tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27332849.post3402222910973544173..comments2024-02-16T23:06:19.623-05:00Comments on Jay Garmon [dot] Net: Building the perfect Web 2.0 sci-fi short fiction magazineJay Garmonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07802050057083558237noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27332849.post-72336043889233415692008-11-21T19:38:00.000-05:002008-11-21T19:38:00.000-05:00I'm in favor of anything that gets writers paid. ...I'm in favor of anything that gets writers paid. Having written for both <I>Analog</I> and <I>Asimov's SF</I>(first story in 1978), and served as assistant editor for Baen's <I>New Destinies</I> in the early 1980s, I can tell you why we write for low-paying magazines.<BR/><BR/>But not just any low-paying magazine. Getting published in <I>Analog</I>, <I>Asimov's</I>, <I>F&SF</I>, the late <I>Galaxy</I> and other "pro" SF/F magazines yielded all sorts of benefits. Free drinks and free dinners at cons, getting laid at cons, watching people who ignored you before at cons sidling up to get in on the conversation--and all sorts of other egoboo.<BR/><BR/>You'll never get those fringes with literary mags that pay 5 or 10 cents per word. But writers got egoboo when the rate was a half-cent a word, and still get it.<BR/><BR/>If you're an editor--look out! It's a whole new level.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, anyone who gets published after payment using your idea could garner similar egoboo.<BR/><BR/>In addition to the egoboo and small cash, where else are you going to get those weird (though professional) stories published? And then there's the fact that published short fiction gets you noticed and can help sell novels.<BR/><BR/>Oh, yeah: Sometimes you get money for years after a story is published. My second short story was reprinted four times, earning twice as much in reprint as the original sale. And all I had ot do was sign the checks.<BR/><BR/>Not incidentally, the first SF novel published online for free was Orson Scott Card's <I>Ender's Game</I>, available on DELPHI 'way back in 1983! Before it was published in the real world.<BR/>--Mike On the Way to the Web<BR/>http://blogspot.mikebanks.comMichael A. Bankshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17211701417263515896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27332849.post-4269351844389674462008-11-19T17:08:00.000-05:002008-11-19T17:08:00.000-05:00What happens if they only get part of the way ther...What happens if they only get part of the way there? Will the money be returned? And will the transactions costs of doing that eat into the money elsewhere?<BR/><BR/>I think it's a really neat idea, don't get me wrong, and deserves a trial - but I'm not sure it will work.<BR/><BR/>And the people who will benefit, I suspect, are the people with a loyal teenage fan base - Stephanie Meyers could turn out auto-fanfic exploring the edges of her own work every week, I suspect, and do quite well.<BR/><BR/>Those people without a strong established fan base - not so much.<BR/><BR/>And, just thinking about it, legal issues may well play a part in killing it. What are you going to do if people offer to start selling actual fanfic?<BR/><BR/>I could see the entire thing descending into wank and disaster within months, just from that alone.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12566841496410681039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27332849.post-31833795585285854252008-11-19T13:37:00.000-05:002008-11-19T13:37:00.000-05:00There is a print-on-demand anthology builder out t...There is a print-on-demand anthology builder out there, kind of like you describe.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.anthologybuilder.com/" REL="nofollow">Anthology Builder</A>Househttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17616968552107527016noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27332849.post-40718639331079762512008-11-19T11:41:00.000-05:002008-11-19T11:41:00.000-05:00So if people pay for subscription to a magazine, w...So if people pay for subscription to a magazine, would they pay for an online subscription service for short lit? Maybe have tiered plans, "all you can eat" at the top and "by the word" at the bottom?<BR/><BR/>I do think the amie street model is workable; it fulfills the need for new artists to break into the market (if I see a story for .15 that's been recommended and highly rated by 5 people I trust, I'd definitely do that even if i've never heard of the author), but allow for established authors to set their intro cost ... if you like that author, you'll be willing to pay for it.<BR/><BR/>For maximum revenue off the block you'd be sorely tempted to hook up with Kindle or Sony reader somehow though, which would force DRM crapistas on your back and essentially the kill the vital online aspect of the whole idea. But maybe that's just my cynical side coming out.<BR/><BR/>BTW thanks mikea for refreshing memory on "the plant."TechTalk on WRLR 98.3 FMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10049273538670017751noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27332849.post-55717158628210926082008-11-19T10:56:00.000-05:002008-11-19T10:56:00.000-05:00I dunno. As a earlier post mentioned, Stephen King...I dunno. As a earlier post mentioned, Stephen King did something similar with "The Plant" a few years ago, and it didn't work.<BR/><BR/>I think this could work on a short-term basis for the handful of writers out there with a large enough fanbase to bring in substantial donations. But I don't think an entire website with regularly updated content could be sustained long-term.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14550610334288776841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27332849.post-62149278504339217352008-11-19T09:53:00.000-05:002008-11-19T09:53:00.000-05:00It's an interesting idea, but it misses one of the...It's an interesting idea, but it misses one of the most important roles the traditional print magazine plays: they're where most new writers break into the field (still). Asimov's and Analog have a "first published story" every month or two, and some of them are great. Few readers, if any, are going to pay for a story by someone whose name they don't already know. This model could postpone the demise of the magazines, but it could also speed the demise of the genre in general by limiting the gateways for new blood.<BR/><BR/>Then again, I suppose some wealthy writers-to-be could pay their own commissions, and get their stories out without any editorial intervention whatsoever... But would that be much better?Gabriel Mckeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06788065724877625817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27332849.post-19450338615043150742008-11-19T09:51:00.000-05:002008-11-19T09:51:00.000-05:00Here from Nancy's link.Writing is a creative thing...Here from Nancy's link.<BR/><BR/>Writing is a creative thing and depends to some extent on inspiration. What if the writer found that by the time the money had come in, they couldn't write the story as they'd pitched it?Jo Waltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04336386420525045949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27332849.post-12584857661546335962008-11-19T09:21:00.000-05:002008-11-19T09:21:00.000-05:00As far as Amie Street goes, I like their model, bu...As far as Amie Street goes, I like their model, but I don't know if it solves the issue of the paltry pay rate for short fiction. There has to be a way for real, established SF writers to make good money from short form work. Also, while paying for music is becoming more acceptable to consumers, paying to read stuff is still a big turnoff online. I agree with Scalzi's notion that the only way to make money is to be--for the most part--free to the reader. Amie Street makes music free for the early-adopter zealots and requires pay for the long-tail lurkers. My gut feeling is that is a backwards model for prose fiction. Could be wrong, but that's my hunch.Jay Garmonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07802050057083558237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27332849.post-26528803475979022472008-11-19T09:16:00.000-05:002008-11-19T09:16:00.000-05:00Yes, the magazine itself would get a percentage of...Yes, the magazine itself would get a percentage of the commission, which the authors would agree to up front. Probably 15% but that's just a guess.<BR/><BR/>So far as voting, I think voting with dollars is pretty much the most explicit endorsement. Beyond that, the best of will probably be just a question of number of views. In my experience, actual consumption is a much more valid indicator of popularity than up/down votes, as the latter is only representative of the small slice of the audience that votes.<BR/><BR/>And as far as editorship goes, there would be a very small editorial staff, but their main function would be to encourage writers to list pitches. Their "curator" function would largely be driven by getting good writers involved in the system, because the way this s going to work best is when people with existing audiences get involved. It's possible this kind of magazine could lead to the discovery of new talents, but it would require these unknown writers to scale back their commissions--at least initially--because no one is going to pay 25 cents a word for the unknown. If the editorial staff has a budget for it, they could underwrite a "new talent of the month" kind of thing where they either pay for or discount the commission on a budding newcomer, but that's a second-order concern.Jay Garmonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07802050057083558237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27332849.post-29900589706459206992008-11-19T09:06:00.000-05:002008-11-19T09:06:00.000-05:00I just linked to your post. It looks like a good p...I just <A HREF="http://nancylebov.livejournal.com/299461.html" REL="nofollow">linked</A> to your post. It looks like a good plan except for one gap. How does the editor get paid? A percentage of the writers' fees? Is distributed editing (maybe vote up/down on commissions to get them on to the front page) possible?Nancy Lebovitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07068537632391466902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27332849.post-66495527725180158032008-11-19T09:05:00.000-05:002008-11-19T09:05:00.000-05:00Yes, I would do the same for art. In fact, if the ...Yes, I would do the same for art. In fact, if the kinks could be worked out, I think this is a viable model for comic books as well as prose fiction.Jay Garmonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07802050057083558237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27332849.post-58406087645747900082008-11-19T04:50:00.000-05:002008-11-19T04:50:00.000-05:00You got referenced at SFSignal.There is (or was) a...You got referenced at SFSignal.<BR/><BR/>There is (or was) a web-based/POD-based 'anthology' project that let you assemble your book - choosing illustrations and stories - I can't find the link right now (I believe it was a feminist/women writers oriented thing but could be disremembering), but that portion of your concept has been anticipated. I don't have a clue as to how successful it's been.<BR/><BR/>Commission sales/bidding for stories is an excellent idea (I think). But, you can't have a "magazine" without illustrations. Would you do the same for art?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07114902228195841140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27332849.post-52216542543065533162008-11-18T22:12:00.000-05:002008-11-18T22:12:00.000-05:00Interesting idea ... oddly enough Stephen King did...Interesting idea ... oddly enough Stephen King did kind of a teaser thing like this a while ago (i'm talking maybe 7 years). Little different though, he 'published' chapters of a book in pdf format online as he was writing it, and then asked people to donate to give him incentive to write the next chapters. Can't remember how it worked out, but I know I never read the whole book. Short stories might work better though.<BR/><BR/>Another concept from music that might work well with short lit is an <A HREF="http://www.amiestreet.com" REL="nofollow">Amie Street</A> methodology ... new works are free for unknowns, or very cheap even for well known artists but as they are recommended and purchased by more and more people the cost increases until it reaches the top rate (.98 per song in the case of the music). <BR/><BR/>Perhaps not a true meritocracy but pretty dang close for this imperfect world.TechTalk on WRLR 98.3 FMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10049273538670017751noreply@blogger.com