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- Publisher interview - |
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Editor of AMELIA Magazine |
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| Charlotte Austin interviews Frederick A. Raborg, Jr, editor of AMELIA Magazine, a quarterly international magazine for poetry, fiction, criticisms and reviews. What is AMELIA Magazine? How is it different from other magazines? AMELIA - When I founded AMELIA in 1983, I was somewhat disgruntled that most major magazines had dropped fiction and poetry almost entirely, and most of the university and "respected" small press magazines were juried in one way or another, the worst being decided editorially by boards. Well, the only thing that satisfies an editorial board that requires unanimity of vote is mediocrity. I decided to do a magazine to bridge that gap between the better small press and university magazines and the slick newsstand publications. It publishes a bit of everything because we're foolish enough to believe that, if we cannot please everyone all of the time, we at least can come close. Even against those odds, I believe we have maintained a distinctive voice, which, perhaps, is why we are consistently among the top fifty fiction magazines and the top 100 poetry publishers in the nation, as rated by Writer's Digest. Is there a specific theme prevalent throughout your publication? Oh, God...NO! I despise theme issues. Occasionally our cover will relate to something inside, but that's as far as we go with themes. What do you particularly look for in a submission? What kind of voice appeals to you? First, neatness, because that demonstrates the degree of respect the writer holds for his own work. I look for correct spelling and punctuation, which demonstrates the writer has done his homework. I look for tags that will tell me the writer has read us and has made an effort to approach what we do. I look for a story that grabs me quickly, in which the characters are fat and round and blossoming with life - good or evil. I look for well-thought-out conflict and logical solutions. As for the voice, it ought to match the story. Are you open to material from new or beginning writers? We have new writers in every issue. Yes. Do you accept e-mail queries? E-mail submissions? We have been tempted, but, no. We do not accept submissions via e-mail or fax. We will happily send guidelines via e-mail or fax or by snail mail if writers send SASEs. What is your response time on queries and submissions? We try to reply to queries within a week. If we are not interested in a submission, the writer should hear within 2-3 weeks. If under serious consideration, 2-3 months. What are your payment terms? What rights do you purchase? We pay $35 for stories and articles over 2,000 words, $10 per 1,000 words under 2,000. We pay $2-$25 for poetry, $5-$25 for illustrations and cartoons depending on use and reputation. We purchase first North American serial rights only. How would you best define your publication's style? Balanced eclectic. What common mistakes do you see beginning writers make? Impatience. Most writers work very hard to get an editor to remember their names and work. Why destroy that by constant telephoning to "check" on progress? When the writer is upset by an editorial decision, why write that nasty letter? Take a walk around the block and, on return, if you still wish to write the letter - take another walk around the block. Don't burn your bridges before you get started. We are frequently very late with issues, because we publish large issues. Most small presses experience delays. Our computer has crashed three times over the years. That is a surprise heavy expense each time, and it always throws us behind. We may have problems with rights, etc. There always are reasons for delays, and it usually is money. The average small press magazine spends a few hundred dollars total to put out an issue. AMELIA spends between $8,000 and $12,000 per issue. That is a heavy nut to cover. Most small press magazines pay nothing. We pay all contributors, usually between 85-115 in each issue. Remember that if you complain too vehemently, you may just find your work canceled. There are several hundred writers waiting in the wings to take your spot. Most writers know this. Please describe a typical editing day. Two cups of coffee, the morning mail, many telephone calls, entering manuscript information into our computer, more telephone calls, reading manuscripts, preparing outgoing mail, conference with our accountant about bills to be paid, correspondence, answering e-mail, occasionally visiting with a writer or an editor in the office (though I frown highly on this), more e-mail and, if I'm lucky after about twelve hours, an hour (usually less) to browse the Internet. What decision process do you go through when rejecting or accepting a manuscript for your publication? Every story, article or poem is read to the point where the writer loses me. I read everything personally. Possibilities are put aside for a thorough reading, perhaps two or three over an equal number of weeks. If I still feel the same about the pieces after that period of time, I accept. Occasionally I get a piece that sparkles so brightly that I take it fresh out of the envelope. This is especially true of cartoons and illustrations. If a gagline doesn't grab me immediately, it will not. It is very difficult to make me laugh out loud. When a cartoonist does that, he has a sale. Accepted manuscripts receive a letter from us, which tells the writer when the piece will be used (barring delays), what the honorarium will be and how many copies he will receive. The manuscript information is entered into the computer and filed by issue. From your side of the desk, does a rejection slip serve any other purpose? We use our contest flyers as rejection slips, and I always try to write a note at the top. If you do not think a three-line note is time-consuming, try it a hundred or so times a day. I do not like cold rejection slips. The flyers at least express the hope of other opportunities. How do you see the future of traditional publishing? Traditional publishing will persist, perhaps even grow faster than it has been growing. Readers will always want a hard copy in their hands. I worry more about the future of magazine fiction and poetry. I've always been convinced publishing was cyclical, but readers are allowing ugly magazines to persist. It goes hand in hand with the lack of good education, I believe. Most major magazines built their reputations on their choices of fiction and poetry, but we've been in a forty-year slide in how magazines see their responsibility to the humanities. Of course, it is much easier to throw together an article with sidebars than it is to concoct a piece of serious fiction or poetry. It also requires a much smaller staff, and much of the material going into such articles is free and furnished by advertisers who seem to rule these days. Any closing thoughts, observations or comments? I anticipate every day's mail. I love nothing more than discovering a new voice from the piles of manuscripts in my office, and I like being surprised by the known writers who respect AMELIA enough to try us. We've published some surprising names, perhaps, among them Matt Mulhern, who played the lieutenant on "Major Dad", and Thomas F. Wilson, who played the heavy in both "Back to the Future" films. We've also published some of the most respected writers in the fiction world, from Bukowski to Ray to Gerber. We also publish two other magazines: CICADA publishes oriental material, primarily fiction and poetry about Japan or in their Japanese forms; SPSM& H publishes sonnets and romantic or Gothic fiction. Give me a try, too. I have a lot of faith in writers, even when they chastise and curse me.
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