After getting published, the worries of so many writers are:
- That their work will not be read much.
- That over the months their work will disappear and not be seen again.
- That the publication will cease to exist.
At Eastlit we try to address these post getting published issues. After getting published we do as much as we can for you by use of contacts and social media to make sure your work will be read. We also encourage every writer to publicize not only their own work but also the Eastlit issue in general. If you have a second piece of work published we always link your previous work as a reminder to readers. Plus occasionally I do a news item that will link to previously published pieces of work in a certain category. The piece on Eastern poetry is an example.
The other good news is that the Eastlit website is now paid up for another two years. We do not intend to cease publication any time soon! Thanks to those who helped out with donations. It is appreciated.
We also recognize that over time a piece of work disappears into the archives and is maybe harder for readers to run across. However, there are a number of advantages to being published online. One of these is that you are there as long as the website exists. Another is that it is easier for people to find what they are looking for via an online search than by scouring libraries and newsstands for magazines. Plus you also come up in random searches!
However, we at Eastlit do not think this is enough and want to improve what we offer. We know it can be hard enough getting published in the first place. Then it is even harder to have your work stay in the limelight over time. We have plans to do something about this.
Getting Published – The Future at Eastlit
In the future we are going to republish random pieces of work from previous old issues of Eastlit in a current issue. We will initially republish one each month starting in our December issue. That will be the first issue of our second year. It seems like a good time to start new things.
Eastlit E-Books
We also plan on converting old issues into E-books that can be read on anything from a Tablet to a Smartphone to an iPad to a Kindle. These will be downloadable. There is no timeframe for this to become regular. However, the inaugural December 2012 issue is now in a common e-book format (epub) and I am just working on editing out aberrations that occur in converting digital material. I will also be converted to the other common form (mobi). This e book issue will be launched as a trial issue to see what feedback we get. We hope to improve this as we go along. We also hope that by getting published in e book format your work will be more widely read. Also it should have more longevity than in a paper magazine.
Support
Thank you to all those who have supported us in terms of literary contributions, advice, editorial support, guidance and more recently via donations. It is all appreciated. Please keep those contributions coming in. Also if you can spare a donation of a dollar or two to help support some of these new initiatives, which do cost money, it will be appreciated.
I am also looking for another person or two to add to the editorial board. If you are interested you can contact the editor.
iPhone/iPad App
We are now also ready to launch an Eastlit app for iOS (Apple) devices. This will happen when I have available funds. We hope in the coming year to improve on the quality of the apps. We also have a plan to streamline them, and possibly have a little different content more specific to mobile viewing. More on that later.
Art
Coming issues will see a little more colour with both photographs and digital versions of art from a few new contributors. I am pretty excited at making a move to where we can integrate more visual art into what is a fairly solid written art offering already. We hope to see a few more artists getting published. If you are a visual artist or know one who may be interested, please send something in through the usual submissions channel. If you have questions contact the editor.
OK that is enough on getting published and Eastlit.
But before I go I will mention our Eastlit Live channel again! We hope to have a new interview up soon. You can also send us some live material to publish! If you want to be interveiwed, please contact us.
Cheers.
Graham.
It is that time ot the year again where we start to try and raise a little money for Eastlit support to cover costs and other things. From 2016 to 2017 we would like to use some of the money raised on a few modest adverts through social media and literary circles. This will help to get more readers for the fiction, poetry, artwork and other creative writing focused on East, Southeast and South Asia. Even though we are currently seeing growth in readership of 30% on last year, more can be done. All in all I think it is best to do what we can without introducing advertising to cover it.
