CLMP Newswire Interview with Shevi Berlinger

CLMP Newswire for April 1, 2003
A Biweekly Email News Dispatch on Independent Literary Publishing
A Project of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses

STRATEGIES OF SURVIVAL: HOW TWO MAGAZINES HAVE SUCCESSFULLY MANEUVERED THE MARKETPLACE

In today's challenging economic climate, literary magazines must be ever more adaptable to survive and grow. In 1993, Olivia Sears -- then a graduate student in Italian Literature at Stanford University -- felt there was a lack of venues in America for literature in translation. So, like many before her, she took matters into her own hands and started Two Lines. This year, on the eve of the San Francisco-based magazine's 10th anniversary, Sears has much to celebrate. Not only has the publication managed to survive on a few grants and the devoted funding of private supporters, but in 1998 she created an offshoot organization -- The Center for Art in Translation -- to promote translation through art, education, and community outreach.

There have been other changes within the magazine. This year, the editors plan to publish two issues instead of its usual one. The year's first issue will follow in Two Lines tradition by offering translations from around the world on a particular theme (past themes have included "Ghosts," "Fires," and "Parties"), while the second focus on work from a specific region of the world. The editors will continue to ask translators to write an introduction to the pieces they translate, and the magazine will continue to include both the original text and the translation on facing pages.

While the magazine's content is growing, the editors have also decided to broaden its audience. "We decided we wanted to get the magazine into more bookstores nationally," says Managing Editor Shevi Berlinger. "We thought that if the bookstores knew about us, they would more likely order through our distributor [SPD] or even directly through us." So the editors chose 100 bookstores across the country that appealed to their sensibilities. "We tried to find the most popular bookstores. We looked at big cities. But we also looked at small towns," says Berlinger. "It was a gut-instinct thing."

Two Lines sent a small press packet to the selected stores that included a cover letter, a copy of their latest issue, a press release, a one-page fact sheet about the publication, information about how to order the magazine, and a reply card. "Only 8 bookstores sent the card back," says Berlinger. "So we found out who the buyers were and we started to call them." Buyers responded well to the calls: out of 100 contacted, 40 actually signed on to carry the magazine. Mailing costs and time commitments notwithstanding, Berlinger sees the marketing outreach as a tremendous success. "We weren't motivated to make a profit," says Berlinger. "We wanted exposure. We wanted to raise awareness of who we are and considering that as our goal, I thought it was a success."

This year, Berlinger says, the magazine will continue to add bookstores though the drive won't be as large. The emphasis now is to nurture the new relationships with those bookstores who have already ordered the publication. In a larger sense, Berlinger says, "It always feels like everything is in the developing stages, so it's hard to believe we've actually been around for 10 years." She adds, "We wanted to do something that coincided with our 10th anniversary and with the expansion of our magazine...to create a wider audience and gain exposure for this new regional issue. And hopefully the exposure will help put other translation magazines on the map." For more information about Two Lines, log on to http://www.twolines.com.