Clarkesworld Magazine and Wyrm Publishing

June Cover Art

Wed, 07 May 2008 19:54:29 GMT

It should be fairly obvious by now that I don't make any effort to tie the Clarkesworld Magazine cover art to a particular story. I like being free from restrictions when it comes to the art I feel like featuring that month. Sometimes, however, it seems like fate intervenes and insists that I pay attention to both.

One of our June stories will be "Clockwork Chickadee" by Mary Robinette Kowal. A couple of days after we bought this story, I was browsing Eli Effenberger's gallery and found something that screamed "buy me!" As a result, June will be a month of Clockwork Chickadees and Wind-up Ducks.

Shirley Jackson Award Nominees

Thu, 01 May 2008 23:14:34 GMT

The nominees for the Shirley Jackson Awards have been announced. Clarkesworld is well-represented in the short story category by Jeff VanderMeer and Carrie Laben. Congratulations to them and all the other nominees!

SHORT STORY

"Holiday," M. Rickert (Subterranean #7, 2007)
"The Monsters of Heaven," Nathan Ballingrud (Inferno,Tor)
"A Murder of Crows," Elizabeth Ziemska (Tin House 31, Spring 2007)
"Something in the Mermaid Way," Carrie Laben (Clarkesworld, March 2007)
"The Third Bear," Jeff VanderMeer (Clarkesworld, April 2007)
"Unique Chicken Goes in Reverse," Andy Duncan (Eclipse One, Night Shade Books)

See the other categories HERE.

In the 20th Issue of Clarkesworld Magazine...

Thu, 01 May 2008 15:41:30 GMT

	What can you read in the May issue of Clarkesworld Magazine?
	A Buyer's Guide to Maps of Antarctica by Catherynne M. Valente (fiction) Birdwatcher by Garth Upshaw (fiction) Of Dice and Men: Modern Fantasists and the Influence of Role Playing Games by Justin Howe and Jason S. Ridler (commentary) An Interview with John Picacio by Jeff Vandermeer "why i'm here" by Cuson (cover art)

2007 Million Writers Notable Stories

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 14:15:58 GMT

The Million Writers Notable Stories list for 2007 has just been posted. The following stories from Clarkesworld Magazine were selected:

“The Beacon” by Darja Malcolm-Clarke
"I'll Gnaw Your Bones, the Manticore Said" by Cat Rambo
"Summer in Paris, Light from the Sky" by Ken Scholes
"The Third Bear" by Jeff VanderMeer

The top ten online stories will be selected and posted by the end of the month. Congratulations to all the authors involved and best of luck!

A special congratulations to our friends at Farrago's Wainscott. They've won the Million Writers Award for best new online magazine or journal. "With an amazing sense of both design savy and what makes for a compelling story, Darin Bradley and the FW editors are showing the gerat heights which can be reached in online publishing. The runner ups for best new magazine were Wheelhouse Magazine and Coyote Wild."

Cover Art for Tides from the New Worlds by Tobias Buckell

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:52:52 GMT

I just received the finished artwork for Tobias Buckell's short story collection, Tides from the New Worlds. I can't begin to tell you how pleased I am with what Brian Dow has provided us with.

2008 Locus Poll and Survey Closes in 5 Days

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 21:12:08 GMT

The 38th Annual Locus Poll and Survey closes in just five days. Last year Clarkesworld Magazine managed to find a place in the final results and I'm hoping people are happy enough with our 2007 stories that we can do even better this year. Additionally, three of our stories have made the ballot this year:

Clockmaker's Requiem by Barth Anderson
Orm the Beautiful by Elizabeth Bear
The Third Bear by Jeff VanderMeer

and if your personal favorite isn't there, you can always write it in.

You don't have to be a Locus subscriber to participate, so if you haven't already voted, please do it soon.... and if you vote (or have voted) for Clarkesworld in the Best Magazine or Fanzine category or for one of our stories, THANK YOU!

Psst. Here's a great story. Pass it on.

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 03:42:29 GMT

When the topic of saving short fiction comes up, it inevitably turns to money. I don't want to talk about money right now. Rest assured, I'll come back to it, but right now, I want to talk about the second best thing you can do for short story or magazine that you enjoy.

Tell someone about it.

I think David de Beer made some pretty good points in his recent post about promoting and sharing. As he mentions, I installed a tool called ShareThis at Clarkesworld Magazine back in December. It's pretty easy to find. Just look for the little green icon and the words "Share This" at the end of any story, commentary, or interview. When you click on that button, it gives you a nice little menu of places that you can share that page with. It even gives you an option to email the link to a friend. It doesn't get much more convenient than that.

But does it help?

Definitely.

Our usage stats for ShareThis aren't fantastic, but since adding it, I've seen an increase in incoming traffic from sites like StumbleUpon or Digg. The way those sites work, the more people that recommend a page, the better. A single person, even a completely friendless person, could end up sending hundreds of people to a magazine. There's no reason we should think of this as restricted to online magazines either. Many print magazines are placing sample content online. What better way to encourage that behavior?

To wrap this up, I'd like to ask a favor of you. Create a StumbleUpon, Digg or Reddit account today. I seem to have developed a preference for StumbleUpon. Then go recommend one or two stories you've read online and enjoyed. Heck, get a friend to do it too.

Show Me Your Papers!

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 22:31:30 GMT

Sometime inspiration strikes and sometimes its contagious. Not long after telling a friend about a crazy idea I had, he sends me this "draft version" of a travel visa for Clarkesworld. It's based on a picture he found of a South Korean travel visa.

Why should the fun end here? I know there are a lot of creative types out there reading this blog. Email me (books at clarkesworld.com) your attempts at official documents used on or by Clarke's World. Travel papers, passports, visa, citizenship papers, money, bill of rights, planetary anthem, holy doctrine, newspapers, or anything else that you feel inspired by. I want to be able to share these, so please don't send anything that I can't use. If you don't want your name associated with your creation, that's fine, I'll keep the secret.

The one that amuses me the most will get a hardcover copy of Realms: The First Year of Clarkesworld Magazine.

Deadline: April 30th.

We trained him well...

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 23:58:50 GMT

And now a glimpse into my life as a dad...

Me (to Aidan, age 8): "No, we want you to be more like a robot."

Me (in robot voice): "Yes daddy, I will do my homework. I will obey. I do whatever you tell me and will not try to have the last word."

Eamonn (age 4, to me, in his own robot voice) "I will destroy you. I will destroy you. I will destroy you. I will destroy you..."

Thirteen Years Ago Today

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:59:15 GMT

Lisa was foolish enough to marry me.

Odd Fact:
We had Peeps for hors d'oeuvres.

Even odder:
She's still with me.

April at Clarkesworld

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 04:26:23 GMT

	What can you read in the April issue of Clarkesworld Magazine?
	After Moreau by Jeffrey Ford (fiction) Flight by Jeremiah Sturgill (fiction) Not Now, Sweetie, Daddy’s Worldbuilding by Tim Pratt (commentary) Refusing to Be the Same: An Interview with K.J. Bishop by Jeff Vandermeer "Floating Fish" by Matts Minnhagen (cover art)

Hairworld?!

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:52:56 GMT

FantasyBookSpot is running its annual best book tournament, pitting book against book in a deathmarch to first place. They are down to the final 8 and one of the match-ups is "Under My Roof" by Nick Mamatas vs "Shadowstorm" by Paul S. Kemp. Nick, not wanting to be beaten by a Forgotten Realms tie-in and Hasbro product, threw down a call for supporters. Paul defends his honor and rallies his troops. Nick threatens to eat a baby if he wins. And then...

Paul went and dragged my poor magazine into it in this post.

Dick Clark's Hairworld?!!

Ok folks. I was voting for Nick anyway ("Under My Roof" is a very fun book), but now... Kemp must go down!! :)

Register now and vote Mamatas. Show no mercy.

Edit: Here's another example to put on the long list of how easily humor can be misread on the internet. It appears that some people took Nick's comments about shared-worlds too seriously. Nick has asked that his book be withdrawn from the competition.

The Million Writers Award

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:52:20 GMT

Last year, Clarkesworld Magazine had the honor of publishing the storySouth Million Writers Award winning story for 2006, Catherynne M. Valente's "Urchins, While Swimming". This award recognizes the best online fiction published in a given year and they are now open to reader nominations for the best online story of 2007.

I think we published some amazing stories in 2007, but this is more about what you think. If you read a great online story that was published last year, then this is your opportunity to show your appreciation. The nominations close a week from today, so go to this page now and follow the directions. It's quick and simple.

the end of the tree...

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:44:41 GMT

The tree that fell earlier this month is finally cut up and out of the way.

The fireplace will be well-stocked for the next few years:

There are two more rows of wood behind that.

Here's another attempt at giving you an idea of just how big this tree was:

Those aren't kids feet. They belong to my wife. At some point I'm going to have to sit out there and count the rings.

Crazies

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:19:21 GMT

I need to get something off my chest. For the last week, my wife has been dealing with some particularly determined people. It all started when Lisa posted some samples of things she had been trying to do in polymer clay. She had been to a demo a few weeks earlier and tried out some of the techniques. They didn't work out to her liking, but it encouraged her to work on something else, expanding on work she had done for some time prior. There are many who can attest to her prior work. Myself included.

A while later, some friends of the artist who performed the demo suggested that she remove those images out of respect for the artist's right to control the distribution of his technique. Not feeling any real ties to the dissatisfying work she had posted about that project, she complied. She did not, however, remove the images of the work she did after abandoning his approach. The artist, it seems, has declared that he owns exclusive control over mathematically blending colors in the medium, particular when it comes to a variation on what is considered a standard practice in the field. Lisa has been using her mathematics background in her work for years and she, like many others, had tried variations on the old theme. Given that Lisa's work was sufficiently different than his, she respectfully declined the demand and therefore invoked the wrath of the "Polymer Police." To call them police gives them a level of credibility they can't claim. These are just regular people taking up a self-righteous crusade and one of them has resorted to some ugly behavior in private emails. Relentless is a word that comes to mind.

Now the point of their whole argument is that they want her to remove one photo from her blog because they claim it undermines a 2 day course and will cost the artist paying students. Nevermind that the photo is not of one of his steps. Amusingly, they also keep calling the single image a tutorial. At this point, the only customers they can prove they have lost or will lose are the ones they've completely alienated by their behavior. I've been exchanging details with a few of my friends in the education world who are completely appalled by their stance.

Lisa decided to tackle the bigger issue (can of worms) and blogged how there was a problem within the polymer clay community in regards to teaching and ownership. I had hoped, as I think Lisa did, that her post would spark a discussion on good teaching so this sort of abuse would happen less often. Lisa is far from being the first victim. I guess the point as I see it is that good teaching involves encouraging your students to use and expand upon the knowledge you impart. A good teacher inspires. A good teacher does not set limits on their students. If you have secrets, you don't teach them. If, as this one teacher claims, an entire two-day curriculum can be rendered useless by a single picture, are they really teaching anything? Many people have come forward to say that, even knowing the entire curriculum of a class, they have still paid for classes just to have the experience of being taught by certain artists. It seems to me that good teachers are part of the attraction for taking a course.

Lisa could have easily caved to the demands of these people, but doing so would be an admission that they are right. Not only have other people seen Lisa's prior work, but a few people have also come out of the woodwork to say that the technique in question is not as original as the artist thinks. I am proud that she has stood her ground and I know she's been receiving many emails from people praising her for it. In some ways, it is particularly depressing that several of these people mentioned that the wouldn't post publicly on the issue for fear of further retribution from the Polymer Police.

The negative emails are the definite minority, but I'm fed up with these self-righteous people and had to say something. Thanks for bearing with me.

Day Trip to Lunacon

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 16:44:32 GMT

I hadn't been planning on going to Lunacon, but it's only an hour and fifteen minutes from home and we didn't have plans for Saturday. Despite some confusion on the Cross County Parkway, I eventually arrived at the con around noon and registered for the day. I put out postcards for Clarkesworld, Realms, Shriek, and Memorare and then headed off to the dealer's room where I spent more time talking than browsing. In the ten hours I was there, I only managed to get to three panels:

The Secret Handshake: Part joke, part reality. A look into how authors land their deals. Amusing and informative.
The State of Short Fiction: Typical is short fiction dead or dieing topic but well-managed by having a well-balance set of panelists who represented a print magazine (Realms of Fantasy), online magazine (Abyss and Apex), and someone who had worked on anthologies in the past. I don't usually see these this balanced.
The Whole is Greater than the Sum of its Parts: What makes a good anthology, how they sell and once again, is the short story dieing. Unfortunately there wasn't that big a crowd and only a few questions.

The rest of the time was spent at the bar or at some of the con parties. It's always nice to run into Joshua Palmatier, Patricia Bray, Jennifer Dunne, and Sam Butler. A lot of my bar/party time was spent with them. I also had the pleasure of meeting Wendy Delmater (from Abyss and Apex) and chatted with her for a while about online magazines, life in general, and jokes.

Lunacon may not be my kind of con (I lean more towards the literary, not so much the gaming, filking, and costumes), but I had a great time and wish I could have spent more time there.

Bannermania

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:52:26 GMT

Inspired by the fine banners that Weird Tales recently made available, I spent some time this weekend playing around and came up with these:

You can find these banners (and the html code for using them on your website or blog) on this page. If you use one, please let me know. I'm going to try to keep track of the traffic coming in from our generous friends.

The damage revealed by daylight

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 14:07:12 GMT

This is going to take a while to clean up:

Pictures just can't give you the sense of scale needed here. Near the center and too the left, you can see a portion of this tree that is still standing.

Here it is from the other side looking up hill (so you can't see the mess in the front yard). That splotch of blue by the tree is me.

March Lion has been sighted in Stirling

Sun, 09 Mar 2008 01:19:29 GMT

I've lived in this house for ten years and I've never seen winds like we're having tonight. About an hour ago, one of the largest trees on our property was snapped and blown down into our yard. It's over a yard in diameter and now lay across our driveway and parallel to our house. On it's way down, it chopped 8 inch thick branches off another tree directly in front of the house. Those branches were originally at the height of the second story of our home and about 30 feet from the other tree.

There is wood everywhere. Huge branches impaled our lawn. It missed the car, but the back window and door of the van was smashed by a huge branch broken from the tree. Other than that, it fell perfectly between the house and the power lines. A couple of degrees further and it's likely it would have fallen into the other tree it damaged and pushed it straight into and through our house.

We're counting our blessings tonight.

By order of Congress... move your magazine online

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:28:40 GMT

This is priceless and deserved a post of it's own. Courtesy of India Ocean on the Asimov's forum. Emphasis is mine.

"Dear -----:

Thank you for your comments about the issue on increased postage for periodicals. I appreciate you taking the time to contact me on this important issue.

This issue is particularly important to me because the Los Angeles area is home to many publishing companies that rely on the United States Postal Service for distributing their publications. Recently, the Postal Rates Commission increased the postage for periodicals in order to cover the cost of mail services. Use of the post office has increased over the years, making it inefficient and impractical for mail to be sorted by hand. The new prices will enhance efficiency by relying on machines to get mail out in a timely manner.

Publishers can use to get around the rate increase is to put more of their periodical content online. Many publishers have decided to have their magazines available on the web order to give more people access, and making it cheaper for themselves and readers.

Currently there is no legislation being considered in the House of Representatives on this issue. However, please be rest assured that as your representative in Congress I will be sure to represent your views should this issue come before the House of Representatives for consideration.

Once again, thank you for contacting me. I look forward to hearing from you in the future on this and on other issues of importance to our community, our state, and our nation.

Sincerely,

LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD
Member of Congress"

Online stories are read differently than print?

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:20:04 GMT

There are two conversations going on over at the Asimovs forum that have me cringing. Here they are:
1. Should stories for online markets be tailored differently than stories for print?
2. Should all SF/Fantasy Mags go to E-Submissions?

Here are some quotes:

GSH: "The thought of a print editor reading my story on a screen, however, does bother me. I'm not sure if my concern is valid, or just a projection of my own screen vs. print bias."
Bill Preston: "These are different media. We're fooled, I think, by their both involving typed letters. The differences are profound."
Byron Bailey: "There are stories I couldn't stand reading online. Yet when I read them on paper like in one of the YBSF, I thought they were superb."

Time for a poll. Yes, I know doing an online poll is going to have a bias... but the original conversation is online, so what the heck.

View Poll: Perceptions

"Watch the Skies" doesn't mean the sky is falling.

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:07:31 GMT

On hearing about Tor's forthcoming online fiction and social site, a friend emailed me to get my reaction and find out how I planned to have Clarkesworld survive this new threat. When I was done laughing, I explained to him that I’m looking forward to Tor’s venture. Despite the progress made in recent years, online fiction is still thought of as the black sheep of the family. Even if it should fail, Tor’s big splash should attract more people to this medium and that can only be good for Clarkesworld. How many people do you know that visit only one website or read only one magazine?

If anything, I’m envious. Tor will be launching this site with resources that I could only dream of having. I’ve been hearing about bits and pieces of this since just before World Fantasy Convention and know several people who’ve been approached for stories or other contributions. If they can pull all this together, it will be amazing. Best of luck to them!

March Issue of Clarkesworld Magazine

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 17:10:58 GMT

	What's up this month at Clarkesworld Magazine?
	The Sky that Wraps the World Round, Past the Blue and Into the Black by Jay Lake (fiction) Teeth by Stephen Dedman (fiction) Evolutionary Arms Race: Competing Interests in Male and Female Genomes by Ekaterina Sedia (commentary) An Interview with Kage Baker by Jeff Vandermeer "Nomad" by Pascal Blanché (cover art)

Cover Art for the March Issue of Clarkesworld

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:39:52 GMT

The cover art for our March issue is by Canadian artist, Pascal Blanché. You can see more of his work in his deviantArt gallery.

Public speaking induced brain drain

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:38:04 GMT

The current Adventures in Scifi Publishing podcast introduces a new feature: Magazine Spotlight. For some unknown reason, Shaun decided that he'd start off this feature with Clarkesworld Magazine and interviewed me for the piece. I've never done a recorded or live interview before and found the experience a bit unnerving. It's so much easier to come up with answers after the microphone is turned off and your brain is once again fully functional. Fortunately, Shaun was able to edit out some of my tongue-tied brainless moments and make it a lot better.

This whole experience has reminded me of how things were about 15 years ago. I was working for a university at the time and had to give regular presentations about our laptop program during admissions events and conferences. Public speaking scared the hell out of me, but after a while, I learned some coping mechanisms and eventually became comfortable with it. Unfortunately, I'm realizing now that these were visual in nature and don't cross-over.

I don't know that I'll ever do something like this again, but it seems to me that I should be better prepared in the event that I do. Anyone have any advice to offer?