This is not a new phenomenon, but for authors of short stories the market for their work seems to be forever shrinking. This past November, we saw the demise of one of the higher-end publications for speculative fiction, Realms of Fantasy magazine, and now there is news that Zahir, A Journal of Speculative Fiction, is no longer publishing new issues (although their website will remain indefinitely).
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| This is a great pub for speculative fiction! |
When I was shopping one of my short stories, Mava’s Echo, there weren’t that many markets to pursue. Fortunately, Mava’s Echo found a home at MindFlights, which continues to publish good short stories in the fantasy and science fiction genres.
Decades ago, short stories helped define the speculative fiction genre. Just think of all the well-known films inspired by the short stories and novellas of Philip K. Dick: Total Recall, Minority Report, and The Adjustment Bureau, to name a few. It would be a shame for this type of fiction to fade away because the markets for short stories are disappearing.
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| You can’t overstate how influential short stories have been to speculative fiction. |
So, if you have a favorite magazine or online journal that publishes short stories, please give them your support! And if you have one you particularly love, let me know and I’ll post a link to it on this blog.