Changes to the Semiprozine Directory

The following magazines are no longer eligible for the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine:

  • Apex Magazine
  • The Dark
  • Lightspeed Magazine
  • Nebula Rift
  • New Realm

All five are now considered professional by the rules for the category. We’d like to congratulate them on their success and point out that this demonstrates that the revised rules are working as intended.

Please do not nominate these publications, even if you enjoyed them. You’d be tossing away your nomination. Please see the latest edition of the directory for an up-to-date status on eligible nominees. If a market you are interested in is not on the list, please let us know.

2009 Nebula Award Nominees from Semiprozines

The 2009 Nebula Awards ballot is now available and includes the following works originally appearing in semiprozines:

Short Story

  • Non-Zero Probabilities” by N. K. Jemisin (Clarkesworld, November 09)
  • Spar” by Kij Johnson (Clarkesworld, October 2009)

Novelette

Novella

Congratulations to Clarkesworld, Interzone, Nora, Kij, Eugie and Jason!

Greatest Uncommon Denominator (GUD)

Established: 2006gud
Editors: Kaolin Fire (founding editor & editor-in-chief), Sue Miller (founding editor), Sal Coraccio (founding editor), Julia Bernd (editor & copyeditor), Debbie Moorhouse (editor & copyeditor)

Overview:
GUD (pronounced “good”) is a print/pdf magazine with two hundred pages of literary and genre fiction, poetry, art, and articles. Modern in business, method, and execution, but timeless in message, GUD is published twice a year, for your reading pleasure.

GUD is FOR THE WRITER or ARTIST. A simple submission process, and the potential to earn royalties. Our issues never go out of print.

GUD is FOR THE READER. We print the best of the best. Our business model is built for artists and consumers, not for ourselves. And GUD is flexible—buy the whole magazine or a single .pdf of the story, poem, artwork, or article you just have to have.

Awards and Recognition:
2008 Aurealis Award for Best Horror Short Story (Painlessness by Kirstyn McDermott, Issue 2)
Nebula Recommendation (Night Bird Soaring by Traci Morganfield, Issue 3).
BSFA Best Short Fiction Recommendation (ditto).
Three Honorable Mentions in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror 2008 (Twenty-First Annual Collection) (Songs of the Dead by Sarah Singleton and Chris Butler, Issue 0, Unzipped by Steven J. Dines, Issue 1, and Max Velocity by Leslie Claire Walker, Issue 1)
2008 Locus Recommended Reading List (Offworld Friends Are Best by Neal Blaikie, Issue 2)

Other Items of Interest:
We publish reviews of books and magazines on our site.

Website:
www.gudmagazine.com

Information provided by Debbie Moorhouse.

Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet

lcrw23-200gifEstablished: 1996
Editors: Gavin J. Grant and Kelly Link

Overview:
LCRW is a paperzine — although we’ve been selling ebooks (on our site and fictionwise.com) for a couple of years now. We’re also going to go back and release the back issues as ebooks in the near future (i.e. when Fictionwise catches up with its submissions!).

When I started the zine, it was in frustration at not being able to find the kinds of things I wanted to read. This isn’t true any more, but as long as we get great stuff in the mail, we’ll keep publishing.

Small Beer Press publishes 4-6 books a year but it’s fun to keep things simple with LCRW. It basically pays for itself, no small feat for a magazine of any size. We do black and white covers and legal sized paper because it’s affordable and a good page size.

Awards and Recognition:
LCRW was a Hugo nominee a couple of years ago, that was fun. Various stories have been reprinted in various year’s best anthologies.

Other Items of Interest:
I suppose the most interesting part would be that, if you like, you can get a chocolate bar with each issue. (That’s one part of the zine we’d love more submissions for.)

Website:
www.lcrw.net/lcrw

Brain Harvest: an Almanac of Bad Ass Speculative Fiction

Established: 2009brainharvest
Editors: Caren Gussoff, Shane Hoversten, Eden Robins

Overview:
Brain Harvest: An Almanac of Bad-Ass Speculative Fiction is the creation of a brooding Minnesotan neuroscientist, a zombie-obsessed sexpert, and the ex-burlesque dancing Jewish mother you never knew you wanted. We all write and read speculative fiction, and we share a dream: to deliver whiz-bang spec fic you can swallow in a mouthful, but that outlives all of us. Brain Harvest will publish electronically and can be read right here, or dispatched to your iPhone, Blackberry, or whatever other mobile device–and maybe, one day, straight into your brain.

Awards and Recognition:
Mentioned/endorsed by BoingBoing, Tor.com. No awards…yet. We’ve got our eyes on the prize, though.

Other Items of Interest:
We will be holding our first annual contest this summer. Stay tuned for details.

Website:
www.brainharvestmag.com

On Spec

onspecEstablished: 1989
Editor(s): The editorial team has changed over the years. Current for 2009, we have Diane Walton as the Managing Editor, Barb Galler-Smith (Fiction Editor), Susan MacGregor (Fiction Editor), Ann Marston (Fiction Editor), Robin Carson (Copy Editor) and Barry Hammond (Poetry Editor).
Design/layout: Lynette Bondarchuk, Production Editor
Administration Staff: Jen Laface, Publisher’s Assistant

Overview:
Our quarterly journal On Spec adheres to a strong mandate that has served us well over the years. We discover and showcase quality works by predominantly Canadian writers and artists, in the genres we call “Speculative and Fantastic” literature. We foster the growth of emerging writers in this genre, by offering support and direction through constructive criticism, education, mentoring, and manuscript development. We try to publish as many new writers as possible, alongside works by established writers, and we also endeavor to support these writings with innovative cover art for every thought and emotion-provoking issue! We pay $50 to $200 for short stories (maximum 6,000 words) and poetry. As a member of Magazines Canada, we are currently undertaking an endeavor to offer our issues in a digital format to download through Zinio.

Our History:
In 1989, a small group of Edmonton writers formed The Copper Pig Writers Society in order to fill a niche in Canada. At the time, there was no paying market for literary works that the major American SF & Fantasy magazines deemed to be too “alien” for their audiences.

English-speaking Canadian SF writers were frustrated with having to “Americanize” their stories for the paying markets. We knew there was an audience hungry for thoughtful, intelligent (often unconventional) SF and Fantasy with a uniquely Canadian perspective. After selling out our initial print run of a test issue filled with stories sent to us by invitation, we began receiving inquiries as to when the “next one” would appear. That was nearly twenty years ago!

Awards and Recognition:
Nomination – 2008 Aurora Award for Best Work in English (Other), Diane Walton, Managing Editor
Winner – 1997 Aurora Award for Best Work in English (Other), The Copper Pig Writers’ Society
Winner – 1995 Aurora Award for Best Work in English (Other), The Copper Pig Writers’ Society
Winner – 1991 Aurora Award for Best Work in English (Other), The Copper Pig Writers’ Society
Winner – 1990 Aurora Award for Best Work in English (Other), The Copper Pig Writers’ Society

Other Items of Interest:
“The ABCs on how NOT to write speculative fiction” seminars. Our editors have presented at the Canadian Authors Association (CAA) Edmonton Branch and Edmonton Youth Week in 2009.
We also have a MySpace account and “I Read On Spec” Facebook group and a Facebook Fan Page.

Website:
www.onspec.ca

Locus Magazine

locusmagEstablished: 1968
Editors: Charles N. Brown (editor-in-chief), Liza Groen Trombi (executive editor), Kirsten Gong-Wong (managing editor). Also, Carolyn Cushman (senior editor), Tim Pratt (senior editor), Amelia Beamer (editor), Jonathan Strahan (reviews editor), Mark Kelly (electronic editor-in-chief), Francesca Myman (assistant editor).

Overview :
Locus
Magazine, covering the SF field since 1968, is a full-size, monthly glossy-cover magazine which publishes news of science fiction, fantasy, and horror publishing; author interviews; extensive reviews; and listings of new SF books and magazines.

Contents include:

  • News about the science fiction, fantasy, and horror publishing field, with stories about publishers, awards, and conferences in sections called The Data File, People & Publishing (rights sold, books sold, books resold, books delivered, publishing news, promotions, people news and photos about vacations, weddings, and births), and Obituaries
  • Interviews with well-known and up-and-coming writers (and sometimes editors and artists), usually 2 per issue
  • Reviews of new and forthcoming books, usually 20-25 per issue, by notable SF critics including Gary K. Wolfe, Faren Miller, Russell Letson, Paul Witcover, Adrienne Martini, and Carolyn Cushman, plus short fiction reviews by Gardner Dozois and Rich Horton
  • Reports from around the world about the SF scenes in various countries
  • Listings of US and UK books and magazines published (monthly), bestsellers (monthly), and Forthcoming Books (every 3 months)
  • Convention Reports, with lots of photos
  • Annual year-in-review coverage, with extensive recommended reading lists, summaries, and the annual Locus Poll and Survey

Awards and Recognition:
29 Hugo Awards

Other Items of Interest:
Locus Awards; co-sponsors Science Fiction Awards Weekend with SF Hall of Fame in Seattle

Website:
www.locusmag.com

Information provided by Charles N. Brown.

Clarkesworld Magazine

clarkesworldEstablished: 2006
Editors: Neil Clarke (fiction), Sean Wallace (fiction), Cheryl Morgan (non-fiction)

Overview:
Clarkesworld Magazine is a free online magazine that publishes a healthy balance of fiction from both up-and-coming and established authors like Jeff VanderMeer, Elizabeth Bear, Caitlin Kiernan, Jay Lake, Catherynne M. Valente, Ken Scholes, and Mary Robinette Kowal. Each month, we also produce audio fiction which can be found directly on our site or available for free download through iTunes. In his summary of Clarkesworld in The Year’s Best Science Fiction, Gardner Dozois describes our taste in fiction as “stylishy written and usually faintly perverse.”

Our non-fiction is split between interviews with authors and artists like Gene Wolfe, Steven Erikson, Kage Baker, John Picacio and Margo Lanagan, and articles on science, art, or literature. We’re also quite proud to be able to feature the works of new artists as a virtual cover to each issue.

Awards and Recognition:
Nominee: 2009 Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine.
2006 Million Writers Award for Best New Online Magazine.
2006 Million Writers Award for Best Short Story.
Stories reprinted in The Year’s Best Science Fiction, The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Fantasy Best of the Year, Unplugged, Wilde Stories 2008: The Best of the Year’s Gay Speculative Fiction, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror, and Horror Best of the Year.
Stories appearing on the recommended reading/honorable mention lists in The Year’s Best Science Fiction, The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Year’s Best Fantasy and Horror, Unplugged, the Locus Magazine Recommended Reading List, Nebula Awards Short Story Long List, and the Million Writers Notable Stories List.
A complete list with links to winning, recommended, and nominated stories is available here.

Other Items of Interest:
In an attempt to reach a broader audience and fund the free edition, all the original fiction in Clarkesworld is collected annually in a print anthology series called Realms. Volume 1 is currently available and volume 2 is scheduled for release this summer.

Website:
www.clarkesworldmagazine.com

Information provided by Neil Clarke.

Interzone

interzoneEstablished: 1982
Editor: Andy Cox
Co-fiction Editors: Andy Hedgecock, Dave Mathew
Book Reviews Editor: Jim Steel

Overview:
Britain’s longest running science fiction magazine, published bimonthly (in alternate months with Black Static). New stories of science fiction and fantasy, highly illustrated, with lots of regular features including David Langford’s Ansible Link (news), Nick Lowe’s Mutant Popcorn (film reviews), Tony Lee’s Laser Fodder (DVD/BD reviews), book reviews and interviews. Widely considered to be one of the most daring sf magazines and renowned for helping launch the careers of many well-known and becoming well known authors. Comes in second a lot in the Hugo Semiprozine category. 🙂

Awards and Recognition:
British Fantasy Award, Hugo Award, a great many awards and reprints for individual contents.

Other Items of Interest:
Interzone sponsors the annual James White Award for new authors and publishes the winner; biweekly free podcast of stories selected from Interzone (and other TTA Press magazines Black Static and Crimewave); increasing amount of website exclusive content; annual Interzone Readers’ Poll

Website:
ttapress.com/interzone

Information provided by Andy Cox.

New York Review of Science Fiction (NYRSF)

nyrsf1Established: 1988
Editors: Kathryn Cramer, Kris Dikeman, David G. Hartwell, & Kevin J. Maroney

Overview:
NYRSF is a monthly 24-page magazine of book reviews and criticism covering the science fiction and fantasy field published by Dragon Press, and run by an all-volunteer staff. The New York Review of Science Fiction was founded in 1988 by a group of people who were at that time the editorial staff of the Little Magazine. They included David G. Hartwell, the publisher of the magazine, who had been a founder of the Little Magazine (then known as The Quest, edited and published by Alexis Levitin) twenty-two years before, in 1965. Others were Samuel R. Delany, at whose Manhattan apartment meetings were held weekly, Kathryn Cramer, Patrick Nielsen Hayden, Teresa Nielsen Hayden, and Susan Palwick were the editorial board, and Tom Weber (who resigned at the first issue) and Greg Cox (his replacement, the first one not from the Little Magazine) were staff. Patrick Nielsen Hayden designed the magazine, and the look and feel has remained
substantially the same since the first issue.

Contributors to the magazine have included Brian Aldiss, Eleanor Arneson, Brian Attebery,  Gregory Benford, Michael Bishop, Jenny Blackford, Russell Blackford, Damien Broderick, John Clute, F. Brett Cox, L. W. Currey, Samuel R. Delany, Candas Jane Dorsey, David Drake, L. Timmel Duchamp, Andy Duncan, Kathleen Ann Goonan, Joan Gordon, Howard V. Hendrix, Gwyneth Jones, Michael Kandel, James Patrick Kelly, John Kessel, David Langford, Justin Larbastier, Rob Latham, Jonathan Lethem, Richard A. Lupoff, James Morrow, Larry Niven, Patrick O’Leary, Rebecca Ore, Alexei Panshin, Daniel Pinkwater, Charles Platt, Frederik Pohl, Rachel Pollack, Paul Preuss, Kit Reed, Bruce Holland Rogers, Rudy Rucker, Jessica Amanda Salmonson, Darrell Schweitzer, Deliah Sherman, Tom Shippey, Graham Sleight, Brian Stableford, Michael Swanwick, Jean-Louis Trudel, Alice K. Turner, Jeff VanderMeer, Ian Watson, Don Webb, Janine Webb, Gene Wolfe, Zoran Zivkovic, and many others.

Awards and Recognition:
NYRSF is a winner of the Readercon Small Press Award; NYRSF been nominated for the Hugo Award every year of its publication since 1989.

Other Items of Interest:
For 19 years, there has been a reading series associated with NYRSF: The New York Review of Science Fiction Reading Series has showcased some of the most prominent and upcoming authors in the genre. However, the series’ commitment to providing a venue as an ongoing science fiction reading series in New York City, is open to all works of speculative fiction, whether they be works of fantasy, magical realism, horror, or science fiction. The range of writers who have participated in the series speaks of not only of its diversity, but its quality as well. Jonathan Carroll, Susanna Clarke, Samuel R.
Delany, Ellen Kushner, Ursula K. Le Guin, Jonathan Lethem, Patricia A. McKillip, Walter Mosley, Naomi Novik, and Peter Straub are among the authors who have participated. The reading series typically showcases two authors, once a month.

Website:
www.nyrsf.com

Information provided by Kathryn Cramer.