The Believer Magazine: C or D

I think I was excited about that article, because I once wrote something in college about Ghost World (before it was a movie!) and MTV's Daria, and then disappointed because Hampton's piece didn't go in the direction I wanted.

This is my problem with the entire enterprise in a nutshell.

Actually, it's not, but it's a good starting place. Not wanting to be categorically dismissive of well-funded, well-meaning literary ventures by folks with book contracts and editorial jobs at the VLS, I've read a couple issues (though I'm not forking over the $65 for a subscription). And in the wake of the incessant hoo-haa over the 'snark' essay I find it sort of unbelievable that THERE ARE NO BOOK REVIEWS!!!!!! Rather, still predominantly a vehicle for profiles of pointless celebrities (Liz Phair?) and cutesy quirkiness (the star-nosed mole???). And if I wanted that I'd read Spin or McSweeney's, thanks.

I also choke on the cover price. Sure the magazine is pretty to look at, but who exactly is their target audience? Who can afford a $65/year magazine subscription? If they'd take some damn ads, print the thing on lighter paper (so it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to mail), and run some &$^% book reviews, I might start paying attention.

My objections to the cover price are both practical and ideological. Sure, I'm not that likely to pay $8 for a magazine on impulse, or pony up the subscription $$, but I'm almost more offended by the elitism implicit in creating such a precious package (insert pet graphic design peeve here as well). It'd seem to run counter to the magazine's stated "alternative" mission. So I'm forced to conclude that (as Brian said, *again* with this clique) that the Believer is an alternative to the NYRB only in that it's target audience is young, moneyed, educated white people instead of their grandparents.

most of my gripes w/the mag/enterprise have been addressed above, but I've grown to like it more and more w/each passing issue--seems like they've gotten over a lot of the stupider "you've gotta say NICE THINGS about writers, maaaaan" stuff. or maybe I've just stopped noticing it so much and concentrate more on the stuff I liked. also, the ?uestlove Q&A (http://www.believermag.com/issues/august_2003/ahmir_thompson.htm) is one of the most flat-out entertaining interviews I've read in ages.

What? Oh no.

McSweeney's needs money

i'd make a donation if sarah vowell pledged NOT to write anything for it

The Believer magazine, classic or dead? (Dead)

BREAKING: UNLV and @BlackMtnInst announced @believermag will publish its final issue, No. 139, in February/March 2022. "The Believer consumed a significant portion of BMI's resources... there was no path forward to continue publishing the magazine."
Full release below. pic.twitter.com/5HyjTngFT5

— Off the Record (@offtherecordnyc) October 19, 2021

What a bummer.

This sucks.

Budget context:

the poetry editor was Pulitzer Prize winner Jericho Brown. & UNLV can't figure it out. i just want to point out that the UNLV football coach makes $625,000 a year &the Wolf Pack has $2.225 million tied into football coaching staff for the 2020 season. higher ed makes me so mad https://t.co/CvGthrt7dq

— Patrycja (@jej_sen) October 19, 2021

The other shoe (is a dildo, apparently):

Hi, this is the new owner of The Believer. We purchased the website to keep the archives up.
Our goal is to bring back the magazine, but since it was losing tens of thousands a month we need to get it making money using SEO then use that to bring back all the original writers.

— The Sex Toy Collective (@ST_Collective_) May 9, 2022

a true literary clusterfuck

A little more context: McSweeney's was supposedly interested in buying it back, but UNLV sold it to the Sex Toy Collective instead.

Alright. Here’s what happened. I left The Believer in July, and a few months later its parent institution, the Black Mountain Institute based at UNLV, announced it was shuttering the magazine. It went up for sale. https://t.co/wB5TDrOrgD

— Kristen Radtke (@KristenRadtke) May 10, 2022

I wonder how many writers are going to come back to The Believer (NSFW)

Introducing The Believer's audience (and a sizable percentage of its writers, probably) to the concept of sex can only be a good thing.