By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
FEB. 4, 2022 | A new literary magazine for the South is finding great acceptance these days, putting out its first two in-print issues, after publishing its stories on the Internet since its founding in 2013. It’s called The Bitter Southerner, published out of Athens, Ga.
In effect, it’s practicing something others said won’t work: storytelling in long-form journalism. Instead of stories of a pithy 500 words, these stories can run from 2,500 to 5,000 words.
Its publisher, Eric NeSmith, had heard others say that readers would not spend 20 minutes looking at a story on their computer. “We thought they would. That is where the visual aspect becomes important, so we provide excellent photography to break up the content. The goal is to pull people through the story with good photography to break up the text.”
The company has also found a new way to fund itself and has been profitable for four years. Though it has 8,000 member-subscribers, the bulk of its revenue comes from selling at its online retail store. It sells T-shirts, tea towels, tote bags and prints, all with slogans of the South on them. They all are high quality products, and made in the South and printed in the South.
Nesmith
In effect, the apparel sales is funding a distinctive form of new journalism. No one has done this before.
Its slogans on apparel show a wide range: “Bless Your Heart.” “All Y’all.” “Mayo & Tomato.” “Collards and Cornbread.” “Make More Biscuits.”
The site is also producing its stories in podcasts and videos. The second magazine, a handsome 11 x13.5 inch issue printed on high quality paper, had 162 pages, but only seven advertisements. NeSmith sees more print advertising as the avenue for more growth. “We will offer a package of ways to go for advertisers.”
The company consists of only seven employees, of which three are owners. (A fourth owner is primarily an investor.) NeSmith, a former newspaper publisher, says: “If you had told me 10 years ago that we would be working in something like this, I would have said you were crazy. It’s been something of a laboratory piece getting it going. But it’s worked for us, and we have so much fun with the storytelling component. We have good content, with appealing quality, and work with some of the best writers and photographers in the South.”
The site has approximately 100,000 readers a month. It also has 120,000 Instagram followers, and another 160,000 on Facebook. “All this pushes people into our retail store.”
The firm sends out two emails a week to its readers, with its long-form stories. The most recent issue featured, “The Last Oyster Tongers of Apalachicola.” Other recent story titles: “Michael Stipe Is Present,” “Common High Ground, how Charleston’s artists are responding to climate change,” and “Keep It Funky: Salt-Rising Bread Makes a Comeback.” Each of their stories is illustrated with gorgeous photography.
Other magazines, such as Garden& Gun or The Oxford American, are more traditional magazines, but also very commercial, rather than focusing as literary magazines.
What The Bitter Southerner has created is something unique for the South: “There are none like us,” NeSmith maintains. It’s presented in a unique setting on the internet, while also being a slick publication for people who want something in their hands for journalism. Each of its print magazines sells for $23, making it a “keeper.” Go to its website, www.bittersoutherner.com, to enjoy this new journalistic form of the South.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Follow Us