The roots of Transmission

There’s nothing like being young, enthusiastic and (possibly) revolutionary to make you want to do something as preposterous as setting up an independent magazine. Back in 2004 we were tired of seeing the same authors continually pushed to the front of the big chain stores while titles of lesser ‘commercial appeal’ were relegated to increasingly smaller and tucked away shelves. We were frustrated at the lack of opportunity for exciting, original up-and-coming fiction writers and the apparent neglect of the short story as a viable publishing art form. We decided that the only way to change any of this was to stop complaining and do something, so after much planning we set up Transmission.

At Transmission our passion is the short story, we think it is an essential part of literature often over-looked in favour of its bigger sibling – how many collections of short stories do we see hurried out by publishers only after its author has achieved success with a novel! We are attempting to redress the balance as we believe a good short story deserves to be recognised and can be as complex and rewarding as any novel.

We decided that Transmission should be a celebration of the short story, a fresh and exciting publication and most importantly, something people would want to read. We also wanted to celebrate literature in general calling on our friends and colleagues to tell us who they wanted to read about in interviews and reviews, to inject genuine passion as well as our own into the magazine. We provide food for those in the same mindset as us, brand-new original short fiction and interviews with established authors we really care about.

We started with our sights set high and our first interview was with Nobel Prize-winner Doris Lessing in 2005. Since then we have met some of our heroes, including Dave Eggers (the inspirational demi-god of independent literature), Douglas Coupland (modern satarist extraordinaire) and Michael Chabon (a bona-fide Superman of a writer). We have also reveled in the company of such greats as John Banville, Sarah Waters, Chuck Palahniuk, Toby Litt, AL Kennedy and Haruki Murakami.

In addition to interviews we wanted another layer to the magazine, an article that would give some practical pointers to our faithful readers. We convinced some of the most exciting writers and publishers to pen their thoughts for our ‘Writer’s Block’ section, describing the trials and tribulations of fiction writing, offering guidance and advice. Novelists Paul Magrs and Ray Robinson shared their personal tips, and we have heard from publishers Michael Schmidt FRSL and Ra Page (Comma Press), and even BBC scribe Paul Barnhill.

It is essential for Transmission to be actively involved in the wider literary community, and to date we have taken part in countless festivals, sponsoring events in Cheltenham, Manchester and Keswick. We have also taken part in workshops, debates and lectures, all in promotion of our beloved independent literature and the short story.

From our humble beginnings and passionate ideals, Transmission has grown to become a well-respected literary publication. We continue to concentrate on providing a quality service for writers and readers alike, combining all of our knowledge and passion to create a literary magazine that will connect with a wider audience and spark interesting and varied debate.