How indie lit magazines die

Self-interest, money traps, and paper atavism

Au revoir, Revue Blanche

It happens like this: the editors of Indie Magazine X announce it’s over, and almost immediately the timelines start overflowing with the tears of auteurs lamenting the magazine’s demise (whilst plugging the pieces they published with said magazine).

This week it was the turn of the White Review to announce they are going on a hiatus — a recurrent euphemism, very useful when it comes to pulling any plug. And of course, the rituals of mourning and self-promotion followed like night follows day, or “the seagull follows the trawler”, to quote one of the most exciting French philosophers of all time¹. Since this announcement I’ve lost count of the many who’ve praised the quality of the magazine, or have expressed sadness for its demise, or have emphasised the need to support venues such as the White Review, lest we end up with none (and we aren’t far). Touching, yes. But I’d personally like to see these people’s bank statements in order to find out how many of them …