What is BILiNE?

Best Indie Lit New England (BILiNE) will be a print publication series showcasing the best fiction and poetry published by independent journals in New England. The first volume will be published in October 2012 and will feature works that appeared between 2010 and 2012 in magazines like Printer's Devil Review, Amethyst Arsenic, Meat for Tea, Radius, and Salacious. 

Why Now?

It’s an exciting time for independent literature in New England. In the last five years, enterprising editors all over the region have been starting up magazines featuring poetry, fiction, essays, and art that otherwise might not have made it past the gatekeepers of mainstream literary publishing. Without the support of universities or commercial houses, these editors and their volunteer staffs do the hard, daily work of scouting for new talent, reading submissions, helping writers with revisions, copyediting, layout, and hosting events.

Most of these publications don’t make a profit, and they aren’t meant to; they exist primarily to serve a community of readers and artists, not to generate income for their editors. Many editors keep their journals afloat with donations from readers and friends and (of course) with their own money. Readers form passionate attachments to these publications – to the fine poetry published in Amethyst Arsenic, the queer feminist erotica of Salacious, the Inman Review’s hyper-local lit. Readers of one magazine, though, don’t necessarily read (or even know about) the others.

The Best Indie Lit New England series will provide a showcase for the best work being published in these magazines, providing opportunities for readers to discover new writers and publications, and for authors to gain greater recognition and find wider audiences for their work.

Who Are We?

We're the editors of independent literary magazines across New England. We have years of collective experience selecting work, editing copy, setting and meeting deadlines, designing publications, and publishing new work. We're also poets, fiction writers, artists and designers. We're committed to our creative communities and want to shine a spotlight on some of the best work we've seen.

What this Kickstarter Will Pay for

We estimate our total costs at around $1,700. We'll be doing all the work ourselves and paying contributors with copies of the book, so our primary cost is printing. If we achieve our goal, this kickstarter will pay for approximately half of our total costs.

If we achieve our goal, donations will go to:

• Printing costs for 150 copies of Volume 1, covering work published in indie journals in New England from 2010 to 2012.
• Shipping costs for sending copies to contributors (their only form of payment).
• Fees for purchasing ISBN numbers.

Why it Matters

Without the help of commercial publishing houses or educational institutions, indie magazines often find it hard to get the attention of those not already in the know. An anthology of our best work will not only allow us to broaden the audiences for our respective publications, but also help writers to connect with more readers. This volume will be the first of an ongoing (and hopefully self-supporting) series of books that bring attention to indie lit in the region and beyond.

By donating to BILiNE, you're not just helping one publication; you're supporting independent literature and communities of writers throughout the region. Thanks for making this book possible.