It was a good lesson to learn and I’ll never forget it: initial response to a work of art means fuck all. It means nothing. Time is what matters. - Douglas Coupland, speaking exclusively to Transmission, September 2006.

Transmission #06 contains a no-holds-barred interview with one of the most controversial figures in contemporary fiction, Douglas Coupland. Speaking ahead of the launch of the theatre version of his novel Life After God, Coupland talks candidly about the critics he says ‘treated me like a total shit’ after the publication of Life After God and his deep suspicion of a publishing industry that, he claims, handled him with ‘astonishing cruelty.’

In a separate interview, Dave Eggers, the US-based author of the best-selling book A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and the driving force behind independent press McSweeney’s, discusses independent publishing, makes a plea for variety in literature and talks exclusively about the inner-city writing schools he’s established across America.

This issue of the magazine also includes a profile of author Paul Magrs (Strange Boy, Never the Bride, Exchange); practical writing tips from Comma Press director, Ra Page; a comparison between the Cheltenham and Manchester literature festivals; plus more new short fiction from both published and up-and-coming writers.