A few weeks ago I picked up a copy of the fourth issue of Pen Pusher magazine, which, because it is also their first anniversary issue, comes in a champagne gold cover. Lovely. I was excited about the magazine because it includes my feature on the Victorian literary legends Thomas and Jane Carlyle. But the reason I've held off mentioning it is this...
As someone who has subbed a lot of copy for many years, I realise that subs believe they can write better than other people. However, I feel that the sub who handled my copy took an unusual approach to the business – leaving it reading as if two people who had never met had written it (the printed feature was alternate paragraphs by me, and alternate paragraphs by a sub writing in the style of Heat magazine).
I've mulled this over for a few weeks. And having gone from "What if someone I know sees it?" to resigned disappointment, I've decided to do the grown up thing: have a whinge on my blog-that-no-one-reads and leave it at that. I just hope the people at Persephone don't see it (it features one of their books) as it would completely blow any tiny chance I had of them ever considering asking me one day, in the dim and distant future, to fulfil my dream and write a preface to one of their books (after I've written my thesis on a Persephone-related topic and alerted Persephone to my literary genius. Ho hum.)
But when all is said and done, the Pen Pusher people are good-hearted and generous enough to put out a free magazine four times a year, on high quality paper with a professional look to the whole thing, and fill it with contributions from those they meet who share their enthusiasm for books. And there's not many people who get off their arses and actually do something.
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