by Keesha Johnson
So, you’ve read about the joys of creating your own lit magazine. You’re exploring how to fund your project. Now, you need to market it. Why not heed the advice of someone who’s been there and is doing that? Ira Brooker, co-editor and co-founder of No Touching magazine, gives his feedback on marketing an independent literary magazine.
How has having a website helped your efforts in marketing No Touching?
All of our feature stories are available online, and we’re going to start submitting our site to some online databases for writers. Even with the limited promotion we’ve done, we’ve gotten quite a few messages from people who found us through a friend’s link, or word of mouth from one of our readings. I once got a fan letter from a student in Texas who’d used one of my academic papers as a reference for her thesis and found the No Touching site by running a Google search for my name. One of my proudest moments as a writer, actually.
Can you discuss the importance of having a more formal website in addition to a social networking site (i.e. Myspace, Facebook ) to ensure a professional presentation of the work?
Y’know, you can put hours of effort into making the most professional, slickly designed MySpace page conceivable, but it’ll still be just a MySpace page as far as most people are concerned. I myself am mighty proud of my MySpace photo section, which showcases me in a staggering variety of silly outfits. But I keep my profile private because I’d rather show potential employers the more upscale selection of work on my Portfolio Center page, or the undeniable editorial competence displayed at notouchingmagazine.com.
No Touching events are not only a wonderful opportunity for an audience to celebrate and hear the wonderful stories being published, but it is also a great marketing tool for the magazine and the writers involved. How important is community in marketing yourself as a writer?
There’s that old romantic image of the writer working alone in a dimly lit room with only his typewriter, his cigarettes and his muse for company. That might work for some, but for me, it’s all about involvement. I felt alone and adrift in Chicago until I started reading my work at open mics.
And if you’ve never read your work in public, get yourself out to an open mic this second. Don’t let anyone tell you writing isn’t a performing art. Standing at the front of the room and seeing your artwork making people laugh or clap or just go, “huh” is one of the finest feelings in life. I once looked up from the podium and saw several people crying in earnest over a piece I’d written. Having the power to make grown men cry? That’s what it’s all about, baby.
Keesha Johnson is the Portfolio Production Manager at the Portfolio Center.
