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SF Must Write Its Own Future
Is Short Science Fiction Moving To Original Anthologies?

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Greasy Breakfast
01/19/09

In reply to SF Must Write Its Own Future
Interesting format! If you teamed up with an illustrator, you could add that much more depth to your content.

I must say, however, your story needs an editor.
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braak: You are, as usual, completely correct.
01/19/09

@mlehan: I tried that once, here. It...could have worked out better.
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jamesryan
01/18/09

In reply to SF Must Write Its Own Future
That's exactly what I'm doing! I use a webcomic model for my novel, and have regular subscribers twice a week getting up to date through an RSS feed. And so far it's working well, keeping an audience that keeps coming back for more. Randy Henderson's assumptions have been tested in the field, and found to work.

[raginggail.wordpress.com]
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braak: You are, as usual, completely correct.
01/19/09

@James Ryan: It's interesting. The monthly format was only a restriction based on publishing issues in the first place--I'm not sure why so many magazines are trying to preserve it.
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braak: You are, as usual, completely correct.
01/18/09

In reply to SF Must Write Its Own Future
That's probably why the best way to do it is to use a model akin to what webcomics do. A kind of a blog that can be supported via merchandise (collected works) and advertising content (haha! Well, in the far future), that presents short stories continually, rather than in monthly batches. That way, people can just tag the site with their RSS feeders.
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Purple Dave
01/07/09

In reply to Is Short Science Fiction Moving To Original Anthologies?
About a year ago, I picked up around a dozen different short story anthologies that were published by the same company. I can't say I'd ever reread all of them, or even most of them, but they did kill a lot of time for me, and between a book and an iPod, I was able to blissfully pretend that my coworkers had better taste in TV during lunch breaks. I also managed to score a short story by one of my favorite authors, completely by accident.
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Ed Grabianowski
01/06/09

In reply to Is Short Science Fiction Moving To Original Anthologies?
I think an io9 interview with Gardner Dozois would be pretty excellent.
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rroonnbb
01/06/09

In reply to Is Short Science Fiction Moving To Original Anthologies?
So how is a new author going to 'break in' when all of these anthologies are presumably filled with stories that were contracted for them? Will there no longer be a place to submit something unless you've got an agent who has connections?
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Pope John Peeps II
01/06/09

@rroonnbb: Anthologies like this have been around forever in the general fiction world. "Magazines" like Granta, Grain, etc... have for a long time been run by blank submission. Most collections like this aren't contracted at all.

In fact, if you go to their website, and clink on the "contact us" link, you'll find something called "writer's guidelines" in which they tell you exactly how to submit things to them.

It took me approximately 8 seconds, which is probably slightly longer than it took you to type that comment.
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rroonnbb
01/06/09

@Pope John Peeps II:

@Pope, when you say 'go to their website', what exactly are you talking about? Which one of these anthologies? Eclipse? FastForward? Galactic Empires? Solaris? I see no 'writers guidelines' on any of those. Solaris even explicitly states that it doesn't accept anything that's not from a literary agent. I guess your definition of '8 seconds' is a bit different than mine...
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Pope John Peeps II
01/07/09

@rroonnbb: Well, if you click on the ONE MAGAZINE the article directly links to, that would be a good start.

If you're really a young author trying to "break in", then the only thing I can tell you from my author friends is that if you can't find a place to submit, you really aren't looking hard enough.

If you begin your search with the best of the best, or with book-form anthologies produced by big publishing houses, you will probably always be shit out of luck unless you're the next Samuel Delaney and you're fabulous.
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bililoquy
01/07/09

@rroonnbb:

Anthologies tend to be open or invitation only. Anyone can submit to Eclipse, for example -- you just have to keep an eye out for the reading period. There are several SF writer's market sites that let you know who's open and for how long.
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rroonnbb
01/07/09

@bililoquy: @Pope John Peeps II: Umm, did you READ the original article? The WHOLE POINT of it is that magazines are being supplanted by original anthologies. The WHOLE POINT of my original post is that original anthologies tend to be much less amenable to breaking new authors. Obviously Analog/IASFM/F&SF/Interzone accept unsolicited manuscripts but that's not what anybody (other than you) is discussing here.

And I'm not looking to break in, I'm just a reader who's wondering if the changing dynamics are going to ultimately be detrimental to diversity.
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Pope John Peeps II
01/07/09

@rroonnbb: You aren't reading what people are writing to you. It's frustrating and you're making yourself seem dense.

Look at it this way: there are 2 kinds of anthology. There's the anthology released as novel, which is probably by commission, and if it's submission only it's best of the best. This is released by a major house for profit and is designed to sell. This is a BOOK.

Then, there's the magazine anthology. This is the kind of thing that comes out bi-monthly, or quarterly, and is submitted to by blind submission, and is open to everyone. Let's call this a magazine anthology.

What Charlie is describing in the shift in F&SF is the creation of a new magazine anthology. Less stories, more fiction, higher quality, less issues.

So quit whining. And next time, read what I write before you argue the same point over and over, wouldja?
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Grey_Area
01/06/09

In reply to Is Short Science Fiction Moving To Original Anthologies?
Astonished that "Turing's Apples" is the only piece from Eclipse 2 to make Dozois' list. I mean it was good but there are much stronger stories from that anthology, do check it out. What can I say, I'm a big booster of Night Shade Books.

And now for some short story SF publishing rumors (okay, not quite as juicy as "who's the last cylon"): Night Shade Books will be taking over the very cool 'zine Electric Velocipede.

[www.electricvelocipede.com]

Same editor, same good quality. Hopefully, Jeremy Lassen and the gang will be able to champion this excellent breeding pool of new short SpecFic talent. No I don't work for NSB, just a big fan who would like to see books in print as opposed to on a screen device controlled by some Corporation.
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rakdaddy
01/06/09

@Grey_Area: How is that a rumor when Night Shade announced it on their blog a month ago?

[www.nightshadebooks.com]
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Grey_Area
01/06/09

@rakdaddy: Okay, "rumour" would be the wrong word.

Dumb of me, sorry. Just trying to drum up interest for some good writing.
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John Joseph Adams
01/06/09

@Grey_Area: There are actually three stories from Eclipse 2 in the book: besides the Baxter, the Daryl Gregory and Karl Schroeder. And there's only 15 stories in the book, so that's a pretty high percentage.
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Grey_Area
01/06/09

@John Joseph Adams: Oh crap, I actually have to read these posts all the way through before I start shooting my mouth off?! Ugh. Fine.

Daryl Gregory's story is so worth reading for any comic book fan, it's all like: what if you grew up in Latveria with Dr. Doom. Really, check it out, sooo cool. Just sorry the Ted Chiang piece didn't make it, or Beagle's "The Rabbi's Hobby". Oh heck, please check out a copy of Eclipse 2, the whole thing is really darn good.

That's right I said DARN.
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Charlie Jane Anders
01/06/09

@rakdaddy: Oh yeah... I remember I had the announcement bookmarked, and meant to blog about it, but it got lost in the shuffle.
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JennaW
01/06/09

In reply to Is Short Science Fiction Moving To Original Anthologies?
If F&SF and Asimovs would realize it's no longer 1950 and update their magazines' look and feel, maybe more people would be tempted to pick them up.

Books are shiny and pretty and fun, and hell yes people judge things by their covers.
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Moff
01/06/09

@JennaW: Good redesigns run into the five digits (or four, at best), and better paper would be a substantial addition to their overhead, too (and it's one of the only major costs they incur in the first place; there's not a lot of room to cut corners elsewhere). And since one of the magazines' editors told me they're pretty much a break-even labor of love as it is, you're probably right, but it's a moot point at best.
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