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January 27th, 2009
04:48 pm - Realms of Fantasy, I salute you
Like everyone else has been saying: Realms of Fantasy is going to the great slush pile in the sky. And I'm sitting here, walloped by the suddenness of it all.
Several years back, in November 2005, I brazenly emailed Shawna McCarthy and asked her if they were interested in running a YA review column. To my amazement and glee, they decided to give me a shot with a sidebar, approximately 1/3rd of a page. Nothing huge: just a few books, a paragraph or two each, plus covers. And I tackled it enthusiastically. Every few months, as the deadlines insisted, I turned in my sidebar.
Over time, there was change. I was handed off from Carl Gnam to Laura Cleveland, and I managed to get a full page for my column, leading to a consistant 8 books per installment. I covered all manner of YA fantasy and science fiction, representing dozens of authors and all the major publishers and then some. In all that time, I was occasionally a little -late- for deadlines but I never missed one entirely. In all that time, from the February '06 issue to the upcoming final issue, I was only left out once, after marketing stole the space for ads.
So, as the news of Realms of Fantasy's closure spreads, I look back on this time as one of the best gigs in the industry I've ever had. I'm going to miss it. The people I worked with were always accessible, professional and friendly. They paid me even when I didn't ask first, sent me cartons of books, and made me feel like part of the team. When I got back into the fiction submitting game, I immediately sent a story to Shawna ... unfortunately, we'll never know what would have happened now.
So. /raises a glass to Realms of Fantasy. Here's to you guys.
Anyone happen to have a need for a slightly demoralized YA SF/F Book reviewer?
I'm housebroken, do simple tricks on command, thrive on deadlines, already well-connected with most major publishing houses (and many authors), and come with my own supply of books. I work cheap, but do like an audience.
Current Mood:  sad
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I home someone takes you home and adopts you. Me too. I've had all my shots and innoculations. Certainly, there's already been a few knocking on your door. Yeah, not the best of news to wake up to... but not the worst news I've ever woken up to either.
Hope you're doing well. :> Maybe you could do a book of interviews of well-known YA writers for Lethe. Huh... very interesting idea. Think there's a market for that? I don't know Lethe that well, but it sounds like a possible idea. :> Depends on the way the book is slanted.
You could go two ways, pretty much: one is the library market for kids who need to write essays about biographies of some sort, and the other is the wants-to-be-a-writer market, who want to know all the background on how they got started, how/when they write, etc.
>>Anyone happen to have a need for a slightly demoralized YA SF/F Book reviewer?<<
I was about to send you a reply about this, or at least ask you to e-mail me, when LJ crashed and I discovered I didn't have your e-mail address. So I sent the message to Mary--ask her for it. :) Got it, and immediately turned around to send something to that market. Thanks! I agree.... this was a serious hit to the field. : I'm very sad for all of you who worked for RoF--and very sad for all of us who read it. I wish I'd been a more frequent reader--and now won't get that chance. :( Time to find a new magazine, I guess. : ![[User Picture]](https://l-userpic.livejournal.com/12091277/700910) | | From: |  mabfan |
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| Date: | January 28th, 2009 12:53 am (UTC) |
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It's a shame. Good luck with placing the reviews elsewhere. Thanks. Stay tuned to this spot for further news. Arrrg. This is the 2nd post on my flist to talk about that. :( I'm really going to miss that magazine, I've been getting it since 1995. Very sorry you're losing your reviewing job, I know I'll miss reading them. :( Thanks for reading them. :> Wah! I'm so sad about this. For everyone. I know one of my books was in your pile, and it was such a beautiful magazine, always full of stuff by top-notch authors that I admire. I can't believe it's going.
I hope you find a new home. Please feel free to review my book wherever you wind up. Good news, Christine. Unless something drastic happened, your book made it into my last submitted column, which should see print in Realms' last issue. Cross your fingers. :> You rock. Let me know where you settle next, though. I have a new book coming in May. Regardless of what I do with my YA column, I'll always be found at SF Site and Green Man Review. I'm not sure where my YA-specific stuff will go yet. There's got to be some market, but print options look pretty sparse at this point. Do you do graduation parties?
Joking aside, that's absolutely terrible. I'm so sorry... I wish I'd actually hunted it down and subscribed before this happened. I sincerely hope that it will eventually be able to resurrect... stranger things have happened.
(And please tell me your got the email I sent you a few days ago. My account has been glitchy recently, and it's not showing up in my Sent folder.) Sadly, I haven't seen any email from you lately.
Graduation parties, huh? Usually I only do bar mitzvahs and wedding showers, but for you, I'd make an exception. :> Me too. With the right content, the right plan, and a little luck, I honestly think it would go over quite well. I can see it in my head.
Sadly, I suspect that's the only place we'll see it.
I wonder if Stephenie Meyer would be willing to bankroll it, or J.K. Rowling. :> >>Anyone happen to have a need for a slightly demoralized YA SF/F Book reviewer?<< Aw, I really liked your reviews. And picked up a few books because of them. So, thank you. A few of us that posted on the RoF message boards have started up a community for fantasy lovers of all stripes. You're welcome to visit and join if you like: Friends of Fantasy. |
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