Gettin' there...
Just a moment to breathe for Copy after being at Colophon 2007... this week we're taking part in the independent publisher's fair 'Publish and Be Damned', in Shoreditch, London.
Even got some really nice press coverage in DesignWeek:
"One of London's most exciting and innovative fairs takes place next week, when the fourth annual Publish and Be Damned fair opens its doors to the weird and wonderful world of independent publishing. [...] As the fair has grown, so has the range of formats, nationalities, styles and media on display. Here are magazines that might appear as a publication one month and an exhibition the next (Starship), lo-fi handwritten magazines (Leisure Centre), magazines that use the grungy aesthetics of photocopying as design devices (Copy), posters from Donald Urquhart and John Frum Press and Berlin 'zines Starship and Basso. [...]
This year, for the first time, a selection panel was convened to deal with the numbers of titles applying to take part, and one of the titles it's chosen is contemporary design culture magazine Copy, established in 2005 by a group of Royal College of Art students, including current co-publishers Julie Aveline and Sarah Owens, who believed Copy would 'fit in well at the fair because we place ourselves outside of the commercial mainstream. It's very much a personal expression and in its current form would probably not survive a more commercial approach,' says Owens, who art directs and edits the publication. In the best way, it's a networking opportunity that's mutually beneficial to everyone, says Karen magazine publisher Karen Lubbock, 'in providing a point of reference for anyone who's attempting to self-publish, and offering a chance to see innovative magazines'.
But how innovative is indie publishing, and what does it offer mainstream publishing? 'Indie publishing definitely influences mainstream titles, which are always looking at us and ripping things off,' says Lomax. 'I think that there has also been a conscious effort by the mainstream press to look more indie - because that's what the kids want,' she adds. Yet Owens says they're unlikely to succeed. 'I think it's difficult for mainstream titles to incorporate aspects of indie publishing without seeming insincere or inauthentic,' she says. She does, however, agree that they're 'definitely great sources of inspiration. They can also influence commercial publishing to a certain degree by acting as talent pools - for example, when former fanzine makers start working for mainstream publications or when independently produced magazines, like Raygun, later develop into newsstand titles.'
Ariane Müller, publisher of Starship, thinks the Internet has put paid to such distinctions between small and big publications. 'It's made things like size, circulation and readership meaningless,' she says. 'Small acts attract huge crowds. Articles on the Internet are more often read than those in The Sunday Times.' [...] Also, despite the rise in on-line magazines and blogs, more and more publications are being printed. The idea that having something in print gives you a legacy is still a very big motivation to get involved in publishing.' And if you're going to do it, Publish and Be Damned is the place to start."
from DesignWeek, Vol. 22 No. 30 (26 July 2007), p. 14-15. (Getting back into that old footnoting habit... horrible.)
Even got some really nice press coverage in DesignWeek:
"One of London's most exciting and innovative fairs takes place next week, when the fourth annual Publish and Be Damned fair opens its doors to the weird and wonderful world of independent publishing. [...] As the fair has grown, so has the range of formats, nationalities, styles and media on display. Here are magazines that might appear as a publication one month and an exhibition the next (Starship), lo-fi handwritten magazines (Leisure Centre), magazines that use the grungy aesthetics of photocopying as design devices (Copy), posters from Donald Urquhart and John Frum Press and Berlin 'zines Starship and Basso. [...]
This year, for the first time, a selection panel was convened to deal with the numbers of titles applying to take part, and one of the titles it's chosen is contemporary design culture magazine Copy, established in 2005 by a group of Royal College of Art students, including current co-publishers Julie Aveline and Sarah Owens, who believed Copy would 'fit in well at the fair because we place ourselves outside of the commercial mainstream. It's very much a personal expression and in its current form would probably not survive a more commercial approach,' says Owens, who art directs and edits the publication. In the best way, it's a networking opportunity that's mutually beneficial to everyone, says Karen magazine publisher Karen Lubbock, 'in providing a point of reference for anyone who's attempting to self-publish, and offering a chance to see innovative magazines'.
But how innovative is indie publishing, and what does it offer mainstream publishing? 'Indie publishing definitely influences mainstream titles, which are always looking at us and ripping things off,' says Lomax. 'I think that there has also been a conscious effort by the mainstream press to look more indie - because that's what the kids want,' she adds. Yet Owens says they're unlikely to succeed. 'I think it's difficult for mainstream titles to incorporate aspects of indie publishing without seeming insincere or inauthentic,' she says. She does, however, agree that they're 'definitely great sources of inspiration. They can also influence commercial publishing to a certain degree by acting as talent pools - for example, when former fanzine makers start working for mainstream publications or when independently produced magazines, like Raygun, later develop into newsstand titles.'
Ariane Müller, publisher of Starship, thinks the Internet has put paid to such distinctions between small and big publications. 'It's made things like size, circulation and readership meaningless,' she says. 'Small acts attract huge crowds. Articles on the Internet are more often read than those in The Sunday Times.' [...] Also, despite the rise in on-line magazines and blogs, more and more publications are being printed. The idea that having something in print gives you a legacy is still a very big motivation to get involved in publishing.' And if you're going to do it, Publish and Be Damned is the place to start."
from DesignWeek, Vol. 22 No. 30 (26 July 2007), p. 14-15. (Getting back into that old footnoting habit... horrible.)
posted by copy team at 3:11 PM
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