Amazing Stories, the magazine that started science fiction in 1926, has been declared dead numerous times in its history, most recently in March of 2006. However, in September 2011, Steve Davidson purchased the rights to the name and is announcing that he will be launching the “Relaunch Prelaunch” with Volume 0, Issue 1 on July 1, 2012. his plan is to ramp up the magazine with fiction and non-fiction until it achieves the dimensions he hopes for it.
Keith Brooke has announced that Infinity Plus, known for its e-books, will be releasing Eric Brown’s Ghostwriting, Kaitlin Queen’s One More Unfortunate, and Iain Rowan’s One of Us as their first venture into print publishing. They will also be publishing e-book versions.
Publisher and author Nick Webb (b.1949) died on April 10. Webb worked as managing director of Arrow and Sphere before taking the position at Simon & Schuster UK between 1991 and 1999. In 1978, while working at Pan, he commissioned Douglas Adams to write a novelization of the radio show The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. After leaving Simon and Schuster, he wrote Wish You Were Here, a biography of Adams. Webb’s daughter is fantasy author Kate Griffin.
Technology Review, MIT’s science magazine for consumers, has announced the launch of a fiction magazine, TRSF. The magazine will have stories with ties to the parent magazine and will include works by authors including Joe Haldeman, Pat Cadigan, Vandana Singh, Ma Boyong, Gwyneth Jones, and Cory Doctorow. It is edited by Stephen Cass.
Editor Sheryl Tempchin says that Zahir, a quarterly magazine of speculative fiction founded in 2003, has ceased publication. Between 2003 and 2009, Zahir published twenty issues, with another eight issues published on-line after print production ceased. The magazines archives will stay available on-line despite the closure.
The SFWA Board has voted to extend the probationary period for Dorchester Books until January 31 with a vote of 6-0 with two abstentions. The board determined that with the probationary period coming to an end with the close of 2011, holiday, family, and other end-of-year obligations kept them from reviewing the situation in a complete manner and voted to extend the period. Dorchester was placed on probation in December, 2010.
After a change in their printer, David Hartwell at the New York Review of Science Fiction is considering ceasing production of a print magazine, investigating the option of publishing a pdf issue of the magazine. He will continue to publish print issues through July 2012. NYRSF will not be accepting subscriptions past July until a decision on the magazine’s future has been made. Whatever choice is made, Hartwell is clear that the magazine will continue.
John Joseph Adams, who recently became the publisher of Lightspeed and Fantasy in addition to their editor has announced the two magazines will merge. The combined magazine will double the fiction content, including four science fiction and four fantasy in each issue, although the amount of non-fiction content will be decreased. The price of the magazine will be increasing by about $1 per issue.
SFWA has announced the lifting of the probation period for Night Shade Books. Night Shade was placed on probation on July 8, 2010 after irregularities surfaced in Night Shade’s contractual fulfillment and rights. Night Shade has worked closely with SFWA during the intervening period to ensure that the infractions were rectified. Fiction contracted during that probationary term is acceptable for qualification for SFWA membership.
Terry Martin has announced that British series anthology Murky Depths would cease publication with the publication of issue 18. The first issue of Murky Depths appeared in 2007. Murky Depths had provided a mix of prose and comics in a glossy format.