Interview with Matthew Ward, Editor of Skive Magazine

Today’s interview is with Matthew Ward who edited Skive Magazine. Its last issue, FAREWELL,  appeared in November 2013.  

First, here’s some background on him:  

Matthew was born and resides in inner city Newcastle NSW Australia. He has operated Mockfrog Design since 1996, designing websites and books, and also editing fiction. Co-edited Heist! Magazine, 1998-2002 (printed, literature). Published insomAniac Magazine, 1999, Skive Magazine, 2003-2013 . From 2000-2014, published books through his small presses: Mockfrog Design Press, Skive Magazine Press, Lucky Guitar Press, and Mary Celeste Press. He also likes photography and playing guitar.

SARETT:   There are thousands of literary magazines-- and, to my chagrin, they come and go.  Did you have a specific goal with Skive?  

WARD:   It was all about my love for the short story. I co-edited Heist! Magazine from 1998-2002 with a colleague of mine from Newcastle Uni (NSW Australia). We created a literary mag like our Dads had read when they were lads growing up in the ‘40s / ‘50s. It was full of tales of adventure, danger, of sport, hunting, espionage, courting ladies in an innocent sort of way, and tongue-in-cheek, clichéd advertisements. We were sent hundreds of story submissions from all over the English-speaking world to our university P.O. Box. But we were also sent poetry, a lot of badly-written / pretentious poetry. To tell you the truth, when I started Skive in 2003 I didn’t want to publish *any* poetry. Short Story writers are more reasonable to deal with.

So, as I implied earlier, I wanted to create an online monthly short story magazine, with short stories that thrilled me, made me laugh out loud, made me weep. Great writing from those who maybe had not even been published before. (Poems were added later to the printed mag, at first as fillers but then as stars in their own right.)

SARETT:   Skive was a print publication -- but you’ve also published digital versions. Do you feel that reading online places special burdens on readers?

WARD:   Some of the Skive issues have had electronic versions, and sales have been poor. Print has always sold much better than electronic. That said, free promo copies - secured with password so they couldn’t be printed - were downloaded by the thousand.

Personally, I cannot read a large book on a Kindle / phone - I have to be able to cuddle up on a lounge with cushions, read a real book that way - old fashioned I guess, but then again a lot of readers are.

SARETT:   I’m amazed that editors can read as much as they do-- and you not only have a magazine, but a publishing company.  In your mind, what are the ingredients that make a good editor?  

WARD:   Atention to detail (you’ll notice I spelled ‘Attention’ incorrectly there for effect :-)

A love of the language.

To be a writer as well, and to write.

To allow a writer to have a style of their own, and not create a perfect (exact), robotic piece of writing.

Also use the finger as a guide when editing; plus read out loud. These are great backup techniques.

SARETT:   I’ve noticed that lots of magazines say that “flash fiction” is their sweet spot.  Is it something about flash, or is it simply easier for editor to get through?
WARD:   I like bite-sized stories. They are closer to poetry in form - not the stanzas, they are just more concentrated, less ‘wandering into the woods’ for no reason / padding out. The editor / publisher can also get through them very quickly, yes.  Some writers like the 5,000 word story, but the first page has to thrill me or I will pass. This is common with publishers apparently. We seldom read every word of every submission.

SARETT:   I’ve heard that some writers who are rejected write back and argue with editors?  Does that actually happen or is that a myth?  

WARD:   It does. And they get angry. One told me to ‘Get F*cked’. In an email rejection I had said that unfortunately I had to pass as so many people had sent me stories that month. But what can one say? I was trying to be nice, encouraging him to send something next time. His story didn’t suck, and it wasn’t at the top either. (He earned a place in the ‘Pains in the Ar*e’ file, writers publishers block and will never publish :-)

What I liked was writers who’d email me back, thanking me for the email, were polite, professional. Writers who ignored my rejection, I didn’t like that - it was rude. There wasn’t anything personal - it was just that one person didn’t like their work. I’m a writer, I’d been rejected, I know what that is like. Writers have to be mature about their work, about their craft.

SARETT:   You’re also a writer. Has the process of being an editor has changed the way you approach your writing?  How?

WARD:  Since becoming an editor, I am now particular with word choice / style. My book Jake was written in a Kerouac, beat generation style, where I used a few points and added to them ‘on the run’ in the spirit of “spontaneous bop-prosidy”, something I was fond in my university years - Kerouac, Burroughs, Ginsberg, all those guys. That changed with the short story book a couple of years later where I started meticulously planning stories and then ‘adding the meat to the bones’ as I went along.

I was less likely to choose stories that were all over the place in my mag. Writers had a better chance of getting published if they planned carefully and the footsteps were brushed away’ as they say: A beginning, a crisis, crisis solved (or not), and ending (sudden or clean). Simple as that.

SARETT:   Would you ever think about a new magazine, or is it, been there, done that? Any projects you're working on?

WARD:   I am working with 2 business colleagues - one a publisher, the other an editor - on a Dominican Republic magazine / newspaper. My part with be the layout. For the time being that will suit me fine.

I want to finish a novel that started as a screenplay over 10 years ago and has been converted to novel form in part over the last few years. IF I can finish it, THEN I’ll have to find a major press to publish it. Those will be major tasks. I know some publishers, but I will still have to do the work, and write the bloody thing :-)

Blog Alert:  40% discount for limited time on Skive's Farewell Issue.  Limited time offer.

Find Matthew Online here:

• Skive Magazine
• Mockfrog Design
• Mary Celeste Press

• Twitter (Skive Magazine)
• Facebook (Skive Magazine)
• Facebook (Matthew Glenn Ward, writer)

BOOKS by MATTHEW GLENN WARD:

‘Jake With a Snarly Smile on His Chops’ (novella, 2004, Independent Jones Press, Sydney)

‘Her Mouth Looked Like a Cat’s Bum’ (short stories, 2006, World Audience Publishers, New York) O.O.P.

‘Cats Creep the Fire To Art’ (poetry, 2008, World Audience Publishers, New York) O.O.P.

‘JFK Lives in the Future’ (short stories, 2010, World Audience Publishers, New York)

Interview with Craig Hart, Editor of The Rusty Nail and Sweatshoppe Publications

Today’s interview is with Craig Hart who founded the magazine, The Rusty Nail as well as the publishing company Sweatshoppe Publications.  

First, here’s some background on Craig:

Craig Hart is a writer, editor, and publisher. Early in 2012 he founded The Rusty Nail literary magazine for which he serves as editor-in-chief. He is also the publisher for Sweatshoppe Publications. Hart lives in Rockford, Illinois with his wife Kimberly in a house owned by their cat, Gracie.

SARETT: There are thousands and thousands of literary magazines-- and they do come and go. What was your impetus for starting The Rusty Nail?  

HART: My hope for The Rusty Nail is for it to remain true to the tagline, “Your words, your way.” A lot of literary magazines become extensions of the staff. They choose what they like, edit them down, and the reader ends up with a sanitized version. I want to preserve the raw feeling of words directly from the writer’s mind.       

SARETT: As an editor, are you sensitive to the experience of reading online?  Do you feel that reading online places special burdens on stories?  

HART: I tend to be a traditional reader. I like paper copy, which is why The Rusty Nail offers a print version. However, I know that many people like reading online and it does increase the accessibility of the work. There’s a place for both.

SARETT:  I’m amazed that editors can read as much as they do-- and you not only have a magazine, but a publishing company.  In your mind, what are the ingredients that make a good editor?   

HART: An editor should know the audience. I think an editor does well to keep in mind not only what they like, but also what the outlet’s audience will like. There are pieces that have appeared in The Rusty Nail that, as a reader, I wouldn’t choose. But if I know there is an element of TRN’s audience that enjoys that form of writing, then it has a good chance of making it through.

SARETT: We all know that writers read literary magazines, or at least some writers like me do -- but is that the only audience for them? Or put another way, is there a way to make that audience more diverse?

HART: I agree that the biggest audience for literary magazines are writers or, at least, people with literary interests. The Rusty Nail has addressed this by offering a diverse range of selections. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a defined audience. I think one mistake other magazines have made is trying to be all things to all readers. It can’t be done. By trying to make sure everyone is equally represented and served, it’s easy to end up representing nobody, at least not well.

SARETT: You’re also a writer (although how you find the time baffles me.) Has the process of being an editor has changed the way you approach your writing?  How?

HART: It has caused me to be more cognizant of the errors I see in the writing that I go through on a regular basis. It’s easier to find faults in writing other than your own, of course, but I’ve made a concerted effort to practice my preaching. Having said that, I think it’s important to run your work past an outside source. Being an editor doesn’t necessarily make one qualified to edit one's own work.

SARETT: You’ve started a publishing company, Sweatshoppe Publications (love that name!). How would you describe its editorial focus?   Is there a specific type of writer you’d like to attract?

HART: So far, Sweatshoppe Publications has published mostly poetry and short story collections, with a couple of novels thrown in. We’ve been pleased to publish a couple of non-traditional novel forms and first-timers. The writing we tend to lean toward is intimate and, in the case of fiction, with fully developed characters. We love honest writers who write without reservation, without holding back.

SARETT: Lots of us, including me, have chosen the self-publishing route.  What are the advantages, in your mind, of using a publisher like Sweatshoppe are versus self-publishing?

HART: One of the greatest benefits of self-publishing can also be its greatest flaw. Namely, the fact that anyone can do it. There are writers, like yourself, who are capable of putting out quality writing via self-publishing and I think that’s great. I’ve used self-publishing in the past myself.

The main advantages of a publisher like Sweatshoppe are that 1.) There is oversight. We don’t publish everything we get so if your work is accepted you can know that we’ve seen value in it. 2.) We don’t charge authors. The cost of design and getting the book onto the marketplace are assumed by Sweatshoppe. 3.) A lot of writers prefer to be able to say they’ve had their work accepted by an unbiased entity. It suggests an air of legitimacy.
None of this means that I think any less of those who self-publish, mind you. I love that industry. In fact, the parent company of Sweatshoppe Publications has begun a self-publishing option called Coffee Ring Publishing. You can find all our publishing options at: www.sweatshoppemedia.com

Available on Amazon

SARETT: You are a busy guy -- and I see that you’re also published a book on writing exercises. Are these exercises designed for the neophyte or the more advanced writer?  

HART: There is something in there for both. Some exercises are more complicated than others. The exercises address the most common writing issues I see as an editor/publisher, little things that can make the difference between acceptance and rejection.

SARETT: Have you used the exercises in your own book?  (Just checking!)

HART: Haha...I’ve used versions of them, yes. I wanted to make sure they worked, after all!

SARETT: Any other projects that you’d like to tell us about?

HART:  I am writing a novel entitled Mosquito Bay, which is about a boy named Jimmy who discovers troubling things about his family, including his mother’s death. It’s a gritty tale, but honest, as we watch Jimmy struggle to grow up in the shadow of his family’s dark past.

You can visit Craig on Facebook, Twitter. His blog is at http://craighartonline.com/