Is the “New” Brooklyn Economy For Real?
Halimah Marcus
Electric Literature
I’m not sure what’s new or exclusive to Brooklyn about creative self-employment. I moved to Brooklyn two years ago from West Philadelphia, where there is something of an economy of a young, creative class. Many people have part-time jobs to accommodate artistic pursuits. But the difference between Philadelphia and Brooklyn is that the cost of living in Philadelphia is much cheaper. (I know people who have studios in their palatial bedrooms and pay under $300 a month.) Brooklyn is another beast entirely. If your artistic pursuit hasn’t turned into a full-time job—or, even if it has—you probably have another full-time job on top of that.
At Electric Literature, we’ve been able to sustain our business and, depending on which way the winds are blowing, pay a couple employees. Within this “new” Brooklyn economy there’s another economy—let’s call it “the reading economy”—that Electric Literature is very deliberately working to grow and support. Independent and DIY publishers are never going to sustain our borough’s economy—no one starts a magazine or an indie press expecting to have health insurance—but they do fulfill a need for a certain creative product. Their value is in the diversity and passion that they bring to the marketplace.
Electric Literature has always been committed to paying writers. Our new publication, Recommended Reading, expands our mission to support and grow the readership of independent publishers by partnering with indie journals and presses. Still, the writers we publish have other jobs. Many of the editors we work with do, too. But ultimately, building a supportive network of independent publishers will be more sustainable than if we go it alone, and one of the best places to build such a network is Brooklyn. •