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There has been much navel-gazing about why the market for short stories, especially in science fiction, has dried up. The "Big Three" magazines (Analog, Asimov's, and Fantasy & Science Fiction) each have subscription runs in the range of 20 to 30 thousand. Even assuming no overlap (doubtful) that's under 100,000 TOTAL readers. Considering the US has a population of nearly 250 million, that market size isn't even a statistical blip.
The big question is why, and what to do about it. The writer, puppeteer and art director for the small-press magazine shimmer Mary Robinette Kowal thinks that marketing and layout issues are to blame. If you click on the link, you can read her thoughts. Basically, she says (accurately) that The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction looks dowdy, and no self-respecting teenager would even pick it up (assuming they could find it.) I think she has a point. She also gets quite ticked at people who can't define their target market. Hint: "I buy stuff I like" is not a target market.
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jeff_duntemann has also been thinking about the short fiction market. Perhaps not surprisingly, he's come to a similar conclusion, although he focuses more on newsstand presence.
Lastly, Jim Baen's Universe is approaching short fiction from the distribution point. Why spend the money to print a magazine when you can get it to readers for free via the Internet? This is also a valid point, but where Universe seems to be falling down is in advertising. The days of "throw it on the 'net and they will come" are gone.
It's a tough issue. But the good news is all sorts of people are working on it. The better news is that they are trying to attack it from different avenues.
The big question is why, and what to do about it. The writer, puppeteer and art director for the small-press magazine shimmer Mary Robinette Kowal thinks that marketing and layout issues are to blame. If you click on the link, you can read her thoughts. Basically, she says (accurately) that The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction looks dowdy, and no self-respecting teenager would even pick it up (assuming they could find it.) I think she has a point. She also gets quite ticked at people who can't define their target market. Hint: "I buy stuff I like" is not a target market.
jeff_duntemann has also been thinking about the short fiction market. Perhaps not surprisingly, he's come to a similar conclusion, although he focuses more on newsstand presence.Lastly, Jim Baen's Universe is approaching short fiction from the distribution point. Why spend the money to print a magazine when you can get it to readers for free via the Internet? This is also a valid point, but where Universe seems to be falling down is in advertising. The days of "throw it on the 'net and they will come" are gone.
It's a tough issue. But the good news is all sorts of people are working on it. The better news is that they are trying to attack it from different avenues.
