Science fiction story magazines

[Bornin1980something]

I'm wondering if many of you read science fiction story magazines i.e. not glossy media sci-fi periodicals, or comics, but the story magazines which helped create science fiction as we know it, highlighted in DS9's "Far Beyond The Stars'.
Such magazines now seem to be practically non-existent in my country (the UK), but I have recently been able to acquire copies of Analog and Asimov's via phone apps. Yes, my latest copies of Analog are digital!

 

[Christopher]

Yes, my latest copies of Analog are digital!

Astounding!

Always nice to see some acknowledgment of the print magazines, particularly Analog, which gave me my start as a professional writer and has continued to be my "home" magazine intermittently over the past quarter-century, most recently with the issue whose cover is my current avatar (the first time I got a cover painting for my story, and a swell one too!).

 

[Starkers]

I'm wondering if many of you read science fiction story magazines i.e. not glossy media sci-fi periodicals, or comics, but the story magazines which helped create science fiction as we know it, highlighted in DS9's "Far Beyond The Stars'.
Such magazines now seem to be practically non-existent in my country (the UK), but I have recently been able to acquire copies of Analog and Asimov's via phone apps. Yes, my latest copies of Analog are digital!

When I had a story published by Analog a few years ago I had a heck of a time sourcing a physical copy in the UK!

Sadly there used to be Interzone in the UK and it's horror and crime offshoots but they closed down. Interzone does still exist in a different, and wholly online format.

 

[Bornin1980something]

I have managed to source a physical copy of the latest Analog magazine from an online source, but for a rather extortionate price. I can't find any new ones for less than £10. I just hope it's not a violation of the terms to occasionally show others the content of the digital magazines on my computer screen.

A question for those of you who have written for Analog; when the controversial John W Campbell was editor, he effectively acted as 'showrunner' for the magazine, directly intervening in the content of the stories themselves. Sometimes, even the basic central idea was from him. In the experience of modern writers, does the current editor have a direct say on the content of the stories, or do they now owe more to the credited writer?

Also, I had intended to put this thread in the Science Fiction And Fantasy sub- forum. Can the moderators please move this thread there? I wish I could move it myself.

 

[Christopher]

A question for those of you who have written for Analog; when the controversial John W Campbell was editor, he effectively acted as 'showrunner' for the magazine, directly intervening in the content of the stories themselves. Sometimes, even the basic central idea was from him. In the experience of modern writers, does the current editor have a direct say on the content of the stories, or do they now owe more to the credited writer?

I've never been "showrun" by either Stanley Schmidt or Trevor Quachri. Stan mentored me through his rejection letters the way Campbell mentored him, giving me guidance on what the stories lacked and what they needed, so that I learned to raise my game until I was good enough to sell my first story. For my second, he rejected the first draft, but suggested he'd be willing to take another look if I addressed the problems, and it let me improve the story greatly. That's usually what an editor's job is -- not to tell you what to write about, but to guide you toward telling it better.

Even in my licensed and work-for-hire writing, the most I've ever gotten as an editorial instruction is the suggestion to write about a certain character or subject matter or event, while it was left to me to figure out the specifics of what happened in the story. After all, coming up with ideas is what they hire us to do for them.

 

[Bornin1980something]

I've never been "showrun" by either Stanley Schmidt or Trevor Quachri. Stan mentored me through his rejection letters the way Campbell mentored him, giving me guidance on what the stories lacked and what they needed, so that I learned to raise my game until I was good enough to sell my first story. For my second, he rejected the first draft, but suggested he'd be willing to take another look if I addressed the problems, and it let me improve the story greatly. That's usually what an editor's job is -- not to tell you what to write about, but to guide you toward telling it better.

Even in my licensed and work-for-hire writing, the most I've ever gotten as an editorial instruction is the suggestion to write about a certain character or subject matter or event, while it was left to me to figure out the specifics of what happened in the story. After all, coming up with ideas is what they hire us to do for them.

Christopher, what you said about editorial input reminded me of your story Brief Candle, in Distant Shores (Voyager). You stated in your online notes that, in that story about a character with a short time to live, you had planned to do a flashback to Kes (it was a Seven Era story). The editor had insisted on not doing a fully fledged flashback. Instead Neelix would remember something relevant that Kes once said to him. I can tell you, as a Kes fan, that I think the editor was right, and what was in the published story works beautifully.

I certainly wish the editors I have worked with on non-fiction articles (only once for pay, so far) could give that kind of feedback. In my experience, there are no rejection slips. Instead, you just never get a reply. And the ones that have been published have some clear edits which I was never notified of beforehand. This has included at least one sentence that I would never write.

Again, how do I contact the moderators? I would like this thread moved to Science Fiction and Fantasy.

 

[Christopher]

Again, how do I contact the moderators? I would like this thread moved to Science Fiction and Fantasy.

According to the forum page, the moderator is cultcross, so you could try sending them a private message, I guess.

 

[Bornin1980something]

According to the forum page, the moderator is cultcross, so you could try sending them a private message, I guess.

I have sent him a message. By the way, do you have the latest Analog. Because they highlighted the inaugural winner of an award for emerging black voices, complete with a photograph!

 

[Bornin1980something]

And I'm in the right forum now.
Analog and Asimov's have just realised their first editions for 2024.
https://www.analogsf.com/current-issue/table-of-contents/
https://www.asimovs.com/current-issue/table-of-contents/