I was so shocked to get word today (or yesterday?) that Realms of Fantasy was going under. Again. Horrendous confusion for several moments, the only semi-coherent thought in my head something on the order of, "But … but … but … I just send them a submission!"
Yes, as so often is the case, self-centeredness was the first reaction.
And then confusion crowded in, blotted out everything else as I tried to figure out, "Why can the 'Big Three (or Four?)' science fiction magazines manage to eke out an existence even in these hard times, but apparently a fantasy magazine can't? I'm sure I'm not the only one wondering that. It must be mind-blowing to the RoF publisher, editors and staff.
I don't know the answer to that. Probably nobody does. I'm sure if the publisher and editors had any ideas on the subject, they would have used them to try to stay afloat. According to Shawna McCarthy, fantasy out-sells science fiction three to one, so somehow, somewhere, the math just doesn't make sense. Since I'm a big fan of mathematics, this whole thing feels kind of … surreal.
Let's have a moment of silence for Realms of Fantasy, a moment to think about the stories it MIGHT have published for our entertainment. Now let's heave a sigh and trudge off into a bleaker future. Sad as it is to say, may RoF RiP.
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