Subterranean Magazine — Now Online! Plus, New Short Story From Me
Posted on February 26, 2007 Posted by John Scalzi 37 Comments
Subterranean Magazine is moving online — there are still a couple more print editions to go, but even as those are getting out the door the magazine online version is getting started, with original fiction, columns and reviews, updated three times a week. Today’s debut slate of material includes a column by Norman Partridge, reviews from Dorman Schindler of You Suck, Hart & Boot and Heart-Shaped Box, a long fiction piece by Lucius Shepard, and a couple of short-shorts, one by Poppy Z. Brite, and the other by yours truly. Yes! Short fiction! From me! It’s a fun piece, sort of silly. I know, how could that be, right?
Best of all, it’s all free. But if you go there and happen to pick up a book from Subterranean Press now and then, they certainly wouldn’t mind.
Which reminds me that today is the official release date for Coffee Shop, and also the official out-of-print day — the run’s all sold out. You guys are super-awesome. Thank you. We’re discussing the idea of a second printing, but right now we’re leaning against that (if Amazon comes to us wanting 750 more copies, we may change our minds). I’ll of course let you know if we do go back for another printing. The Sagan Diary is still available, of course, although the limited editions are beginning to get scarce, so if you want one of those, here’s the link.
“The Sagan Diary,” incidentally, got its first review on Amazon today. Not terribly kind, alas. I like this review better.
If all this Subterranean pimpery isn’t enough, remember that if you haven’t done so you can download Subterranean #4 (the one I guest-edited) as a pdf here. Perfect for your last minute Hugo short story consideration needs.
My amazon pre-order of “Coffee Shop” moved from “not yet shipped” to “ships soon”, so I imagine those will go out the warehouse today.
Question: Does the magazine have its submissions guidelines online anywhere? I love the mag and would love to try to get a story in.
I meant to ask this on the earlier Coffee Shop thread: John, do you know if pre-orders from distributors other than Amazon got filled? Some people may feel, um, obligated to order books at a brick-n-mortar store, and may have done this several weeks ago.
I do believe pre-orders got filled for other distributors as well.
Huzzah! Amazon now tells me they’ve shipped a copy of “Coffee Shop”, so I guess my order did make it under the wire.
I still haven’t read our copy of “Sagan Diary” yet (we purchased it at Boskone, but I tend to bump library books ahead in my to-read pile), but the guy does seem to be on the level in his disclaimer — his five-star review is the top one on the page for OMW.
I suspect that he might not have realized he was getting a small novella (and is almost certainly not familiar with the Ford-related genesis of the book, unless there’s a note inside the book itself metnioning it).
OTOH, if it had been a huge, redefining work that changed Perry’s world forever, I suspect there’d be a lot of (justifiable) complaints from folks unable to afford or find it.
John Scalzi writes: other by yours truly. Yes! Short fiction! From me! It’s a fun piece, sort of silly. I know, how could that be, right?
Nazi hookers, gelatin and imperial squids! Oh the humanity! (or lack thereof apparently)
Looking at the rest of the stories now. This could be come frightfully addicting.
Adam Lipkin:
I’m not suggesting his review is unfair, merely not kind. Personally I think it’s more substantial than he suggests, but then I would, and of course everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. I would imagine that a few folks who do like the piece will eventually add in their own two cents, in any event.
I’m not entirely surprised, either: I knew going in that it’s a “love it or hate it” sort of thing. He’s in that latter camp. That’s fine.
Amazon sent me a ship email for Coffeeshop a few days ago, and the USPS number informs me that my package was delivered to my home at 6:13 am this morning. Which is interesting, since I didn’t see it on the porch when I left this morning; either it was small enough to put through the door flap, or it was covered by snow.
Or USPS is wrong. Which is also possible. I’m hoping for the door flap option, really.
This is some friggin’ awesome cover art. Who’s the artist? Looks a lot like the same guy who did the originals of Fred Pohl’s Gateway covers.
And congrats on selling out the entire printing run on “Coffee Shop.” Haven’t got my copy yet, but Amazon says they’ve shipped it, so any day now. Also I downloaded “Agent to the Stars” and have been reading it on various airplanes over the last week. You’re one funny guy, John, which was about the only bright spot in my week. Goddamn, but I hate commercial air travel! Is it just me? Or does anybody else think about strapping the CEO of Northwest into one of his airline’s Tomás de Torquemada seats and dropping him out the door at 30,000ft while the stewardess yaps in a mindless monotone about how they’re just so damned happy to have your business (followed by pushing her out the door, then gleefully raiding the drink cart)?
No? I tend to dream bloody dreams these days, so it’s probably just me…
I tend to agree with the review on amazon.com. I appreciate what you were trying to do, I just didn’t enjoy it. (of course, I was warned)
I was more interested in seeing my name listed among the dead. :)
The original “Gateway” by by Boris. This looks like Stephen Martiniere to me.
Darn! I hope you change your mind and do a second printing. I really wanted to read this book, but I was not aware this was a limited-edition-only. I was thinking an “unlimited/regular/paperback” edition would follow. To me, if a book is sold-out on the first day, it sounds like doing a second printing would make some profits. Maybe there are a few aspects of book publishing I’m not understanding.
**Starts up chant**
Second Printing
Second Printing
Second Printing
I was too busy freaking about about my copies of The Sagan Diary that I didn’t pay attention to the limited release of Coffee.
*Grumble*
First, I agree that the Amazon reviews were a bit unkind, which I why I copied my blog review to Amazon’s page for TSD.
Second, I echo the call for a second printing. Mainly because even though I apparently didn;t order my copy soon enough to be listed among the honored dead of Company D, maybe in a second printing I could be listed among the walking wounded? (Heh.)
Third, my copy of Coffeeshop shipped today according to Amazon.
All of which is FWIW.
I think the cat’s kind of way off in the review. “I do not know why John Scalzi bothered with this very short piece.” Well, if you liked OMW so much, 5-Stars Buffington, you’d have gone to the Whatever and read regularly enough to realize and read why Scalzi wrote it. T’ain’t rocket science. I’m not blowing smoke up John’s wil-hole here, I think it’s an amazing piece of writing. I think it really gives us an amazing in sight into Sagan’s mind. I think it’s a major development as a writer.
Now, Subterranean going online only? Boo-hoo. I like the print version. That cover frigging rocks.
Oh, and I gots my copy of Coffee Shop today! Hooray for me! Right along with a Korg Pad Kontrol! It is to laugh this thing called mail!!!
Jim Wright, you just don’t appreciate all the effort and careful, meticulous thought that must obviously go into making something as fundamentally wonderful and exiting as flying! through the air! deadly dull, boring, and so painful you go looking for excuses not to if you can possibly avoid it.
Even if that doesn’t impress you, then surely a situation where they know exactly how many are coming, and exactly when, and still make you routinely stand in long lines, must. This is damn near art, man!
——————–
I do second the curiosity about the whole second printing issue. If the first printing sold out as soon as it was released, why would someone NOT do a second printing? This is really kinda weird, no?
David:
“I do second the curiosity about the whole second printing issue. If the first printing sold out as soon as it was released, why would someone NOT do a second printing? This is really kinda weird, no?”
Well, for one thing, so that the people who paid for a limited, signed edition get value out of it. For another, with small press runs (like of 500), the question becomes a cost issue — whether the amount on makes off the second run (which itself might not sell through) is worth the additional cost.
Now, even if Subterranean chooses not to do a second edition immediately, it doesn’t mean that there might not eventually be another edition of the book; it’s possible another publisher might be interested in doing a more mass-market edition somewhere down the line. This is all up in the air at the moment.
We must not allow a Gelatin Encasing gap!
Got my tree-bits Subterranean #6 this morning. I deduce that the cover art is by Edward Miller, aka Les Edwards, interviewed in the issue.
I also will buy a copy in a second priniting. I didn’t realize it woud be so limited. I’m a HS teacher and intend to finish my novel over the summer. I really hoped to read it and re-read my King writing book beforehand.
(chant increases)
SECOND Print!
SECOND Print!
SECOND Print!
w00t! My copy of Coffee Shop arrived 2 minutes ago, delivered with a smile by a lovely lady. Given I’m in Australia, I’m impressed at your managing to organise it so well. Impressed enough that I shall forgive you for having had my money for 10 months.
The book looks lovely, classy too.
Excellent!
WOOT! My Sagan Diary (or rather the copy I got for my BF) arrived today! (And there, he is, member of Company D.)
(PS. Still waiting to see if Amazon shipped our copy of Coffee Shop. )
David: …This is damn near art, man! If you mean incompetence raised to an art form – Agreed, hence my Torquemada reference. Some people thought what he did was art too!
And I’m still trying to figure out how Andrew in Australia got his copy of Coffee Shop before I got mine here in Alaska. …HA! It just occurred to me to go look, guess what was between the storm door and front door? No note in the mail box, no note on the door, how long do you figure it’s been there? The box was frozen to the step. Arrrgh! We never use the front door in the winter. You’d think that the dumbass delivery guy would have noticed the two feet of snow he was climbing over?! How the hell did he even get the storm door open? (And yes, that sound is me banging my head on the door jam).
Chatterboxes. Be quiet, I’m trying to read. I’ve had mine for days now.
*smug grin*
Excellent work on that story, Scalzi.
51 Days until Penguicon.
I may have jinxed myself, my amazon coffee shop order appears to have completely disappeared from the order tracking system, yikes!
…or not, it actually appears to have shipped, amazon’s open order page seems to be having some issues at the moment, whew!
Amazon.ca was not saying “out of print” as of today so I crossed my fingers and ordered a copy of Coffeeshop. I also picked Android’s Dream.
Hurray. I received my copy of Coffee Shop today!!! I got number 23. I feel so special.
Just got copy #444 of 500, along with my copy of TSD. Odd, I was figuring the reverse for these books–I figured “Coffee Shop” was going to be a brief book and TSD roughly OMW-sized.
Damn though, Amazon sold me a used copy of “Coffee Shop”. Some guy scribbled his name in the book. And there are stains all over the cover and the inside.
And there was much rejoicing…
You say it in a neutral (or even positive) manner that the magazine is ceasing print production. Isn’t it a bad sign that it can’t keep selling hard copies?
TCO:
“Isn’t it a bad sign that it can’t keep selling hard copies?”
This assumes that the reason the magazine is moving online is because it can’t keep selling hard copies, which is not in evidence. It’s not my place to discuss the business decision behind moving the magazine online — Bill Schafer can talk about that if he wants — but suffice to say that selling hard copies of the magazine was not a problem.
Something still bugs me about the change and about the manner in which you’re describing it. Is it ok, for me to keep speculating on it and discuss it with other blog readers (not expecting further authorial response), or should I drop the subject.