Transcribe
Translate
Fantasy News, v. 3, issue 1, whole no. 53, June 25, 1939
31858063100923_016
More information
digital collection
archival collection guide
transcription tips
Do Editors Know What The Fans Want? By Ralph Milne Farly Or for that matter do the fans themselves know what they want? The title and the opening sentence hereof may sound as though they were the venting of a pet peeve by an unsuccessful author, based upon a series of rejections. On the contrary, they are by a fairly successful (thank you!) author, and are based upon a series of acceptances. some of my worst stories (judged by fan responde) were accepted by return mail, first time out. Some of my best stories (again judged by fan response) went begging for years. Stan Weinbaum was working on his "Revolution of 1950" at the time of his death in 1935. For three years it suffered rejection after rejection. Finally it was published late in 1938, probably because of fan demand for any old thing from Stan's gifted pen. And, mirabile dictu, this supposed dud ran neck for first place in two issues in which it appeared. In fact, its success is probably what induced Amazing to drop its tabu against serials. In the face of a fan demand, and of editorial insistence, on more science in STF, Wellman's "Battle in the Dawn", was published -- after a number of rejections, I am told. by no stretch of the imagination can it be considered to be STF at all. Yet, judging by both expert literary criticism and fan response, it is the outstanding story published by any STF magazine in recent years. and yet one fan, in one and the dame letter, praised it and hollered for more science. The same goes, to a somewhat less extent, for the only really good story that Unknown has yet printed, namely the whimsy: "Trouble with Water". An author friend of mine sells a lot of science-fiction under two nommes-de-plume. Any intelligent reader ought to be able to connect the two names by internal evidence. The author hasn't yet been caught, and so I'll not give him away. Yet one published fan-letter praises Mr. Jeckel as the fan's favorite author, while damming Mr. Hyde as his pet anathem. Edgar Rice Burroughs continues to write a type of story (you all know his formula) which editors unanimously refuse to buy from any other pen. They buy from Burroughs, and pay him four times their otherwise highest rate, because of his reputation and the fan demand. Did it ever occur to them to put two and two together and figure that his continued reputation may be due to the fact that renders like that type of story, even though spohisticated editors may despise it? Any STF editor will tell you that STF renders will not stand for a story which travesties science-fiction how then account for the success of Cumming's "Tubby" series? The editors reject, as juvenile, stories of the type which are outstanding successes in the Brick Bradford and Flash Gordon strips. They say that a science-fiction yarn must have the same suspense and menace to the hero as a Western, for instance and yet the Superman strip is going across big, to the horror and surprise of editors and authors alike. Edwin Baird, formerly editor of Weird Tales once told me that he hoped some day to get out a magazine which would consist (Continued on P 24)
Saving...
prev
next
Do Editors Know What The Fans Want? By Ralph Milne Farly Or for that matter do the fans themselves know what they want? The title and the opening sentence hereof may sound as though they were the venting of a pet peeve by an unsuccessful author, based upon a series of rejections. On the contrary, they are by a fairly successful (thank you!) author, and are based upon a series of acceptances. some of my worst stories (judged by fan responde) were accepted by return mail, first time out. Some of my best stories (again judged by fan response) went begging for years. Stan Weinbaum was working on his "Revolution of 1950" at the time of his death in 1935. For three years it suffered rejection after rejection. Finally it was published late in 1938, probably because of fan demand for any old thing from Stan's gifted pen. And, mirabile dictu, this supposed dud ran neck for first place in two issues in which it appeared. In fact, its success is probably what induced Amazing to drop its tabu against serials. In the face of a fan demand, and of editorial insistence, on more science in STF, Wellman's "Battle in the Dawn", was published -- after a number of rejections, I am told. by no stretch of the imagination can it be considered to be STF at all. Yet, judging by both expert literary criticism and fan response, it is the outstanding story published by any STF magazine in recent years. and yet one fan, in one and the dame letter, praised it and hollered for more science. The same goes, to a somewhat less extent, for the only really good story that Unknown has yet printed, namely the whimsy: "Trouble with Water". An author friend of mine sells a lot of science-fiction under two nommes-de-plume. Any intelligent reader ought to be able to connect the two names by internal evidence. The author hasn't yet been caught, and so I'll not give him away. Yet one published fan-letter praises Mr. Jeckel as the fan's favorite author, while damming Mr. Hyde as his pet anathem. Edgar Rice Burroughs continues to write a type of story (you all know his formula) which editors unanimously refuse to buy from any other pen. They buy from Burroughs, and pay him four times their otherwise highest rate, because of his reputation and the fan demand. Did it ever occur to them to put two and two together and figure that his continued reputation may be due to the fact that renders like that type of story, even though spohisticated editors may despise it? Any STF editor will tell you that STF renders will not stand for a story which travesties science-fiction how then account for the success of Cumming's "Tubby" series? The editors reject, as juvenile, stories of the type which are outstanding successes in the Brick Bradford and Flash Gordon strips. They say that a science-fiction yarn must have the same suspense and menace to the hero as a Western, for instance and yet the Superman strip is going across big, to the horror and surprise of editors and authors alike. Edwin Baird, formerly editor of Weird Tales once told me that he hoped some day to get out a magazine which would consist (Continued on P 24)
Hevelin Fanzines
sidebar
