Writers
Workshop NY, and the University of Iowa
The Talking Stick. She offers tips on writing and editing on
her website: www.BrendaHill.com. Brenda is sharing details of
her new venture with
us.
Q:
Brenda, you’re primarily a writer with several published novels. Why did you
decide to venture into something so drastically different as publishing an e-magazine?
A. I
sometimes wonder myself, Jacqueline, but by nature, I’ve always loved to try
something new. I’ve lived in several states, and even in writing, I’ve explored
different avenues. While primarily a novelist, I’ve been CEO of L. Cooper
Press, a service for writers. We do websites, 3-Chapter Analysis, 1st
Chapter Editing, and we assist writers who wish to self-publish but do not care
to do everything themselves. I also wrote short stories for a national woman’s
magazine and restaurant reviews for my SoCal newspaper. When I thought of a
magazine for writers and readers, it seemed natural to go for it.
Q. How
did you get the idea?
A. I lead
a critique group at a restaurant in Redlands , CA
One
member, an older gentleman, examined the book. He congratulated the author.
“Seems like everyone has something published except me,” he said, passing the
book to the next member. “Makes me feel like a third wheel on a couples date.”
He smiled, but I could hear the longing in his voice. I thought of my early
days of writing when I desperately wanted to say I was an author.
One member
suggested he try short stories, but that presented a problem: where to send his
submission.
An
anthology? Good idea. Some writers associations publish a yearly anthology, but
they only accept submissions from their members.
Magazines
used to be great avenues for writers, but today, with only a few accepting
fiction, the opportunity is greatly reduced. Many writers clubs across the
county have their own emagazines, but again, they accept submissions only from
their members. And they’re funded by dues.
That’s
when I wondered if I could establish an avenue where writers could submit their
stories and articles. An e-magazine open to anyone across the country would be a
perfect solution. And I would offer it as a free download to anyone with access
to the website.
Q. I
believe our readers would be interested in how you handled the financing.
A. I
decided against a business loan or funding by a large corporation. That could
mean delays in opening, and both could ask for submission approval based on age-old
publishing standards. Instead, I wanted the freedom to accept stories I, and
the other editors, felt readers would enjoy.
So I wondered how I could fund my great new idea without
constrictions. While I was considering the possibilities, another member
mentioned the contest he’d recently entered, and excused the high submission
fee as a possibility for his fiction to be read. A submission fee! Of course! I
could use my own funds to begin the process, and ask for a low submission fee
from the writers for operational costs. Then perhaps later, the magazine could
accept ads.
Q. What terms are you offering writers whose stories you
accept?
A. In our contract, we stipulate we have all rights for
six months after publication. After that time, the author may publish the story
on his/her website or even submit to another publication, but we retain the
right to keep the story in that issue, which would be archived and available to
anyone as a free download.
Q. Do you
have a website yet?
A.
Absolutely. Interested writers can read our guidelines, and if they have any
questions, they can contact me from the site:
Brenda
Hill
*Questions
and/or comments for Brenda are welcome here!
