Fuse #8

Monday, May 21, 2007

Horn Book - Now in Paper!

Roger Sutton poses the following query:
What could the Horn Book Magazine do better, or more of, or more interestingly? I always have this question running around in my mind (this is not necessarily a sign of dedication; it stems as much from my default anxiety as anything else) and I've come up with plenty of ideas that usually involve money we don't have. Like becoming a monthly, or printing in color, for example. Some ideas don't cost anything, but they do collide with Tradition: changing the logo, say, or making the magazine a standard size (which would actually save money).
Ix-nay on the ize-say ange-chay, I say.

Got me thinking though. What's a literary mag to do in this era of digital updates? In many ways Horn Book was ahead of the pack by having their own resident blogger. Publisher's Weekly and School Library Journal are following suit, but HB was the first of its kind in this respect. One wonders if Kirkus has thought much on the subject. What a blog THAT could be!

But in terms of the actual physical magazine you hold in your hand, I like how Roger has phrased this question. What can they do, "more of, or more interestingly?" You'd have to look to the adult equivalent of Horn Book to find an answer to this, perhaps. Worth thinking about, just the same. Brian Kenney of SLJ recently gave a talk at Dominican University (yay, my graduate degree's pseudo-alma mater!) entitled Does Print Still Matter?. Spoiler Alert: It does. His talk didn't concern itself specifically with SLJ's status in print, but in terms of the immediate future it may tie in nicely with Roger's query. And back and forth it goes.

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9 Comments:

At 6:55 AM , Blogger rams said...

alma-pater.

 
At 7:46 AM , Blogger fusenumber8 said...

That's the stuff.

 
At 10:51 AM , Blogger mbpbooks said...

...and in the comments of which Fuse is attacked again by a rabid gutless anonymouse! What is up with that? Why are people afraid of a wide range of voices and choices when it comes to literary commentary? Me no gets it.

 
At 11:27 AM , Blogger fusenumber8 said...

Hee hee. Aw, you're very sweet to defend me, Mitali. However, in this particular case that was my mother pseudo-correcting my choice of terms. I assure you, she feels the exact same way that you do regarding anonymous peeps.

 
At 11:52 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Mitali meant the gutless anon comment on Roger's blog, to which I respond: I think the Horn Book should have a regular column called "What Fuse Ate" in which you can blather on about dinners, lunches, breakfasts, brunches, cocktail parties, etc.

 
At 5:12 PM , Blogger fusenumber8 said...

*sigh*

Well let's go see what all the fuss is about then.

 
At 5:18 PM , Blogger fusenumber8 said...

Jeez. Well, whatever. That's the problem with writing an article that has your name on it. People know exactly who to attack. Ironically, the primary way a person may remain anonymous these days is via blogs. Nice of Roger to defend me there. After all, I don't know how much anyone would want to read something along the lines of, "A Comprehensive Interpretation of Didactical Insights and Snubs As Related to the Work of Children's Literary Blogs." *yawn*

 
At 5:47 PM , Blogger mbpbooks said...

Exactly. Poor jealous mice. Go find a private corner and gnaw on yourself. I would never hinder maternal correction, Mrs. Fuse Senior, as that is one of my major daily tasks.

 
At 7:23 PM , Blogger fusenumber8 said...

Sorry, Mitali. This is one of those cases where I've forgotten that I linked to an article after reading my comments.

And for the record, I think we should go with the Anonymous person's suggestion and have a What John Green Ate feature in Horn Book instead. I love your style, Megan. My food tends to run very dull, though. Brownies make up 95% of the delectables I digest.

 

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