Here at authonomy, we know that our readers and writers want to know as much as possible about the current book market and the publishing business as a whole. Over the last few weeks we have been showcasing some of the fantastic literary sites and initiatives out there in cyberspace that may be of interest to our community.
This time we’ve cherry-picked the print and online literary magazine, The View From Here, for a profile and interview.
Launched in 2007, The View From Here describes itself as ‘Bohemian Eclectic’, which seems apt given its refreshingly energetic and informal style. Included are many articles from the staff and guest writers, as well as book reviews, and short stories and poems that they eagerly receive from their readership.
Of added interest to our authonomy community, their site also includes a section called ‘Opportunities’, which regularly interviews publishers about their take on the world of publishing, including tips and recommendations on what they would like to receive in the way of submissions.
To find out more, we had a chat with Michael J. Kannengieser, Managing Editor for Fiction at The View From Here.
Which part of the site is your personal favourite?
My personal favourite is ‘The Front View for Fiction’. At heart, I am a writer first, not just an editor. All writers are readers, and this is the part of the magazine which offers quality fiction alongside the stories written by our staff writers or guests.
What would be your advice for anyone wishing to submit their short story to the magazine?
Short stories should fit the theme of the magazine. One should never submit to any publication, literary agency, or publisher without knowing the type of work they handle. I get every submissions of every genre of literature from writers, many of whom obviously sent out an email blast, or have no idea of what we publish.
Make sure your writing is up to par with the standards of prose we accept. Just because you think your story is unique, or has that special ‘quirk’ we look for, doesn’t mean it is written at the level we aim for with our publication.
Edit your story and have someone else read it before sending it out. Ask yourself: “Is this the best I can do with this piece?” Too many submissions contain spelling errors, punctuation errors, misused punctuation, and factual errors. Yes, even fiction can have an error in authenticity. I read a story about mariners on the Atlantic Ocean which the author described as only about one quarter of a mile deep. In fact, the average depth of the Atlantic is three miles, and I only know that because I was recently on a cruise and the captain told us this little fact. I had someone else write of a woman on death row in the U.S. who was kept naked and starving and regularly beaten for robbing a convenience store. As a retired law enforcement officer, I know that there is abuse in prisons, but this was a stretch of the imagination which could not be allowed. Death row inmates receive an awful lot of attention from the media and civil rights advocates and would not be allowed to wallow in filth, naked, and without food. As a final note on fact-checking and research, I received a story recently wherein the writer, attempting to create a simile between food and a science experiment wrote the word ‘pea-tree dish’. It’s ‘Petri dish’, and it is named after the person who invented it. That type of laziness is unacceptable when submitting fiction. There will be experts in every field reading your work when it is published, and someone is going to call you on your mistakes. This results in a ruined story – for the reader – and poor writing.
Your magazine staff mainly comes from the US and the UK. What would you say is the main difference between the two publishing worlds, and what advice would you give to any UK author wishing to write for American appeal as well (and vice versa)?
I believe the only thing which separates UK publishers from their American counterparts is geography. Publishers in the US may be looking for the same type of story, but may seek different standards in the type of writers and quality of material they seek. The same is true of publishers in the UK, or even elsewhere. In this regard, I believe that publishers tend to be unique in the style of writing they accept, the type of author they seek, and the experience of the writers they accept work from. The only advice I have for writers seeking to cross boundaries and look for publication in either the US or UK is to keep your own identity and don’t try to appease some sort of artificial aesthetic for the overseas audience you want.
Since we are a multi-national publication, I receive submissions from Israel, Brazil, England, and, of course, the US. A writer attempting to change their style to appeal to a different audience can be in for a rude awakening. In the submissions I read from UK writers, I generally forget part-way through that they are from another country. Powerful writers maintain their voice and convince the reader that their story is true. Any attempt to change your style could be disastrous. I’m a New Yorker, born and bred on Long Island, and I would have an extremely difficult time convincing a native Texan that I was from Texas, or that I could write an authentic Texas-based novel.
What common mistakes do you spot in submitted works to your site, and how should writers avoid them?
Aside from spelling errors, and punctuation, the most glaring errors are in the initial communication with the magazine. I read some appalling query letters from extremely unprofessional folks. The other day I got a blank email, with no message at all, no name, just an e-mail address, and a story attached. I was insulted, to say the least. This is business, and a writer is attempting to sell me their story, so a properly composed query letter is not just a courtesy, it is an industry standard. Needless to say, badly written queries or a submission with no query at all most often has a terrible story attached with it. Do your research, find out who is the editor in charge of the type of work you propose, and be courteous, and professional. Your query letter is your sales pitch, and remember that you are not doing the editor a favour by submitting your story.
Sections of The View From Here are available for the Sony Reader and Kindle. With the rise in popularity of e-zines and advanced e-reader gadgets, do you see yourselves focusing purely digitally in the future, or will there always be a place for the print magazine?
I believe it will take a very long time for readers to fall out of love with print material. Newspapers are having a difficult time with sales as more and more news content is available for free online. Yet books and magazines still have a special flair for the lover of printed material. Books and periodicals are attractive, have stunning art and photography, and also have an organic appeal when held in a reader’s hands which will be difficult to replace with modern technology.
Finally, as a literary magazine editor and author, what would be your main tip for any aspiring writer wishing to get published?
My main advice for the aspiring author is to focus on editing your story. Do your research to find a compatible publisher for your style of work, and always be professional. The relationship with an editor does not end with one’s story being accepted as the writer will have to work with the editor before the story’s publication. If the writer wishes to have additional work accepted by the same periodical or publisher, then a rapport is essential. Remember that publishing is a business, and excellent writing skill is not the only factor in finding an outlet for your literature.
The View From Here is a monthly periodical, with print subscriptions available in the UK, Canada and USA. Go to http://www.viewfromheremagazine.com/ for more information. We wish you the best of luck should you submit any pieces!
This time we’ve cherry-picked the print and online literary magazine, The View From Here, for a profile and interview.
Launched in 2007, The View From Here describes itself as ‘Bohemian Eclectic’, which seems apt given its refreshingly energetic and informal style. Included are many articles from the staff and guest writers, as well as book reviews, and short stories and poems that they eagerly receive from their readership.
Of added interest to our authonomy community, their site also includes a section called ‘Opportunities’, which regularly interviews publishers about their take on the world of publishing, including tips and recommendations on what they would like to receive in the way of submissions.
To find out more, we had a chat with Michael J. Kannengieser, Managing Editor for Fiction at The View From Here.
Which part of the site is your personal favourite?
My personal favourite is ‘The Front View for Fiction’. At heart, I am a writer first, not just an editor. All writers are readers, and this is the part of the magazine which offers quality fiction alongside the stories written by our staff writers or guests.
What would be your advice for anyone wishing to submit their short story to the magazine?
Short stories should fit the theme of the magazine. One should never submit to any publication, literary agency, or publisher without knowing the type of work they handle. I get every submissions of every genre of literature from writers, many of whom obviously sent out an email blast, or have no idea of what we publish.
Make sure your writing is up to par with the standards of prose we accept. Just because you think your story is unique, or has that special ‘quirk’ we look for, doesn’t mean it is written at the level we aim for with our publication.
Edit your story and have someone else read it before sending it out. Ask yourself: “Is this the best I can do with this piece?” Too many submissions contain spelling errors, punctuation errors, misused punctuation, and factual errors. Yes, even fiction can have an error in authenticity. I read a story about mariners on the Atlantic Ocean which the author described as only about one quarter of a mile deep. In fact, the average depth of the Atlantic is three miles, and I only know that because I was recently on a cruise and the captain told us this little fact. I had someone else write of a woman on death row in the U.S. who was kept naked and starving and regularly beaten for robbing a convenience store. As a retired law enforcement officer, I know that there is abuse in prisons, but this was a stretch of the imagination which could not be allowed. Death row inmates receive an awful lot of attention from the media and civil rights advocates and would not be allowed to wallow in filth, naked, and without food. As a final note on fact-checking and research, I received a story recently wherein the writer, attempting to create a simile between food and a science experiment wrote the word ‘pea-tree dish’. It’s ‘Petri dish’, and it is named after the person who invented it. That type of laziness is unacceptable when submitting fiction. There will be experts in every field reading your work when it is published, and someone is going to call you on your mistakes. This results in a ruined story – for the reader – and poor writing.
Your magazine staff mainly comes from the US and the UK. What would you say is the main difference between the two publishing worlds, and what advice would you give to any UK author wishing to write for American appeal as well (and vice versa)?
I believe the only thing which separates UK publishers from their American counterparts is geography. Publishers in the US may be looking for the same type of story, but may seek different standards in the type of writers and quality of material they seek. The same is true of publishers in the UK, or even elsewhere. In this regard, I believe that publishers tend to be unique in the style of writing they accept, the type of author they seek, and the experience of the writers they accept work from. The only advice I have for writers seeking to cross boundaries and look for publication in either the US or UK is to keep your own identity and don’t try to appease some sort of artificial aesthetic for the overseas audience you want.
Since we are a multi-national publication, I receive submissions from Israel, Brazil, England, and, of course, the US. A writer attempting to change their style to appeal to a different audience can be in for a rude awakening. In the submissions I read from UK writers, I generally forget part-way through that they are from another country. Powerful writers maintain their voice and convince the reader that their story is true. Any attempt to change your style could be disastrous. I’m a New Yorker, born and bred on Long Island, and I would have an extremely difficult time convincing a native Texan that I was from Texas, or that I could write an authentic Texas-based novel.
What common mistakes do you spot in submitted works to your site, and how should writers avoid them?
Aside from spelling errors, and punctuation, the most glaring errors are in the initial communication with the magazine. I read some appalling query letters from extremely unprofessional folks. The other day I got a blank email, with no message at all, no name, just an e-mail address, and a story attached. I was insulted, to say the least. This is business, and a writer is attempting to sell me their story, so a properly composed query letter is not just a courtesy, it is an industry standard. Needless to say, badly written queries or a submission with no query at all most often has a terrible story attached with it. Do your research, find out who is the editor in charge of the type of work you propose, and be courteous, and professional. Your query letter is your sales pitch, and remember that you are not doing the editor a favour by submitting your story.
Sections of The View From Here are available for the Sony Reader and Kindle. With the rise in popularity of e-zines and advanced e-reader gadgets, do you see yourselves focusing purely digitally in the future, or will there always be a place for the print magazine?
I believe it will take a very long time for readers to fall out of love with print material. Newspapers are having a difficult time with sales as more and more news content is available for free online. Yet books and magazines still have a special flair for the lover of printed material. Books and periodicals are attractive, have stunning art and photography, and also have an organic appeal when held in a reader’s hands which will be difficult to replace with modern technology.
Finally, as a literary magazine editor and author, what would be your main tip for any aspiring writer wishing to get published?
My main advice for the aspiring author is to focus on editing your story. Do your research to find a compatible publisher for your style of work, and always be professional. The relationship with an editor does not end with one’s story being accepted as the writer will have to work with the editor before the story’s publication. If the writer wishes to have additional work accepted by the same periodical or publisher, then a rapport is essential. Remember that publishing is a business, and excellent writing skill is not the only factor in finding an outlet for your literature.
The View From Here is a monthly periodical, with print subscriptions available in the UK, Canada and USA. Go to http://www.viewfromheremagazine.com/ for more information. We wish you the best of luck should you submit any pieces!
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