I’m a little late on the discussion, but I want to chime in on the topic of the slushmaster’s Subscription Drive. In a nutshell, it is a plea to all readers to support their favorite magazines by subscribing.
My thoughts on it are this: if you are a reader and enjoy short fiction, show your support for the form by subscribing to your favorite magazine. Have more than one favorite? Subscribe to as many as you can. A subscription to Fantasy and Science Fiction costs $32.97 a year. That’s only $2.75 a month for seven or so stories worth of entertainment. Many novelists, particularly in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres, get their start writing short fiction. It’s how we (hopefully) make a name for ourselves and hone our writing skills in the process. If you’re unfamiliar with short fiction, stop by Borders or your local magazine rack and pick up a copy. If you like what you see, buy a subscription.
I’m lucky that I’m in a stable financial position. For my part, I’m going to subscribe to one magazine per month. Thirty bucks a month is a small price to pay for the entertainment value, not to mention better knowing the markets I’m submitting to.
Here are the markets on my list, in no particular order. Feel free to suggest more that I should consider.
- Fantasy & Science Fiction
- Asimov’s
- Analog
- Black Gate
- Realms of Fantasy
- Locus Magazine
- Subterranean Magazine
- Interzone
In each case, I’ve read at least one copy, either borrowed or bought. I like them enough to want to subscribe and in most cases plan to submit to them one day (except for Locus, which is more of a trade magazine for writers).
It all comes down to voting with your wallet.