mac_stone | Here's a question:

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Current Location: under Ten the Cat
Current Music: Etta James, I'd Rather Go Blind

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Here's a question:

What's your favorite market, and why?

What's your dream-market to break into, and again, why?

*g*

Why, yes, I AM in the process of completely revamping all the sites I run, primarily as an enhanced writing-avoidance-activity, since you so kindly inquired.

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My favorite market is Electric Velocipede. The quality of print/binding/layout is awesome and I've thoroughly enjoyed almost every story I've read from them.

Dream market is a tougher one to answer. Two years ago I would have said Asimovs or F&SF without hesitation, but I've left my subscription to both lapse. I was lucky to find one story an issue that I enjoyed. RoF was another one I long-coveted but is now moot.

For nostolgic reasons, I'll still say Asimovs. It was the first spec fic magazine I ever read and subscribed to (during Gardner's days).

Otherwise, it's down to Electric Velocipede or Apex Online. My reading tastes seem to really fit those of the editors. I don't know if that translates well, but I'd hope that would give me a leg up when I submit to them.

Ooops. When you said Market? I immediately went to food. Sorry!

I actually have to second Electric Velocipede. I've liked almost every story they've published, and if I didn't like it, I at least recognized it was quality work that someone else probably liked. The art is always fun, too. I actually like being seen holding their issues, which is so vain and ridiculous, but totally true. Haha!

And echoing

stonetable once again, "dream market" is tough, because I think it changes with each story. I'll write something and think, "OMG I hope X takes this." I probably feel that way about Strange Horizons more than most places, I suppose, and I'm always wishing I could write something I could send to Apex Digest, but I haven't yet.

I would like to make it into The NewYorker - cause it would mean the barbarians have stormed the gates...

Mostly, I like smaller venues or magazines that pay but aren't rated at 'top pro' - they seem to like female writers more - the remaining big 3 (Analog, Asimov, SF&F) feel very male to me when I read them.

I don't precisely have a single favorite market. The stuff I like is so disparate that I tend to follow authors I like more than the places they get published.

That said, it's something of a toss up for me between Weird Tales, Lady Churchill's and Clarkesworld (though I'm going to be really interested to see what they're like with their current editorial lineup). The why is because those publications cover a pretty good swathe of my interests. I'm kind of more of an anthology guy at the end of the day.

My dream market... Goodness.

Probably being read into evidence on the congressional record, because I love the idea of upsetting senators.

More seriously though, anything edited by Ellen Datlow because she's published more stuff I love than most anyone else.

Andromeda Spaceways, because they have the best slush management system I've ever seen.

As for my dream market, there are two and, frankly, I'm miles off both of them; Interzone because it would make my twelve year old self unspeakably happy and Strange Horizons, because, rightly or wrongly, I use that as a benchmark.

Interesting timing on this question. My dream market imploded this week, so I've been asking myself this question the last few days.

What I've come up with:
- Should have a large, active readership (with moderated forums for discussion)
- Quality layout and artwork (presentation is important, shows that the editor cares)
- Pays 25 cents/word and publishes everything I send them (you said dream market, right?) :)

I've been really bad about reading short fiction this past year, but my favorite market which I would soooo love to break into is Strange Horizons. After that, I love and will never regret my Electric Velocipede subscription (and I had a flash piece in issue 15/16!). I do enjoy Coyote Wild a lot as well, though I wish it came out more often (and for the record, I had a story in the Coyote Wild YA issue and I still have a poem in the publishing queue)(Hooray!). I would put Clarkesworld on this list also, except I haven't read it since Mamatas left, so I don't know if it has retained the flavor of his days. If it has, then it is definitely on the list.

Man, I so need to start reading online short fiction again. It is easy to commit to reading a magazine that comes in the mail (I have a few subscriptions of which EV is my fave and never disappoints). Online is actually more difficult for me to justify since I usually do my fiction reading while soaking and getting ready to sleep.

Which makes it suck a bit that everything is going online!

Heh, such are the things life is made of. Whee!

:)

Yeah, I was thinking food, too. In which case, probably the Stadtmarkt in Augsburg.

Weird Tales and Fantasy -- on both counts. Surrealish fantasy and magical realism are my preferred genre niches in short fiction, and the literary quality of those publications is high. Weird has extra points because it's print and they have gorgeous covers and illustrations.

Does this mean Coyote Wild will resume? I hope so! That was one of my favorite reads, too.

Escape Pod, because they pretty much single-handedly made me fall in love with short fiction again. I also really love Weird Tales.

There's a couple others that are up there, but those two are at the top, I think.

I like the Goblin Market, myself. The one down on Trollbridge Road. Oh...wait...you don't mean THAT kind of market. Nevermind. ;)

Black Gate, because there's a possibility of a sword fight in there, and maybe somebody getting stabbed.

does Subterranean count?

Favorite market: Strange Horizons, because my hit-or-miss record with the stories there is the best.

Dream breakout: F&SF, of course.

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