Bewildering Stories Editorial

by Jerry Wright

Plans

It is down-right eerie sometimes. I headed this editorial "Plans" BEFORE I read Don's comment in the letter from E.S. Strout. And he, in talking about the blistering pace it takes to put out a weekly issue of Bewildering Stories, refers to the need for contingency plans should life reach out and beat him up. Yes, Don is the copy editor. He is also the compositor and compiler of each issue of this massive missive.

So, what would we do if "sumpin happen"? Everyone... Pray for Don's continued good health and stamina, eh?? I could put together a feeble excuse for a bit, but ya know, I don't even see all the stories anymore. Yep, some of them go directly to Don, and he struggles mightily to get the best work out of the writers.

Many of our writers are not native English speakers, and in o-so-many cases, the reason why the stories are so readable is because Don turned them into something at least approaching good English. Which is why sometimes you'll see minor copy-editing errors. Don's brain is spinning around inside his skull, and the little stuff just got by him.

We received notice on the Forum that BwS is number 9 on Duotrope.Com's market rankings. Of course, the moment we find THAT bit of ego-boo, the editors at Duotrope decided to do away with market rankings, as they feel:

Our market rankings amounted to little more than a popularity contest that could be manipulated (if not easily), yet people placed much more importance and emphasis on them than they were due. We have decided that they no longer fit with our vision for Duotrope's Digest.

Sigh.

Anyway, Strange Horizons, probably closest to us in output, though not in spirit, has 35 or so people on its staff. So discussions will ensue.

In other news, does anyone know anything about putting out a print magazine? Some comments have been made about the quality and value of our writing articles, as well as the fact that many of our stories are just top-line quality, and we should get these into print. So right now we're discussing a "Bewildering Quarterly" which would be a $5.00 (or so) magazine just chock-a-block with the best stories and articles of the previous quarter.

Also, Grim Legion our first Bewildering Press novel is waiting for the cover art, which should be a "killer", and we are actively seeking artists for a cover and some interior illustrations for Robert Sanhueza's Katts & Dawgs.