58-419: Satellite Science Fiction was an American science-fiction magazine published from October 1956 to April 1959 by Leo Margulies ' Renown Publications. Initially, Satellite was digest-sized and ran a full-length novel in each issue with a handful of short stories accompanying it. The policy was intended to help it compete against paperbacks, which were taking a growing share of the market. Sam Merwin edited
116-561: A Book!" in advertisements for the magazine, and the tagline "A Complete Science Fiction Novel in Every Issue!" appeared on many of the covers. The first two issues featured Algis Budrys 's novel "The Man From Earth", and Philip K. Dick 's debut novel, under the title "A Glass of Darkness". Both were revised and appeared as paperbacks in the next couple of years, titled Man of Earth and The Cosmic Puppets , respectively. The high standard of these two issues could not be maintained, and in
174-657: A bedsheet science fiction magazine were " A Martian Odyssey " by Stanley G. Weinbaum and "The Gostak and the Doshes" by Miles Breuer , who influenced Jack Williamson. "The Gostak and the Doshes" is one of the few stories from that era still widely read today. Other stories of interest from the bedsheet magazines include the first Buck Rogers story , Armageddon 2419 A.D , by Philip Francis Nowlan , and The Skylark of S pace by coauthors E. E. Smith and Mrs. Lee Hawkins Garby , both in Amazing Stories in 1928. There have been
232-417: A cover by Frank R. Paul illustrating Off on a Comet by Jules Verne . After many minor changes in title and major changes in format, policy and publisher, Amazing Stories ended January 2005 after 607 issues. Except for the last issue of Stirring Science Stories , the last true bedsheet size sf (and fantasy) magazine was Fantastic Adventures , in 1939, but it quickly changed to the pulp size, and it
290-585: A far future where humans have degenerated to small, rabbit-like creatures, was reprinted in the August 1958 issue. Sam Moskowitz began a book review column in February 1957 that quickly turned into a series of articles about early science fiction, beginning with "The Real Earth Satellite Story" in the June 1957 issue, about the idea of satellites in early sf. Moskowitz also suggested stories that could be reprinted to supplement
348-950: A few unsuccessful attempts to revive the bedsheet size using better quality paper, notably Science-Fiction Plus edited by Hugo Gernsback (1952–53, eight issues). Astounding on two occasions briefly attempted to revive the bedsheet size, with 16 bedsheet issues in 1942–1943 and 25 bedsheet issues (as Analog , including the first publication of Frank Herbert 's Dune ) in 1963–1965. The fantasy magazine Unknown , also edited by John W. Campbell, changed its name to Unknown Worlds and published ten bedsheet-size issues before returning to pulp size for its final four issues. Amazing Stories published 36 bedsheet size issues in 1991–1999, and its last three issues were bedsheet size, 2004–2005. Astounding Stories began in January 1930. After several changes in name and format ( Astounding Science Fiction , Analog Science Fact & Fiction , Analog ) it
406-503: A half-dozen novels, with a wife and children to support. After 1960 Budrys wrote less fiction and worked in publishing, editing and advertising. He became better known as among science fiction's best critics than as writer, reviewing for Galaxy Science Fiction and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction , a book editor for Playboy , a longtime teacher at the Clarion Writers Workshop and an organizer and judge for
464-473: A leaning towards the fantastic were Thrill Book (1919) and Weird Tales (1923), but the editorial policy of both was aimed much more towards weird-occult fiction than towards sf." Major American science fiction magazines include Amazing Stories , Astounding Science Fiction , Galaxy Science Fiction , The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine . The most influential British science fiction magazine
522-522: A list of qualifying magazine and short fiction venues that contains all current web-based qualifying markets. The World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) awarded a Hugo Award each year to the best science fiction magazine , until that award was changed to one for Best Editor in the early 1970s; the Best Semi-Professional Magazine award can go to either a news-oriented magazine or a small press fiction magazine. Magazines were
580-455: A month. One title each month would be science fiction; the content would be featured in Satellite before it appeared in book form. Merwin left after two issues and Margulies took over as the editor with the February 1957 issue. In an attempt to make Satellite more visible on the newsstands, Margulies changed the format from digest-size to letter-size with the February 1959 issue, handing over
638-463: A screen, and many of them pay little or nothing to the authors, thus limiting their universe of contributors. However, multiple web-based magazines are listed as "paying markets" by the SFWA , which means that they pay the "professional" rate of 8c/word or more. These magazines include popular titles such as Strange Horizons , InterGalactic Medicine Show , and Clarkesworld Magazine . The SFWA publishes
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#1733085942380696-504: A short excerpt from it that had been omitted by every subsequent printing. In 1952, Leo Margulies and H. Lawrence Herbert founded King-Size Publications, which published Saint Detective Magazine and Fantastic Universe . By 1956 the company was in debt, and Margulies sold his share of the company to Herbert. With the money from the sale he founded Renown Publications, launching Michael Shayne Mystery Magazine in September 1956, and
754-459: Is a publication that offers primarily science fiction , either in a hard-copy periodical format or on the Internet. Science fiction magazines traditionally featured speculative fiction in short story , novelette , novella or (usually serialized ) novel form, a format that continues into the present day. Many also contain editorials , book reviews or articles, and some also include stories in
812-517: Is known for clichés such as stereotypical female characters, unrealistic gadgetry, and fantastic monsters of various kinds. However, many classic stories were first published in pulp magazines. For example, in the year 1939, all of the following renowned authors sold their first professional science fiction story to magazines specializing in pulp science fiction: Isaac Asimov , Robert A. Heinlein , Arthur C. Clarke , Alfred Bester , Fritz Leiber , A. E. van Vogt and Theodore Sturgeon . These were among
870-418: Is still published today (though it ceased to be pulp format in 1943). Its most important editor, John W. Campbell, Jr. , is credited with turning science fiction away from adventure stories on alien planets and toward well-written, scientifically literate stories with better characterization than in previous pulp science fiction. Isaac Asimov 's Foundation Trilogy and Robert A. Heinlein 's Future History in
928-422: The 1940s, Hal Clement 's Mission of Gravity in the 1950s, and Frank Herbert 's Dune in the 1960s, and many other science fiction classics all first appeared under Campbell's editorship. By 1955, the pulp era was over, and some pulp magazines changed to digest size . Printed adventure stories with colorful heroes were relegated to the comic books. This same period saw the end of radio adventure drama (in
986-526: The May 1960 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction , under the title "Open to Me, My Sister". A mockup of the cover for the July 1959 has survived, showing some of the planned contents; the two unpublished issues would have contained stories and articles by Arthur C. Clarke, A. E. van Vogt , and Frank Herbert , among others. Most of the stories and articles were eventually published elsewhere. Satellite
1044-616: The SF magazines of the 1950s and elsewhere, several revived as bylines for vignettes in his magazine Tomorrow Speculative Fiction , is "William Scarff". Budrys also wrote several stories under the names "Ivan Janvier" or "Paul Janvier", and used "Alger Rome" in his collaborations with Jerome Bixby . Budrys's 1960 novella Rogue Moon was nominated for a Hugo Award and was later anthologized in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two (1973). His Cold War science fiction novel Who?
1102-489: The United States). Later attempts to revive both pulp fiction and radio adventure have met with very limited success, but both enjoy a nostalgic following who collect the old magazines and radio programs. Many characters, most notably The Shadow, were popular both in pulp magazines and on radio. Most pulp science fiction consisted of adventure stories transplanted, without much thought, to alien planets. Pulp science fiction
1160-529: The age of 11 to want to become a science fiction writer. His first published science fiction story was "The High Purpose", which appeared in Astounding in 1952. In 1952, Budrys worked as editor and manager for such science fiction publishers as Gnome Press and Galaxy Science Fiction . Some of Budrys's science fiction in the 1950s was published under the pen name "John A. Sentry", a reconfigured Anglification of his Lithuanian name. Among his other pseudonyms in
1218-451: The articles, such as Fitz-James O'Brien 's 1864 short story "How I Overcame My Gravity", which accompanied the essay on O'Brien in the June 1958 issue. Most of these articles were later revised for his book, Explorers of the Infinite , though the illustrations, which reproduced early artwork or book covers, were omitted for the book version. Margulies wrote an editorial for every issue except
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#17330859423801276-681: The cost of publishing a print magazine, and as a result, some believe the e-zines are more innovative and take greater risks with material. Moreover, the magazine is internationally accessible, and distribution is not an issue—though obscurity may be. Magazines like Strange Horizons , Ideomancer , InterGalactic Medicine Show , Jim Baen's Universe , and the Australian magazine Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine are examples of successful Internet magazines. (Andromeda provides copies electronically or on paper.) Web-based magazines tend to favor shorter stories and articles that are easily read on
1334-495: The editorship of Cele Goldsmith , Amazing and Fantastic changed in notable part from pulp style adventure stories to literary science fiction and fantasy. Goldsmith published the first professionally published stories by Roger Zelazny (not counting student fiction in Literary Cavalcade ), Keith Laumer , Thomas M. Disch , Sonya Dorman and Ursula K. Le Guin . There was also no shortage of digests that continued
1392-420: The editorship to Frank Belknap Long at the same time, and switching to a monthly schedule. This proved to be a mistake. The production costs for the new format were higher, and the sales figures for the first issue in the new format were weak; when Margulies saw the numbers he immediately closed down the magazine. The June 1959 issue was assembled but never printed, though a few galley proofs made their way into
1450-422: The fantasy and horror genres. Malcolm Edwards and Peter Nicholls write that early magazines were not known as science fiction: "if there were any need to differentiate them, the terms scientific romance or 'different stories' might be used, but until the appearance of a magazine specifically devoted to sf there was no need of a label to describe the category. The first specialized English-language pulps with
1508-449: The first issue of Satellite Science Fiction in October. Satellite 's distributor , PDC, was run by old friends of Margulies. The magazine began as a bimonthly, though Margulies hoped to make it monthly eventually. The first editor was Sam Merwin , with whom Margulies had worked since the 1930s. Margulies also hoped to launch a book imprint, Renown Books, with the goal of issuing four books
1566-508: The first two issues; Margulies took over when Merwin left, and then hired Frank Belknap Long for the February 1959 issue. That issue saw the format change to letter size , in the hope that the magazine would be more prominent on newsstands. The experiment was a failure and Margulies closed the magazine when the sales figures came in. The novels included the original version of Philip K. Dick 's first novel, The Cosmic Puppets , and well-received work by Algis Budrys and Jack Vance , though
1624-491: The format changed, at the start of 1959, Margulies dropped the policy of having a full-length novel in every issue. He added a "Department of Lost Stories", which reprinted old stories, selected by reader's requests; the first to be reprinted was Ralph Milne Farley 's 1932 short story "Abductor Minimi Digit", requested by Theodore Sturgeon . The June 1959 issue, which was never distributed, would have contained Philip José Farmer 's "The Strange Birth", which eventually appeared in
1682-412: The hands of collectors. The end of the magazine also meant the end of Margulies' plans for Renown Books. Paperbacks were a growing share of the science fiction (sf) market in the mid-1950s; they were successful partly because they offered novels, which most readers preferred to short stories. Margulies decided to combat the threat from paperbacks by including a novel in every issue of the magazine. This
1740-499: The last one. In the April 1959 issue his essay argued that a letter column was a way to "[strengthen] the bond between writers and readers"; he accordingly introduced a letter column in the May 1959 issue, which proved to be the last. Satellite 's artwork was unremarkable, in the opinion of Mike Ashley; he singles out Alex Schomburg 's half-dozen covers for praise, but describes the interior art, much of it by Leo Morey, as "mediocre". When
1798-413: The most important science fiction writers of the pulp era, and all are still read today. After the pulp era, digest size magazines dominated the newsstand. The first sf magazine to change to digest size was Astounding , in 1943. Other major digests, which published more literary science fiction, were The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction , Galaxy Science Fiction and If . Under
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1856-453: The most intelligent uses in genre sf" of the Whorf hypothesis – the theory that the language one speaks determines one's perception of reality. Frank Belknap Long's novel Mission to a Distant Star (February 1958) was at one point considered for publication as the first novel in the planned Renown Books line. The novels in the first five issues were all original, but in August 1957 the lead novel
1914-479: The only way to publish science fiction until about 1950, when large mainstream publishers began issuing science fiction books. Today, there are relatively few paper-based science fiction magazines, and most printed science fiction appears first in book form. Science fiction magazines began in the United States, but there were several major British magazines and science fiction magazines that have been published around
1972-399: The opinion of sf historians Malcolm Edwards and Mike Ashley the magazine's quality declined thereafter. Hal Clement 's "Planet for Plunder", which appeared in the third issue, was told from the point of view of an alien on a mission to Earth. It was too short to fit Margulies' policy of publishing a lead novel, so Merwin wrote additional chapters from the human perspective, and alternated
2030-412: The pulp phenomenon, like the comic book, was largely a US format. By 2007, the only surviving major British science fiction magazine is Interzone , published in "magazine" format, although small press titles such as PostScripts and Polluto are available. During recent decades, the circulation of all digest science fiction magazines has steadily decreased. New formats were attempted, most notably
2088-442: The pulp tradition of hastily written adventure stories set on other planets. Other Worlds and Imaginative Tales had no literary pretensions. The major pulp writers, such as Heinlein, Asimov and Clarke, continued to write for the digests, and a new generation of writers, such as Algis Budrys and Walter M. Miller, Jr. , sold their most famous stories to the digests. A Canticle for Leibowitz , written by Walter M. Miller, Jr.,
2146-450: The quality was not always high. Isaac Asimov , Arthur C. Clarke , and L. Sprague de Camp were among the short story contributors. Sam Moskowitz wrote a series of articles on the early history of science fiction for Satellite ; these were later to be revised as part of his book Explorers of the Infinite . In 1958 Margulies tracked down the first magazine publication of H. G. Wells ' The Time Machine from 1894 to 1895 and reprinted
2204-523: The size of Reader's Digest , although a few are in the standard roughly 8.5" x 11" size, and often have stapled spines, rather than glued square spines. Science fiction magazines in this format often feature non-fiction media coverage in addition to the fiction. Knowledge of these formats is an asset when locating magazines in libraries and collections where magazines are usually shelved according to size. The premiere issue of Amazing Stories (April 1926), edited and published by Hugo Gernsback , displayed
2262-553: The slick-paper stapled magazine format, the paperback format and the webzine. There are also various semi-professional magazines that persist on sales of a few thousand copies but often publish important fiction. As the circulation of the traditional US science fiction magazines has declined, new magazines have sprung up online from international small-press publishers. An editor on the staff of Science Fiction World , China's longest-running science fiction magazine, claimed in 2009 that, with "a circulation of 300,000 copies per issue", it
2320-459: The state of science fiction magazines. Gardner Dozois presents a summary of the state of magazines in the introduction to the annual The Year's Best Science Fiction volume. Locus lists the circulation and discusses the status of pro and semi-pro SF magazines in their February year-in-review issue, and runs periodic summaries of non-US science fiction. Algis Budrys Algirdas Jonas " Algis " Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008)
2378-529: The two points of view in the published version. Ashley speaks highly of Clement's original novella, which was eventually published without the additions in 1972, and comments that Merwin's additions serve as "an object lesson in how to ruin a good story". Edwards and Ashley single out two other novels as worthy of mention: J. T. McIntosh 's One Million Cities (in the August 1958 issue), and Jack Vance 's The Languages of Pao (December 1957), described by sf critics Peter Nicholls and David Langford as "one of
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2436-639: The whole magazine was only about 53,000 words, there was little space for other stories or for non-fiction features, and as a result the accompanying stories were usually very short expositions of an idea or joke; in Michael Shaara's "Four-Billion Dollar Door", the first crewed mission to the moon lands successfully but discovers that the door has frozen shut and cannot be opened. Arthur C. Clarke and Dal Stevens were frequent contributors of short fiction, and there were appearances by other well-known writers such as Isaac Asimov and L. Sprague de Camp . Margulies
2494-472: The world, for example in France and Argentina . The first science fiction magazine, Amazing Stories , was published in a format known as bedsheet , roughly the size of Life but with a square spine. Later, most magazines changed to the pulp magazine format, roughly the size of comic books or National Geographic but again with a square spine. Now, most magazines are published in digest format, roughly
2552-508: Was New Worlds ; newer British SF magazines include Interzone and Polluto . Many science fiction magazines have been published in languages other than English, but none has gained worldwide recognition or influence in the world of anglophone science fiction. There is a growing trend toward important work being published first on the Internet , both for reasons of economics and access. A web-only publication can cost as little as one-tenth of
2610-490: Was Tales of Wonder , pulp size, 1937–1942, 16 issues, (unless Scoops is taken into account, a tabloid boys' paper that published 20 weekly issues in 1934). It was followed by two magazines, both named Fantasy , one pulp size publishing three issues in 1938–1939, the other digest size, publishing three issues in 1946–1947. The British science fiction magazine, New Worlds , published three pulp size issues in 1946–1947, before changing to digest size. With these exceptions,
2668-517: Was "the World's most-read SF periodical", although subsequent news suggests that circulation dropped precipitously after the firing of its chief editor in 2010 and the departure of other editors. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America lists science fiction periodicals that pay enough to be considered professional markets. For a complete list, including defunct magazines, see List of science fiction magazines . Several sources give updates on
2726-410: Was 19 when he sold his first story to Amazing Stories . His writing improved greatly over time, and until his death in 2006, he was still a publishing writer at age 98. Some of the stories in the early issues were by scientists or doctors who knew little or nothing about writing fiction, but who tried their best, for example, David H. Keller . Probably the two best original sf stories ever published in
2784-506: Was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason , Alger Rome in collaboration with Jerome Bixby , John A. Sentry , William Scarff and Paul Janvier . In the 1990s he was the publisher and editor of the science fiction magazine Tomorrow Speculative Fiction . Budrys was born in Königsberg , Germany (present-day Kaliningrad , Russia ). His father Jonas Budrys
2842-548: Was a reprint: John Christopher's The Year of the Comet , which had been published in the UK in 1955, but had not yet appeared in the US. More reprints followed, including Charles Eric Maine 's Wall of Fire , E. C. Tubb 's The Resurrected Man , and Noel Loomis 's The Man With Absolute Motion . Each had been published in the previous few years in the UK, but not in the US. Since the word count for
2900-419: Was a strategy that had been used by pulp sf magazines like Startling Stories , for which Margulies had been editorial director. It was not common in digest magazines, where a story as short as 15,000 words might be listed as a novel on the contents page, but Margulies acquired true novel-length works, with an average length of about 40,000 words, for Satellite . Margulies used the slogan "The Magazine That Is
2958-531: Was adapted for the screen in 1973. In addition to numerous Hugo Award and Nebula Award nominations, Budrys won the Science Fiction Research Association 's 2007 Pilgrim Award for lifetime contributions to speculative fiction scholarship. In 2009, he was the recipient of one of the first three Solstice Awards presented by the SFWA in recognition of his contributions to the field of science fiction. Having published about 100 stories and
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#17330859423803016-540: Was aware that a couple of pages of H. G. Wells ' 1895 novel The Time Machine had been omitted from every printing of the novel since its original serialization in 1894–1895 in The New Review , so he paid for a library search and was rewarded by the discovery of the magazine containing the missing pages in the New York Public Library, across the street from his office. The omitted material, which dealt with
3074-416: Was digest-sized for the first fourteen issues, and converted to letter-size for the last four. It maintained a regular bimonthly schedule until the switch to letter size, at which point it became monthly. There were three volumes of six numbers each. The digest issues were each 128 pages, and the letter-sized issues were 64 pages. The price was 35 cents throughout. Sam Merwin edited the first two issues; he
3132-548: Was educated at the University of Miami and later at Columbia University in New York City. Incorporating his family's experience, Budrys's fiction depicts isolated and damaged people and themes of identity, survival and legacy. He taught himself English at the age of six by reading Robinson Crusoe . From Flash Gordon comic strips, Budrys read H. G. Wells 's The Time Machine ; Astounding Science Fiction caused him at
3190-623: Was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction . Most digest magazines began in the 1950s, in the years between the film Destination Moon , the first major science fiction film in a decade, and the launching of Sputnik , which sparked a new interest in space travel as a real possibility. Most survived only a few issues. By 1960, in the United States, there were only six sf digests on newsstands, in 1970 there were seven, in 1980 there were five, in 1990 only four and in 2000 only three. The first British science fiction magazine
3248-444: Was later absorbed by its digest-sized stablemate Fantastic in 1953. Before that consolidation, it ran 128 issues. Much fiction published in these bedsheet magazines, except for classic reprints by writers such as H. G. Wells , Jules Verne and Edgar Allan Poe , is only of antiquarian interest. Some of it was written by teenage science fiction fans, who were paid little or nothing for their efforts. Jack Williamson for example,
3306-403: Was succeeded by Leo Margulies for the rest of the digest run. Frank Belknap Long took over as editor for the four letter-sized issues. Margulies' wife, Cylvia, was managing editor for all issues, under her maiden name, Cylvia Kleinman. The publisher for all issues was Renown Publications, which was wholly owned by Leo Margulies. Science-fiction magazine A science fiction magazine
3364-547: Was the consul general of Lithuania . In 1936, when Budrys was five years old, Jonas was appointed as the consul general in New York City. After the Soviet Union's occupation of Lithuania in 1940, Budrys helped his family run a chicken farm in New Jersey while his father was part of the exiled Lithuanian Diplomatic Service , since the United States continued to recognize the pre- World War II Lithuanian diplomats. Budrys
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