posted
I have noticed a lot of people have not heard the news about OSC's new online magazine due out around august. A lot of people have been posting comments like, "wait, wait; what magazine?!"
So for everyone who has not read it in another thread or been to a signing to hear it from OSC himself. OSC is planning on coming out with an online quarterly (correct me if im wrong) sci-fi magazine. This magazine will have one short story that takes place in the endervers each issue, along with many other unique short stories. The first short story will be the Mazer Rackham in prison story, which talks about the flight he took to survive the passage of time. Other authors will be writting in the magazine along with OSC and eventually there will be an open submittion for it, so you can submit your own work. OSC will also be editing it unless it does really well and goes to monthly, in which case he wont have enough time. I do not remember how much it will cost to view, but it was inexpensive.
Lastly, what are all of your thoughts? You think this is a good idea? Will you purchase a copy to read online?
posted
I doubt ill be in on this one... I think that all the stories are other autors except for the enderverse story. The first two issues are the ones he doesnt need submissions for yet.
Posts: 332 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Right, and bandwidth -- those are probably the two most expensive things, neh?
Jaime, I have no idea if there will be ads. Didn't think to ask! But the reason why they're doing it online is specifically to make it financially viable.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
But im with Jaime . I would totally buy it if it was print... even if it was twice as expensive.
Posts: 332 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I would imagine if you're paying it, "fair use" would entail being allowed to print a single copy for your own reading ease, and they'll probably state as much on the website. Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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posted
In response to the comment that the zine may not be terribly interesting because it is a variety of authors instead of just OSC, I'd like to point out that OSC is choosing which stories appear. That means he likes them. Which makes it at least possible that some of his fans, who like what he writes, will enjoy the stories he chooses to publish.
At least I hope so. I know that he is choosing stories that resonate for him, that he feels are well-written. And since the first two issues are entirely made of stories that he asked for specifically from the authors, it should be a good guide for the quality of writing to expect in the future. And if the same authors appear more than once, we can watch their careers as well, and see them grow as writers, since many of them have been/will be students of OSC.
Personally I hope to appear in the zine multiple times, and I would hope that each of my stories is better than the last, for sure, but even my first one, "Respite," must have something redeeming about it or OSC would not have asked to buy it from me.
So don't be too quick to dismiss the magazine solely on the basis of it not being solely OSC. I can assure you that OSC will be very much in evidence in every aspect and facet of the process.
Posts: 180 | Registered: Jun 2005
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quote:Originally posted by R. Ann Dryden: Personally I hope to appear in the zine multiple times, and I would hope that each of my stories is better than the last, for sure, but even my first one, "Respite," must have something redeeming about it or OSC would not have asked to buy it from me.
Oh, he is very excited about the stories and authors he has lined up for the first two 'zines. I asked him about yours particularly. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
I'm actually more interested in this project than I would be if it were an "All OSC, All the Time" type publication. I've been impressed with the anthologies I've read that he's picked the stories for. Future on Ice introduced me to George R. R. Martin, and for that alone I'm in Card's debt; I look forward to seeing the work of talented authors I'm not yet familiar with.
Speaking of which, Ann, I'm not familiar with your work. Where could I take a look at your stuff?
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
Well, you can find my work in Uncle Orson's Fantasy Book for starters . "Respite" was my first pro sale.
How it happened was as follows: I applied to attend his writing workshop, called Literary Boot Camp, that was held this summer. Part of the application is a one page story sample, which I agonized over sending. I had only been writing seriously as an adult for about six months at the time of the application, which was in March I think. I had not yet submitted any of my work to magazines. So imagine my shock and surprise when Kathleen Bellamy called me one morning to say that OSC loved the first page of my story, and wanted to read the rest that very evening, could I send it over? At the time, I had only written the first page, so I spent a furious five hours typing the rest out and sent it off. The next morning OSC called me in person to say that he was not going to accept my application to boot camp as he did not want to waste my money. He told me I was already writing at a pro level and could he please buy my story for the cover of the first issue of his new magazine?
Having admired and respected OSC's writing talents for many years, that was definitely a good day for me.
Since then he has looked at several more of my stories and liked them, but I haven't sent him any more that are really appropriate for his magazine (though I am working on one right now which I hope will fit in nicely) so I have also been working on other markets. I submitted to Writers of the Future last quarter, and plan to continue to do so until I am no longer eligible. I will also submit stories to F&SF and SCIFICTION and other pro markets in the coming months.
I work every day at learning the craft, and spend several hours in writing, reading, and critiquing the work of others or learning tools of the trade.
So hopefully you will see me for years to come, and definitely in OSC's magazine as often as he lets me appear .
Posts: 180 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Congratulations Ann, that's a great "how I sold my first story" story! I can't wait to read your stuff.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
If i remember correctly, OSC said that his editors would be shifting through the stories set to appear in his magazine (after the first two issues)... So maybe all of them (the stories) wont have OSC's approval
Posts: 332 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
The way slush reading works, which is what he is setting up, is that they weed out stories that are badly written or obviously innappropriate for the magazine. OSC doesn't have time to do that step in the process, and personally I prefer he does his own writing instead of spending twenty four hours a day reading submissions. They will then pass the best stories on to OSC and he will choose which ones appear in the mag, so every story will still have his approval. And I am also sure that he will coach his editors on what types of stories to look for, and that they are people he trusts and knows have similar taste to himself. Bottom line: don't worry about his involvement. He'll still be there.
Posts: 180 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
I would pay $2.50 for the OSC stories alone, the rest is gravy. If nothing else they are something I can print out and read over breakfast...
Posts: 57 | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
I'll do it at least the first two months. I too would prefer a paper copy, even if it costed more.
Posts: 1947 | Registered: Aug 2002
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posted
You've given as good an overview of the magazine as I could imagine.
There'll be no "subscriptions" in the normal sense. Instead, you buy each issue for $2.50, and get a password that you can use forever. We WILL set up a mailing list that notifies you when a new issue comes out.
I'm excited about the writers we have in the early issues; I'm still reading and selecting stories right now. We have the cover art (for R.A.Dryden's story "Respite") but I'm still finding artists for the other stories.
The name of the magazine will NOT, however, be what I had originally planned. Turns out that the publisher of the beautiful art-filled magazine Fantasy Book, which I thought died back in the 80s, still intends to do business using that name. And while I could probably use the name legally - after all, mine would be Orson Scott Card's Fantasy Book, not just The Fantasy Book - I have too much respect for what he did before to do anything to make his relaunch of the magazine more difficult.
So we're toying with different names right now. The most obvious one is simply Taleswapper, though that's also the name of my film company. We've also thought of several names that suggest that it will be both fantasy and science fiction. But, as you can imagine, a lot of the best names have already been grabbed. That's one of the reasons why my name will almost certainly be in the name of the magazine (e.g., Orson Scott Card's TALESWAPPER or Orson Scott Card's COMET TALES), because nobody else is using those titles with my name attached!
Posts: 2005 | Registered: Jul 1999
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posted
As for paper copies: It is possible that we will have later print anthologies, but they'll be published by someone else. A print edition would have to have a cover price of around ten dollars, and the risk of huge financial loss is very high.
Whereas with web-only publication, the costs are lower, every issue remains permanently "in print," and I don't have to fight for newsstand distribution. I can change the schedule whenever I want, and the price can stay down at $2.50, which most people can afford.
10,000 buyers as a breakeven figure is fairly arbitrary. At four issues a year, that would pay for stories (we're paying competitive rates), artwork, columnists, forum tender, and the fulltime salary of the webwright who will put it all together. Even without paper costs, this sort of thing ain't cheap.
And if we don't get enough interest in the first year, we can cancel the project without having to try to break the lease on an office building <grin>.
Posts: 2005 | Registered: Jul 1999
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posted
Will you be putting it together in a web-centric form or in a printable format (PDF or such)?
I'm betting you could arrange with someplace like Kinkoe's to have standard color printing and binding done for anyone willing to pay for it and pick it up. It would also be feasible to make online ordering available so it could be shipped.
If each order is treated as a single transaction, then there's no startup fees or economies of scale/minimum circulation to worry about. It would be quite pricey per issue, but it might be worth it to some people.
I can't wait until the magazine comes out. I'll be subscribing.
posted
Thanks for posting on this thread, Scott. As far as print goes, I wonder how F&SF, Asimov's and et al manage to keep their costs down. Is it simply circulation numbers?
I have to admit that seeing my name on something I can hold in my hand would be immensely gratifying, plus people like my grandparents with no computer would be able to enjoy it better, but on the other hand I love the accessability (sp?) of the Internet. People out of the country can read the mag as easily and inexpensively as Americans, which I really like. And I assume you would let people print a copy once they have paid for it, which would help out folks such as my aforementioned grandparents.
Posts: 180 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
It's nothing personal, but I don't think I'll be buying this magazine. I already subscribe to Fantasy & Science Fiction and am backed up on it by about four years. Besides, I'd rather wait until the OSC stories come out by themselves in a paperback book; reading things like that on screen or printed out on 8.5" x 11" pieces of paper just isn't the same. Since I do subscribe to F&SF and am therefore supporting the short story market, I don't feel guilty about waiting for the book.
Posts: 781 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
Nothing to apologize for in not buying the magazine online. It's not a DUTY. I'm aware of the drawbacks to online publication. (And it will be webcentric. You'll be able to print as you normally do from the web - we can't stop that and won't try.) My expectation is that eventually we'll have such an excellent magazine that even people already subscribing to the other magazines - the print ones! - will want ours, too. But if you choose to wait for the anthology ... that's your call. There are people who refuse to read Seventh Son until the Alvin Maker series is finished. That means ... hmmm ... they've already waited 18 years ...
The print magazines are suffering. I don't want to say "dying," because that's up to the publisher to decide when they are no longer profitable enough to continue. But with figures for F&SF, for instance, under 20,000 copies of paid circulation, I have to wonder how long it can go on. Maybe they have a great deal with the printer - I hope they continue forever. I just know that if Asimov's and F&SF and even Analog have sales as low as they are right now, I don't see much hope for a startup using the newsstand distribution model.
Starting a fiction magazine was a dream Jay Parry and I shared when we worked at the Ensign. We were AT a magazine at the time, so naturally we thought we understood the business <grin>; at the same time, we realized that to start something like that, you need to be able to lose money for YEARS as you build up circulation. And ad money for sf magazines is trivial compared to big slick magazines. Subscriptions and newsstand sales have to pay for everything. INCLUDING the cost of printing the issues that don't sell.
Having something to hold in your hands is nice, yes. But then, having something that stays in print as long as the web lasts, instead of disappearing from newsstands thirty days after publication, is also nice. I think that advantage outweighs the disadvantage.
And there'll be anthologies, if the magazine is successful. Ideally, all the stories would eventually end up in best-of or themed stories-from anthologies. Especially if, as I expect, new writers like a certain R. Ann Dryden become major figures in the sf/fantasy field.
I can promise you this, about the Ender stories. They will NOT be in book form soon. I need them to be available ONLY on the web in order to help drive the sales of the magazine, to the degree that the magazine depends on those Ender stories to be financially viable.
Posts: 2005 | Registered: Jul 1999
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quote:Especially if, as I expect, new writers like a certain R. Ann Dryden become major figures in the sf/fantasy field
Let's hope that other editors share that expectation, shall we?
For what it is worth, I love the idea of calling it Taleswapper. Is there a major problem with name conflicts with your movie company? I would think that it shouldn't be too bad; they are both you after all.
Alternate title ideas from your works:
Heffiji's House (though unfortunately it doesn't sound good with your name in the title as well, too many possessive's but it would honor Wyrms which gets far too little attention, IMO.)
Tales of the Makers (though the drawback here is that although it is a reference to The Monkeys Thought 'Twas All in Fun I can see how people would confuse it with Alvin Maker.)
Hmm. I'll try to think of some other good ones.
Posts: 180 | Registered: Jun 2005
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Oh no, tell me this isn't turning into another naming thread! Stand back, this could suddenly grow to 18 pages or so.... Posts: 1547 | Registered: Jan 2004
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I'm pretty sure he won't be offended. Do you think if he was the type who easily got offended he would even have this forum? I doubt it.
Posts: 180 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Opening a fan forum is an implicit invitation for anyone on the Internet to make suggestions about absolutely anything remotely related to the author.
Thank goodness OSC uses only the smallest bit of it. Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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At some point he will be open to general submissions, yes. But not just yet. He wants to get the first two issues done first, from people he asks to submit. After that he may open it up for people, though.
Posts: 180 | Registered: Jun 2005
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posted
Mr. Card Im glad you thought this thread provided a complete summary.
On a side note I was very happy to meet you at your signing last month in Huntington Beach, it was a fun event.
Posts: 27 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
Comments on a web magazine vs. a printed one:
I won't go much into the focus of the magazine I worked with, but suffice it to say that it was a popular online LDS (Mormon) satire magazine.
Our publication schedule went from weekly to bimonthly to monthly in only a few months. After a couple years, one of the founding editors felt he could use his experience at a printed magazine to bring our publication to paper. After a year in that format, the magazine was effectively dead. We never had eough subscriptions to keep the venture afloat. And in the process of moving from online to print, we lost almost all of our reader base.
I never agreed with the idea to move to print, and can live with the fact that I was right, but it's sad to me that we took a good thing and ruined it. The magazine is back online, at least as a blog on a web site.
These days, I can see from my own experience, that a publication like this will have a better chance for success, as well as market penetration, in an online format.
posted
The cross dressing/resurrected as a Ken doll letter was what ruined the Sugar Beet for me. I guess when you deal in satire, you just never know what someone's weird button is going to be. I guess most people who enjoy satire have to be able to overlook a weirding out here or there. Of course, I think my sense of humor is the acumen of what wit ought to be, and anything funnier is just crass Posts: 2010 | Registered: Apr 2003
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