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8/26/2008 4:15:35 PM
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gdozois
Posts 4260
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No idea. I'm out of the loop these days. Did you ask over at ANALOG?
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8/26/2008 5:43:05 PM
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EThomas
Posts 908
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How much larger? (I like them the size they are!) 
How much (if any) fiction are we going to lose?
Brian? Sheila?
--
~THE REPORTS OF MY DEATH
ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED!
LOVE, SCIENCE FICTION~
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8/26/2008 5:59:06 PM
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RandyBeck
Posts 1804
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And how many columns?
--
"It is this or that -- all the universe or nothing. Which shall it be, Passworthy? Which shall it be?"
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8/26/2008 6:05:31 PM
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EThomas
Posts 908
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Where is the link to the relevant thread(s) on the Analog forum?
--
~THE REPORTS OF MY DEATH
ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED!
LOVE, SCIENCE FICTION~
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8/26/2008 6:20:23 PM
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John Thiel
Posts 1961
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And when will this format change occur?
--
Surprising Stories has a slush pile.
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8/26/2008 6:32:14 PM
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EThomas
Posts 908
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John Thiel wrote:
And when will this format change occur?
The only information I can find is on this thread, where Fabrice says clearly that the change will take in December.
--
~THE REPORTS OF MY DEATH
ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED!
LOVE, SCIENCE FICTION~
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8/26/2008 6:37:20 PM
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John E. Rogers, Jr.
Posts 2077
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E.,
Sheila and Brian hired me earlier this year to oversee a revolutionary redesign of the magazine.
I did some research and determined that the following changes were best:
First, we're moving to Rolling Stone (pre-shrink) format - that's 10 x 11 3/4 - megamag.
Second, we'll be cycling in contemporary romance stories - to beef up sales. Approximately one-third of the fiction will be by Jude Devereaux and Linda Howard (they'll alternate each month).
Third, we've re-tasked Robert Silverberg. His new job is to read all these romance stories and "science fictionalize" them - throw in things like flying baby carriages, love-lorn, all-too-human chambermaid robots, and bizarre time-space anomalies that allow desperate lovers to "turn back the clock" and reclaim the joy they thought they'd lost forever. Wonderful, thought-provoking stuff like that!
Fourth, hard science fiction will still be published, though less frequently. However, all stories will be detechnofied so as to be understandable by our new romantic audience. I've developed a program - Bowdlerizer Mark IV - for this purpose.
Fifth, the new title of the magazine will be Isaac's Out of this World Love Emporium.
Anyway. Those are the bigger changes.
I know you'll like them,
No wait - I mean you'll love them!
All the best,
John
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8/26/2008 6:53:09 PM
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EThomas
Posts 908
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John E. Rogers, Jr. wrote:
E., Sheila and Brian hired me earlier this year to oversee a revolutionary redesign of the magazine. I did some research and determined that the following changes were best: First, we're moving to Rolling Stone (pre-shrink) format - that's 10 x 11 3/4 - megamag. Second, we'll be cycling in contemporary romance stories - to beef up sales. Approximately one-third of the fiction will be by Jude Devereaux and Linda Howard (they'll alternate each month). Third, we've re-tasked Robert Silverberg. His new job is to read all these romance stories and "science fictionalize" them - throw in things like flying baby carriages, love-lorn, all-too-human chambermaid robots, and bizarre time-space anomalies that allow desperate lovers to "turn back the clock" and reclaim the joy they thought they'd lost forever. Wonderful, thought-provoking stuff like that! Fourth, hard science fiction will still be published, though less frequently. However, all stories will be detechnofied so as to be understandable by our new romantic audience. I've developed a program - Bowdlerizer Mark IV - for this purpose. Fifth, the new title of the magazine will be Isaac's Out of this World Love Emporium. Anyway. Those are the bigger changes. I know you'll like them, No wait - I mean you'll love them! All the best, John
John,
Thanks for the clear, prompt answer on the proposed changes. I'm especially excited by the flying baby carriages and new title "Isaac's Out of this World Love Emporium."
With affection,
E.
--
~THE REPORTS OF MY DEATH
ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED!
LOVE, SCIENCE FICTION~
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8/26/2008 7:09:04 PM
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RandyBeck
Posts 1804
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Good one, John.
Sadly, I wasn't sure you were joking until you got to "Third".
You forgot about the wrestling section, since it works so well for the SciFi channel.
--
"It is this or that -- all the universe or nothing. Which shall it be, Passworthy? Which shall it be?"
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8/26/2008 7:12:40 PM
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John E. Rogers, Jr.
Posts 2077
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Thanks, E. and Randy!
I'm proud to have been a part of such a grand exercise.
Nice thought about the wrestling, Randy. I can see I should have consulted with you early on. Alas . . . .
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8/26/2008 7:24:06 PM
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The Cthulhu Kid
Posts 149
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John, I didn't see any mention of tentacles on your list of changes. Are they included as part of the standard tropes of romance like bodice ripping or is Robert Silverberg going to have to add the tentacles in with the flying baby carriages?
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8/26/2008 7:46:44 PM
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John E. Rogers, Jr.
Posts 2077
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TCK,
The tentacularity of the new magazine was, of course, much debated.
In the end, we felt that the best approach was to wait and see if the new look "grabbed" our readers before we introduced significant muscular hydrostatics.
Regards,
John
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8/26/2008 9:09:28 PM
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Sheila Williams
Posts 86
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The change takes effect with our December issue. As we say in the October/November next issue box: " The reason for the change is nothing to be alarmed by. Paper and production costs have presented [us] with a choice: increase subscription rates and single-issue costs to retain the old format, or adopt a slightly different size and return our current prices."
The new size is called an L trim (5 7/8" x 8 5/8"). The page count will be reduced from 144 to 112. Since the new pages are larger than the old pages, the actual volume lost is about 8 pages or 4,000 words. I've made some minor changes that reduce any further word loss.
My December editorial provides a brief history of SF magazine sizes.
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8/26/2008 9:27:34 PM
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bluetyson
Posts 1074
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How big is it now?
--
Free SF - Not Free SF Megablog | Free SF Reader | Not Free SF Reader | Super Reader - Superhero Prose Fiction | Space Opera Reader
Leigh Brackett (ology) | Laird Barron (ology) | Paolo Bacigalupi (ology) | Greg Egan (ology) | Alastair Reynolds (ology) | Cordwainer Smith (ology) | Charles Stross (ology) | Ted Chiang (ology)
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8/26/2008 10:02:01 PM
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John Thiel
Posts 1961
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That sounds like the way magazines were during the depression and the war. SF sort of went bust in many ways then. I hope the new format equals everything out. I'll wait to see what size it is, myself.
--
Surprising Stories has a slush pile.
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8/26/2008 10:08:28 PM
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Sheila Williams
Posts 86
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According to my ruler, 5 1/4" x 8 5/16". The new magazine will be 5/8" wider and 5/16" taller.
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8/27/2008 1:28:15 AM
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EThomas
Posts 908
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Sheila Williams wrote:
The change takes effect with our December issue. As we say in the October/November next issue box: " The reason for the change is nothing to be alarmed by. Paper and production costs have presented [us] with a choice: increase subscription rates and single-issue costs to retain the old format, or adopt a slightly different size and return our current prices."
The new size is called an L trim (5 7/8" x 8 5/8"). The page count will be reduced from 144 to 112. Since the new pages are larger than the old pages, the actual volume lost is about 8 pages or 4,000 words. I've made some minor changes that reduce any further word loss.
My December editorial provides a brief history of SF magazine sizes.
Thanks for the response!
--
~THE REPORTS OF MY DEATH
ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED!
LOVE, SCIENCE FICTION~
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8/27/2008 11:16:05 AM
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EThomas
Posts 908
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All in all, it doesn't sound like too big of a change...bummed we are going to lose a bit of fiction, though. At least there is precedent for the size having changed once before, and it worked out okay.
--
~THE REPORTS OF MY DEATH
ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED!
LOVE, SCIENCE FICTION~
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8/27/2008 11:16:46 AM
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RandyBeck
Posts 1804
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That's a workable size. I was afraid we'd get 8x11.
Sadly, from my perspective, this suggests the fiction may remain one wide column rather than two.
--
"It is this or that -- all the universe or nothing. Which shall it be, Passworthy? Which shall it be?"
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8/27/2008 11:23:44 AM
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EThomas
Posts 908
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RandyBeck wrote:
That's a workable size. I was afraid we'd get 8x11.
Sadly, from my perspective, this suggests the fiction may remain one wide column rather than two.
Me too, that would have been terrible. I'm rather guilty to say that I am happy the fiction is likely going to be in book form rather than column form, since I like it better set up like a book. (g)
--
~THE REPORTS OF MY DEATH
ARE GREATLY EXAGGERATED!
LOVE, SCIENCE FICTION~
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