word on the street 29 reasons I got so many people in the first place was because everybody’s doing what they love doing – they don’t feel it’s a chore. How do you manage a team with such a range of opinions? I do an induction session where I run through all the topics that we talk about in the magazine. I read every single article that is posted, from the pitch to the moment it comes to fruition. So far I’ve never had to pull an article. My section editors are also very diverse and they guide the writers. Personally, I have a rule that I don’t debate directly with my team members. In a position of leadership, there has to be some distance. I try to explore why people think a certain way rather than trying to convince them of my way of thinking. Is there any topic you wouldn’t cover? The only thing we wouldn’t really talk about is gun ownership. Frankly I find it weird that people are so obsessed with guns. What about the logistics: funding, sales, distribution? Everything is funded by me. I don’t have any ads or sponsors. I’m doing everything out of my own pocket, just because I really like magazines. We were offered a partnership, but for me it’s really important to keep the integrity of the magazine rather than risk our image being distorted. As for sales and distribution, we sell by preorder. The copies are sent to my house, and I package and send them. I also like to handwrite a card to each person who buys it. The more we grow, the more I’ll need help, but for now it’s sustainable. I think it’s important to make your reader feel they’re just not just a consumer. There should be a relationship there of trust and loyalty. What’s the plan for ‘The Chritical’? I hope that soon we’ll be able to distribute the magazine across the UK, and that we’ll grow bigger as a team. I also want to hold a pop-up event where we can meet the readers and build friendships. It’s good to remind people that others are genuine human beings, even if they’re not in your political party or not from your background. While on furlough in 2022, Joanna Biggers realised she wanted to create something that combined her love of food with her knowledge of publishing. Here she talks about how all the right ingredients combined to create ‘Dulcify Journal’, a food lover’s magazine Jo Cummings: So tell us how it all began! Joanna Biggers: It probably started with my love of food photography, which I’ve done for some time. Then when I was furloughed in lockdown, I did some online patisserie courses and got very involved in the food community. By the time I went back to work, I decided to go for it and make a magazine. I don’t think there’s anything like it in the market, so hopefully it will fill a niche. I’d just hate to look back and kick myself for not trying. What made you choose a print product? As someone working in the book industry, I value a physical product. It’s tactile, and you can present content in a way you can’t online. When I consider how I want someone to feel reading it, I don’t think I’d get that across online. I love having something to escape into, something that you can keep and that’s not going to get lost in an inbox. How do you want someone to feel reading ‘Dulcify Journal’? I see people reading it in the same way that I would go to a cafe and get myself a really lovely piece of cake: I’d sit and blissfully enjoy it in my own time. I see them just escaping, taking a moment to feel really inspired. I hope it will be a source of comfort in tough times. Dulcify means ‘to sweeten’, but it also means ‘to calm and soothe’, and I’d like for them to have moments of that within the pages. I feel comforted already! Who is the magazine aimed at? Dulcify is a bridge between people in the food industry and general lovers of food. Food is a common ground, for so many people. What’s driving the whole project is that sense of building a community, and businesses uplifting each other. How do you think your experience in book publishing has helped you? Before Pearson, where I currently work, I worked for Bright Red Publishing. There were only three of us in the team full time, and I worked on every part of the business. Working closely with both directors gave me an insight I wouldn’t have had in a much bigger company; they taught me how the industry works, how to network, how to achieve with a small budget. Also, having worked for a big publisher I know how difficult it is to shift a lot of books! Share with us something you’ve learned along the way. If you need to get something off the ground, you have to be your own biggest advocate. It can be really hard when that’s not natural to you, if you find it difficult to shout about what you’re doing. But you don’t know what it’s going to be unless you really invest in it. Your own passion really shows in a project. EAT... READ AND BE MERRY
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