There Has to Be a Way for Magazines to Make Money that Isn't Gross

[image description: a large grouping of magazines spread out on a bed while a person is examining them.]

I don’t usually put my ranty panties on unless I can put both legs through the holes and hike them alllll the way up because I’m just that annoyed. But sometimes I only half want to rant because it’s a situation where I understand where they’re coming from and there are minimal good solutions.

That brings me to today’s ranty panties issue. There’s a popular online lit mag that I admire and respect (and not just because I’ve been published it in)––let’s call it Gaslamp Literature. Like most smart publications, they have several different revenue streams: memberships, ads, physical products, donation asks, live events (when it’s safe), and webinars.

The webinars are fairly new, so I was excited to check them out. Most magazines I’ve seen with paid webinars either do some kind of event, like a Q&A with an author, or there’s a teaching element, like how to tackle some difficult aspect of writing. And because they’re online events, they’re usually reasonably priced.

I assumed that’s what Gaslamp Literature would be doing, so I was surprised to learn that they were doing a series of four webinars and each one was about how to get published in their magazine. Each webinar focused on what the editors are looking for and how to get your submission excepted by them for their regular features with essays, short stories, poetry, and their short-form literature section.

It seems odd to me that a magazine would be asking prospective contributors to pay to learn how to get accepted. That shouldn’t be secret information––that’s literally what submission guidelines are for. Plus, editors come and go, and their whims are entirely subjective. Paying to learn how to appeal to one editor’s taste feels gross.

If the editors wanted to teach workshops on fiction writing, essay writing, poetry, etc., or even how to write a cover letter to include with your submissions or how to tell what editors, in general, might be looking for, I’d be all for it! But that’s not what Gaslamp Literature is doing.

I know magazines have a hell of a time making money and that it’s hard to get enough revenue to pay people properly. And Gaslamp Literature pays its writers (not quite market rate, but they try!). I see their efforts and I respect it. That’s why I really hope this series of ill-conceived, shady, and questionably ethical webinars end quickly and don’t become a permanent addition to their revenue streams.

There are so many options for making money out there… It just requires some creativity and a desire not to be gross.