It is very similar to an invitation-only anthology. Sort of a print on demand invite-only anthology, in that no pay is guaranteed. I hadn't noticed the contradiction you pointed out, but it's definitely there.
It's a fairly low-risk endeavor for them, in that the only investments (though they are significant) are time and web hosting costs. And maybe that is the way to leverage more publications into existence: low start-up barriers. But at the same time, what writers need (paying markets) is different than what commercial publishers need, and both of those differ from what daring editors and for-the-love publishers need, and sometimes all these needs intersect, but not often.
no subject
It's a fairly low-risk endeavor for them, in that the only investments (though they are significant) are time and web hosting costs. And maybe that is the way to leverage more publications into existence: low start-up barriers. But at the same time, what writers need (paying markets) is different than what commercial publishers need, and both of those differ from what daring editors and for-the-love publishers need, and sometimes all these needs intersect, but not often.