Magazines and Stories: A broken bond

In a time which now seems too distant, publishing a story was not a very difficult task.

If someone had a penchant for writing a good story to tell, all they had to do was to go to the local magazine publisher to submit their story. Usually, the writer would get an immediate response from the editor.

It was an easier time. Making it as a writer wasn’t very hard. All you needed was talent and determination in your stride.

The Concept of Serialized Publication

To understand how publishing worked in simpler times, we first have to forget the concept of active book publishing in the first place. Books were generally an expensive object, available mostly to the elite. For this reason, most of the masses didn’t buy books and were more keen on reading newspapers and magazines.

New and upcoming authors found it difficult to get their books published with prominent publishing houses. So, they went to magazines who were willing to give young authors a chance.

In magazines, authors started publishing small chapters on a weekly or monthly basis. Depending on the feedback from readers, magazine publishers would either grant authors contracts or tell them to write something else. This way, writers had a much better idea about how to connect with their audience and write stories which appealed to the masses in a powerful way.

Blackwood’s Magazine and Zamana

If there’s one magazine which changed the course of English Literature, it probably is Blackwood’s magazine.

The reason behind Blackwood’s fame is the sheer quality of authors in its ranks. The likes of Joseph Conrad, George Elliot, Samuel Coleridge, and many other luminaries earned their writing spurs by writing for Blackwood.

Writers such as these were allowed to present their talents and artistry in a way that normal publications could not. Now their names are revered amongst some of the best authors of all times, but their beginnings were small and incremental. They too had to go through the magazine publishing route.

Back home in India, magazines had immense readership too. One writer emerged from the crowd to become Hindi literature’s most revered pantheons. He was Premchand.

Premchand first started writing for an Urdu magazine called Awaz-e-Khalk. His work, although not received well at the time, gave him key exposure in the writing business and helped him understand the psyche of readers in the masses. He later published for another magazine called Zamana, where he used his work to opinionate on the British Raj and the steady clamor against it amongst the Indian public. He was soon banned by the British government,

For someone like Premchand, those days defined the rest of his career. He went on to become a great writer, but it all began when he was first given a break by a magazine.

The Scenario now

Now, the scene is different.

To get published, writers have to run around publishing houses. Even more depressing is the fact that writers have to wait for over half a year to get a response. Most new writers are rejected outright if they don’t have an agent.

Magazine readership has dropped, and most people don’t read magazines for stories. The serialized publication model has become a thing of the past now.

In many ways, this has punctured the possibility of many young writers coming up in India.

TaccoMacco: Serialized Publication Recalled

We at TaccoMacco were amazed by the simplicity and benefits of the serialized publication model followed by old magazines. Now, we will take this chance to revive the serialized publication model on our very own platform.

As a company, we are throwing down the gauntlet for writers in India. The time for you to showcase your true ability has arrived. If you truly feel that your work should be recognized and celebrated, prove yourself to your audience and become a star.

Along with a precise reading experience, we are bringing a ton of other features which we believe would transform current perception towards mobile reading and literature.

See you soon!