Business Insight Zone

Thanks to pointers from John Scalzi and Cory Doctorow, I came across this little item from Warren Ellis about the declining circulation figures of the “Big Three” science-fiction magazines (Analog, Asimov’s, and Fantasy & Science Fiction). Even if you don’t follow this genre, bear with me a second, because the problems these magazines are facing affect all print periodicals. These three just happen to be doing an instructively bad job of coping with those problems. (By the way, the opinions of Ellis, Scalzi, and Doctorow are significant here because they’re all successful writers in the genre and influential bloggers to boot.)

Doctorow’s take on the circulation figures is suggested by his post’s heading: “SF magazines’ circulation numbers in sad decline.” Scalzi doesn’t find the decline so sad. Both writers are quick to point out what should be blindingly obvious to the folks minding the stores at the Big Three, viz. that their stories should be much, much, MUCH easier to access online. The fact that the magazines don’t take steps in this direction leads Scalzi to wonder whether, in fact, the magazines don’t want to be saved, or don’t realize that they need saving.

The real irony, of course, is that these are science fiction magazines, which might be presumed to reflect the mindsets of forward-thinking types who like to read and write stories about what the future could be like. Well, at least in terms of online publishing, the future is already here, but these niche journals seem unwilling or incapable of reacting to steady declines in circulation. (A ridiculous case in point from Scalzi: none of the Big Three accepts electronic submissions, even from established writers.) Sounds much like what’s happening to many of their bigger brethren in the mainstream magazine press.

If it needs saying, science fiction as a genre is alive and well, and great work is being done by new generations of SF writers. But the odds are that — much sooner than later — none of the best work will be appearing in these fading standard-bearers for the genre.

Category: Media