The first bit of news after the Easter break is that Shadowed Realms is shutting down. If you've never heard of the site, it was an ezine dedicated to flash fiction, and run by Angela Challis and Shane J Cummings, as editor and designer and sometimes editor, respectively. A while back I had a story in it, but in what can only be described as a difference of opinion, I stopped working with them (and their publishing company, Brimstone Press) in any capacity. Publishing is much like any other job, really, and an author can make choices about who she/he wishes to work with, just as an editor can. It's no big deal, but just so you're up on my relationship with them, which is that I don't have one. Still, that's neither here nor there: a market closing down has never been the sign for celebration, and a few people had their five minutes of fame with it, including me, so on that score, it's a shame to see it go.
I wouldn't, however, say that Shadowed Realms' death was surprising. Speaking broadly, there are a lot of signs in the independent press that you can watch for, and which speak of the slowly rising corpse of a project, or a publisher. There's a lack of critical success. A lack of popular success. A fall in issue regularity, or an inability to hit the deadlines proposed by huge amounts of time (most independents are behind a little). Then there's the long response times to contributors. Closing to submissions out of season. Editors not replying to email where they once did. The editor/publisher moving on to other projects. A switch in focus from print to media or online. Public conversations about money. The list goes on. Get enough of these coming out of an independent publisher, and I reckon you might as well start picking out a pretty plot, though the actual announcement of death can take a long time coming. I, personally, figured that Shadowed Realms had another year in it, but I guess my prophetic powers aren't always right--and to be honest, it's not that much of a death. Brimstone still exists. A lot of publishers have gone completely into the ground.
At any rate, I mentioned this at first on a comment on Martin Livings' (
martinlivings) blog, but he has now locked the entry so that no one can leave comments, the comment has been deleted. Whatever. I have my own blog and can talk about it here, and deleted commentary always gets me thinking a bit more. I figure if people know of any other signs of Independent Death, they should drop a comment. Get enough and I'll do a funny checklist.
I wouldn't, however, say that Shadowed Realms' death was surprising. Speaking broadly, there are a lot of signs in the independent press that you can watch for, and which speak of the slowly rising corpse of a project, or a publisher. There's a lack of critical success. A lack of popular success. A fall in issue regularity, or an inability to hit the deadlines proposed by huge amounts of time (most independents are behind a little). Then there's the long response times to contributors. Closing to submissions out of season. Editors not replying to email where they once did. The editor/publisher moving on to other projects. A switch in focus from print to media or online. Public conversations about money. The list goes on. Get enough of these coming out of an independent publisher, and I reckon you might as well start picking out a pretty plot, though the actual announcement of death can take a long time coming. I, personally, figured that Shadowed Realms had another year in it, but I guess my prophetic powers aren't always right--and to be honest, it's not that much of a death. Brimstone still exists. A lot of publishers have gone completely into the ground.
At any rate, I mentioned this at first on a comment on Martin Livings' (
martinlivings) blog, but he has now locked the entry so that no one can leave comments, the comment has been deleted. Whatever. I have my own blog and can talk about it here, and deleted commentary always gets me thinking a bit more. I figure if people know of any other signs of Independent Death, they should drop a comment. Get enough and I'll do a funny checklist.- Random:
ohthewailingofthecrowd
Page Summary
- (Anonymous) : (no subject) [+3]
- angriest : (no subject) [+7]
- punkrocker1991 : (no subject) [+2]
- strangedave : (no subject) [+12]
- cassiphone : (no subject) [+2]
Comments
I don't think closing submissions for a period is necessarily a sign of impending small press death - sometimes a small press mag can get inundated and needs to close the doors for a few months just to catch up.
The question is: who's going to be first to develop a website to replace Shadowed Realms?
:)
I saved the last issue as a warchive...
And I actually think it's a good idea.
by itself, the closing of subs isn't, but youput it with a few other things, and you close to subs regularly, and you take ages to respond, then yeah.
from what i understand, a bit was said about me at swancon, inspired, no doubt, by the joke photo. it's all second hand info, so i've no idea really. there's very little i can do about it, too, i imagine--and outside trying to bait robin pen into gossiping with cat for a laugh, i was pretty much removed from it all.
i dunno. it's a shame that, if shane is talking about me there, that's how he feels. i know there are some people who do think i'm a good guy, despite what others reckon, and hype aside, i do what a lot of people don't do, and that's interact with the products created by this scene. it doesn't escape my notice that for it i get called various things, and if the cancer is me, then what can i do? you've got your fans, you've got the people who dislike you.
from what i hear, some kind of reality check in relation to shane and angela regarding me is probably required. i'm just a guy. my opinion and what i do has no more weight than anyone else--and given that i know that shane reads this blog daily, he might want to take that into account, and stop reading.
I sympathise with your position. I very much think that supporting the scene as a whole doesn't mean unquestioning supporting everything it produces, and sometimes honest negative feedback can more valuable. (though I think the markets that publish promising writers who are not yet at a consistent professional standard also can perform a valuable service - sometimes it is about the warm fuzzies, the community, and fun)
But also, the scene is a community too, and a community is built of people not just blog voices. People are not their public voice, but it can be easily to confuse the two and take it all too personally - particularly with you, as you deliberately maintain more personal distance, or at least are much less interested in interacting with the scene as a person rather than as a public voice. Its important to separate the work from the person and treat it on its merits, because thats honest criticism is how the work grows, and that means if the scene is also a community, people have to be able to express their opinions without it being taken too personally - and to grow the scene, which depends on the community as well as just the quality of the work, means letting people state their opinions without always having to worry about whether negative opinions will turn into negative personal interaction.
well, i suspect this stuff with me and others is just going to continue, and that doesn't really phase me; but when some dude is calling you a cancer... i dunno, man, maybe a little pause and a suggestion to get some reality is what is needed, rather than me making a funny blog post about it. the dude seems generally cut up about something and, whatever that is, i reckon if i'm at the centre of it--or even part of it--shane and angela need to rethink just who i am.
for me, this scene is largely made up of work--i'm happy with my distance from it, which as you point out, does make things more difficult with people in relation to me. but frankly, i think the community side of this scene has always been both its boon and its downfall.
Hey, how did I get into this story?
I've been self banished for a while. Only popped my head in to say hi.
Actually, everyone keeps telling me I'm not involved.
I ask, is that such a bad thing?
You're bad Mr Peek. Bad, bad Mr Peek.
if it makes you feel better though, robin, i'm sure i can get you caught up in it. i see on the link provided by dave cake that kathryn is calling strahan out--you could always be part of that :)