The SoapVox

Well, I just found out that Jim Baen (from the Baen.com publishing fame) decided that it was time to get the SF/F  (Science Fiction/Fantasy) magazine thing off the ground, after seeing how most ‘zines are down in the dumps lately. The Baen’s Universe Magazine is his attempt at getting authors and fans interested in short/medium sized stories again. Like John W. Campbell, Jr. (among many of his accomplishments, he discovered Isaac Asimov, the most prolific SF author of all times, and the inventor of the Three Laws of Robotics) the more SF/F magazines there are, the healthier the SF/F field is.

So, what Jim Baen has decided to do, with the help of Eric Flint and other authors, is create an online SF/F magazine that’ll pay top dollar so it’s worth the time of the authors to write short stories, and create 2 spots in the ‘zine that’ll showcase only new authors that have never been published. 

The ‘zine will be about twice as long as a regular paper ‘zine (120,000 words or so), which will also make it a nice sized bunch of material for us readers, and we’ll be seeing work by different authors, not only from the baen.com stable, but whoever wants to participate. 

And last, but not least, some of the Baen authors that I enjoy the most (Eric Flint, David Weber, David Drake, John Ringo, etc) are already on board…with stories in the universes that have made them fan favourites. Yes, short stories in the Hammer’s Slammers universe, the Honorverse,  and, since Brian Herbert signed on too, in the Dune universe.

In other words, be ready to be rocked by what may become the new  “Astounding” in a regrowth of the Science Fiction & Fantasy field.

And before anybody asks, no, I don’t work for Baen or the Jim Baen Universe, I’m just a big fan both of the authors and of the editorial view of Jim Baen.

technorati tags: Books, Science Fiction, ‘zines

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