The Commonspace > January 2001

So you think you want to start a publication? Perhaps you were thinking fanzine, newspaper, magazine or e-zine? It sounds very glamorous in the beginning, and maybe you've had visions of getting chicks, press passes and invitations to events, as well as letters of congratulations and fruit baskets at Christmas.

Think again.

The media of print publications is still alive and kicking, but self-publishing, while anyone can do it, is either a labor of love, or one very difficult way to make a living. If you have backing, you'll get NoisyPaper through the bleak times, but if not, you'll soon be on the couch. As one of my editors said recently to me: "The shrinks call this masochism."

If you have plenty of time, however, it's well worth the effort. Print is a way to express your points of view about your interests, and if you're the one in charge, i.e., the publisher, your niche is all your own. No editors to please (like in the real world) no one telling you how to write/shoot/art direct/sell (like in the real world) and no one but yourself to please. And that, coupled with the pure desire to publish, per se, sums up a very important aspect of your personality: You Have Printer's Ink In Your Blood. For better or for worse, you're doomed, or blessed, depending on how your look at it and your luck in general.

In my humble, publishing opinion, you'll probably never want to give it up unless the real world comes knocking loud and hard: the utility companies, the landlord, the desire to eat in general. Sometimes, you have to give it up, but if you love this crazy business as much as I'm in love with it, you'll always go back eventually.

Carrie Lindsey
Publisher, NoisyPaper