Well, Today was Dooms Day for The Deepening

Ξ August 24th, 2007 | → | ∇ art, artist, webmaster, projects, work, & clients |

After struggling for months with all manner of problems and issues with my online fiction magazine, The Deepening, I finally shut it down when the final solution, based on editor and author content management failed.

Since I can’t do the heavy coding any longer, I tried to implement what I thought would be a relatively easy solution for editors, authors and subscribers. But it just didn’t and wasn’t working.

So, the online fiction magazine is no more.

There are a LOT of reasons why, but one thing stands out most — people who read are a shrinking market. So, in fiction publishing, unless there’s a “buzz,” or the publisher can create a “buzz” by using “spin,” …which takes lots of money, luck, and knowing the right people, then the story just doesn’t interest most readers…who have little time to read in the first place because of busy lives…and many of whom would just rather watch the video.

Online publishing cannot compete with YouTube. It can’t compete with NetFlix. It certainly can’t protect itself from writers who only subscribe to get in, research the market, then quickly cancel their payment after they have gotten admission.

What do I think? I think that the only real readers out there are mostly writers researching markets, hoping to make it big themselves…and the old-timers who know the joy of immersing themselves into a book.

I actually think it was a known from the start that any online fiction venture would be doomed. I think any fiction venture which isn’t supported by a university or by government funding for the literary arts is ultimately doomed. The written word is too much work for the computer generation. They much prefer games, sex, video, and vegging out in front of the boob tube…or getting drunk, partying, and trying to become millionaires.

So, now I have that brain drain, money drain, and time drain evicted from my life…along with all the corresponding hassles. Now all I have to do if finish paying off the bills…which should take me a couple of years.

Oh well.

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Night by D. L. Keur

Spirit of the moon,
Rising at the death of solar light,
Furls the wings of eagles' flight
Until the images of night
Are but an echo.

June, 1990

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