Most zines run for maybe a handful of issues. Some publish even fewer issues, but stretch out a publishing schedule over many years. A lot of zines don’t ever get past issue #1. That’s okay, that’s just the nature of the zine scene. But there are a rarified few that go from paper zine to full-fledged magazine, and then just keep on publishing. Venus is one of those zines. Started by Amy Schroeder ten years ago (in her dorm room, of course), Venus is now one of the premiere magazines covering women not just in the world of music, but in all the arts, with a precise angle on — true to its zine roots — the DIY.
In a recent Venus email newsletter, Schroeder mentioned that she would soon be handing over the reins of the magazine she started. Whenever you hear something like that, it gives you pause. Sure, you wonder why they are stepping down or moving on, but you also get a glimpse of the fuller picture in terms of what this project-maker has created. From nothing to something, years in the making, the ups and downs, the evolution of the project. It’s something to respect and be inspired by. I thought it would be an excellent time to check in with Schroeder about the magazine — how she started it, how it’s evolved, what she learned, how she kept it going, and how it will feel to let it go.
How hard was it to make it official that you would be letting Venus go, something that you started and have been working on for 10 years?
It’s hard, because Venus is my baby. I started Venus when I was 19 and now I’m 29, so I feel like I’ve come of age with the magazine. But one of the things I’m excited about is training whomever the new editor will be. I hope the new editor will be just as excited about heading up Venus as I have been.
Where are you in the process? Is your main concern making sure that Venus continues on after you’ve left the publisher post? Recouping your investment? Making sure the magazine’s charter is upheld?
I’m taking my sweet time to make a decision on whether to sell Venus and, if so, to whom I plan to sell it. I’ve got a couple offers from folks who would like to purchase Venus, and they’re being cool about letting me take my time to make a decision. I hope to make a decision by the end of 2005 or the beginning of 2006. In the meantime, I just released the fall 2005 issue of Venus and I’m having a great time working on the upcoming winter 2006 issue.
Many zines often end after the third or fourth issue, and even the ones that go the distance don’t normally last as long as Venus has been around. How were you able to achieve this? What has driven you to keep publishing the magazine?
A number of things have kept me inspired over the past 10 years. I’ve continually set new goals for myself and for Venus, and it feels good to accomplish them. The goals have ranged from "get global distribution" to "figure out how to be a good manager" to "get an office space" — the list goes on and on. As long as I’ve had a goal, I’ve always had something to work on, and that keeps me going.
The other important thing that has kept Venus going is that I love working with the Venus editors, interns, and contributors, and I love meeting and hearing from Venus readers. The Venus staffers and contributors are so excited about what they’re doing and that, in turn, keeps me excited. Also, to me, the readers are one of my top priorities, because without readers, what’s the point of publishing a magazine? I love hearing from Venus readers and encourage their feedback.
Do you recall the genesis for the idea of Venus? Was it the lack of coverage of female musicians? Or maybe how they were covered?
I created the first issue of Venus in one night in my dorm room at Michigan State University. The first issue was a personal zine (or perzine) and it talked about my experiences as a college freshman living in the Midwest. I also talked about feminism. I had so much fun making the first issue that I kept producing new issues – about one per year while in college. Each issue improved, and as time went on, Venus took on a women-in-music focus. This is because I was learning more about feminism and more about music and I wanted to combine the two interests. I also felt that female musicians weren’t receiving as much coverage in alternative music publications as men. And, thus, a niche was born. Then, as time went on, Venus expanded to cover women in DIY culture, visual art, film, fashion, etc.
There were probably times over the years when financial issues weighed heavily on deciding whether to keep publishing Venus. How did you overcome those times? I’m thinking more about your inner resolve as a person, and not so much about how you crunched the numbers.
Yup, you’re right — like just about all creative, independent projects, financial issues can weigh heavily on day-to-day operations. Shortly after I quit my day job as an editor to work on Venus full time in 2002, I nearly had a breakdown. I was working long hours — up to 16 hours a day — to keep Venus afloat financially. After a sleepless night, I e-mailed the whole staff and said that I didn’t think I could handle the stress anymore and was thinking about quitting. Several of the staffers called and e-mailed me to say, "No! You can’t quit. You’re not allowed to." That kept me going and I’m glad I didn’t quit.
I’m sure you could write a whole book in the area of publishing an independent magazine, but what’s the best advice you could give to someone who is considering or just embarking on a new venture?
I am planning to write a book about the Venus experience and how to make a DIY project successful. I suggest that entrepreneurs be willing to make changes to the original plan. Successful businesses need to evolve in order to survive. Of course, you must hang on to the vision or philosophy that you are passionate about, but be willing to alter the business plan when necessary. Also realize that in order to grow, the founder of the company must learn how to delegate tasks to other talented people. Sometimes the founder has to delegate her or his favorite tasks in order to grow the company.
What was your favorite cover, and why?
I like a lot of the covers for different reasons, but the spring 2003 issue with Cat Power on the cover — which is now sold out — was a cover that helped us to establish ourselves. Chan Marshall’s lip is chapped and we decided not to "fix it" with Photoshop. We decided that we want to run photos of how women really look, which is different from a lot of mainstream publications.
Which story do you think had the most impact in terms of establishing Venus’s reputation?
I can’t think of one story in particular that has helped us to establish our good reputation, but I think something that has helped us is creativity. There are a number of publications covering musicians, actors, and artists, but we try to mix it up a bit. For instance, in our fall 2005 issue, instead of just interviewing Allison Wolfe (formerly of Bratmobile and now of Partyline), we did an astrological star-chart reading with her and then asked her to chime in about what the astrologists had to say. The answers are funny and witty, and you get to know more about Wolfe than just the same-old same-old.
We also have a regular column called "In Her Own Words," in which musicians write a review of their own albums. For example, in the fall 2005 issue, Deerhoof’s Satomi Matsuzaki review the band’s new album, The Runners Four, and it’s interesting shit.
Do you still have a copy of issue 1? Is it in pristine condition somewhere safe?
I get asked this question pretty frequently, and I’m realizing that I need to find the first issue! I think it’s in a box under my childhood bed at my parent’s house. It should be in pretty good condition.
I imagine lots of up and coming writers got their start writing articles for Venus — any that have hit the big time?
A number of our writers and former staff editors who were just starting their careers and contributing to Venus back in the day are now successful editors at other publications. One of our former writers, Stephanie Trong, is now deputy editor at Jane. Several of our former longtime editors now work for TimeOut Chicago and TimeOut New York. Our first Webmaster, Gabe Jeffrey, released a book called Stoned, Naked, and Looking in My Neighbor’s Window, about his other Web site, grouphug.us. One of our longtime writers, Anne Heppermann, is a producer for NPR.
Was it common for bands that got highlighted coverage in Venus showing up in Rolling Stone two years later? How did you balance featuring bands that were fairly well-known versus bands that were making cool music but maybe not going to help newsstand sales?
I pretty much just assume that the artists we feature in Venus will be covered a year or so later in the bigger publications. I enjoy covering up-and-coming artists. We enjoy covering new artists just as much as we enjoy covering established artists. We don’t have an intense process of deciding who we cover. We just cover folks whose work we like.
What do you have lined up next for yourself? You mentioned wanting to teach journalism at the college level, and working towards attaining that goal.
Right now I’m daydreaming about what I’d like to do next. I’m still working full-time on Venus, but in my spare time, I dream about the other opportunities that are out there and it’s really exciting for me to think about. I may end up working part time for the new publisher of Venus, in which case, I’d also like to work on a book. And at some point, I’d like to go back to school — hopefully to get either a master’s or phD so that someday I can become a professor. I’d love to teach journalism, independent publishing, or small-business entrepreneurship. I’m also going to be on the board of directors for an organization that helps DIY businesses get off the ground. So, basically, I’ll be around. I’m not going to fall off the face of the earth.
What’s going to go through your mind after you transmit/send off that last issue (in which you serve as editor and publisher) to the printer?
Good question. I bet it won’t really sink in, psychologically, until quite a while after I send my last issue to the printer. I always operate that way. I like to keep things in motion all the time, and I don’t take a whole lot of time to sit down and think about what it all means. But, I hope that I realize that it’s OK to retire from your longtime project to take on new challenges in life.
What publication/writer/publisher has most influenced your own writing and publishing efforts?
I realize now that Sassy magazine has been one of my biggest inspirations. It was one of the first magazines I read, and I remember thinking, at age 12 or so, that I wanted to be like one of the Sassy editors — they always seemed like they were having so much fun. I also was inspired by Gloria Steinem. I remember writing about Steinem for an assignment in high school and thinking she was so cool for starting Ms. Magazine.
What was your inspiration for Venus at the start, and how did it evolve as time went on?
My very initial inspiration to start Venus was just having a ton of creative energy — I was 19 years old and wanted to make something. Over time, a lot of my inspirations come from other people’s energy. I get really excited about all the amazing women making great music, films, art, and running their own businesses.