“Why the hell would you make a print magazine?”
The question came from a radio presenter during some promotional press around the launch of my self-published magazine, Archer.
I had my answer ready. I launched Archer in print because I wanted to create a tangible, and someday laughable, relic of Australia’s current attitudes to sexuality and gender.
He wasn’t satisfied. “But, seriously. Print?”
Archer, launched when I was 27, is now one year old. It is the proud recipient of an LGBTI (Lesbian Gay Bi Trans Intersex) Honour Award, a finalist place for Publishers Australia Magazine Launch of the Year, and a nomination for the UN Human Rights Medal. We have so far published 36 articles on topics such as sex addiction, sex and grief, being indigenous and gay, asexuality and gender transition, from established voices such as Christos Tsiolkas through to first-time writers.
The reason I launched Archer was to offer a progressive, intelligent voice on sexuality and gender, focusing on human experience, that keeps one simple truth in mind: that sex is complex for all of us, so let’s all bloody talk about it together.
Published twice a year, Archer’s glossy format and high-quality paper-stock earned it shelf space in boutique stores such as Mag Nation, as well as a 500-strong online subscriber base in its first year.
But like any good first-time entrepreneur, I started Archer completely naive. A young editor who believed she could “do it better” than the big publishers, the admin, accounting, management, budgets, distribution and other unforeseen tasks took me completely by surprise. Then there was a substantial financial investment… Let’s be honest, people – media start-ups are as risky as a sandwich from a service station.
But it feels like the right time to be taking risks, at least in media. The old publishing models are rusty, and independent press is a glimmer of hope in an increasingly bleak landscape. This is the age of citizen journalism, social media and boutique marketing, and since launching Archer, hundreds of readers have found their way to us. Australia, it would seem, was hungry for progressive and diverse writing on sexuality.
Our first issue was crowd-funded through Pozible, which was a marketing decision on our part. We amassed an audience before the mag had been printed, and we were able to gauge interest in articles we had slated for our first issue. We also raised $20,000.
Our second issue hit the stands in June this year, and generated controversy. The mag was distributed in newsagents across Queensland, NSW and Victoria, and a couple of store owners allegedly returned their copies, citing offensive content.
Mag Nation called to tell me they’d had a telephone complaint about our cover, which featured two 18-year-old boys sitting side-by-side on a couch. (Watch out, Australia!)
The rep told me the last time they’d had a complaint of this nature, it was about an androgynous male model who appeared topless in a fashion magazine. Diversity, it would seem, was the real threat here. But this kind of debate is Archer’s reason to exist.
Our third issue is out this week (this time with two young women on the cover. Shock? Horror?), and I’m excited to watch its reception.
