We're BACK IN THE ROOM!
Hello darling Grubber!
Joanna here, writing from a good place. Certainly a better place than last time we put out a newsletter.
We've been AWOL, which is not ideal – but perhaps understandable. And I’ll tell you for why.
You see, we misjudged. Turns out launching a magazine with two people – and a proper meaty magazine if we do say so ourselves – is bloody hard. After the elation of getting Issue 1 out the door, and then physically back in the door so we could post it, we quickly hit a wall: "Oh my god, and now we've got to MARKET the thing???"
I don't think either of us could be considered naïve – especially not dear Mr Houston – but we may have underestimated how much a labour of love would take it out of us. We anticipated 'difficult second album' syndrome, but it's taken us longer than we thought to get our arses in gear and get back in the zone. Today was supposed to be on sale day for Issue 2, but we decided to push it back by a month… and it's our mag, so why not?
The good news is: WE'RE BACK, BABY. As soon as we did the first interview for the next issue, our mojos returned. And I'd like to think we've managed our expectations this time. Apparently it's hard to write 20,000 words in a week, hard to put a mag out into the world when you're already working full time, a full-on challenge to sort ads and do social and flog something with no marketing budget. Quelle shocker.
I'm telling you this because we always said we'd be honest about how we pulled Grub Street together. And since you've all been so bloody brilliant at supporting us, buying the mag – and even, in some cases, reading it! – we think you deserve us being straight up with you.
Anyway, as I say: we're back in the room, and chomping at the bit to get our delightful cocktail of cynicism and idealism into your martini glasses. Issue 2 asks where the money is in magazines. It asks what it's like to work on an erotic publication. It has fun with AI, provides zero-BS career tips, explores the art of the interview...and has some shit hot interviews besides.
CHIN, CHIN!
Get our first issue: What kind of idiots still make magazines?
Not got Issue 1 yet? WELL SHAKE A LEG. Get a copy at our website if you’re in the UK, and at Newsstand if you’re anywhere else (except The Bad Place, We don’t deliver there). As I said, it’s meaty and you’ll like it.
If you know someone who might be interested in our magazine-making shenanigans, why not share this newsletter with them?