Which Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazines Deserve More Love?

As the S cience Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America awards deserving writers with Nebulas this weekend, I was reminded of the incredible variety and vibrancy of short fiction magazines. We are in an unprecedented age of access when it comes to short stories. You can visit the sites of industry stalwarts such as Asimov's, Fantasy and Science Fiction and read hundreds of incredible short stories. FIYAH, The Deadlands, and Baffling Magazine have quickly solidified their reputations as incredible outlets for both emerging and established writers.

Why aren't more science fiction and fantasy readers reading? I recommend SFF magazines to friends who are avid readers of science fiction and fantasy. Fewer readers are subscribers. According to Locus Magazine's State of Magazines in 2021, Lightspeed had 29,851 average monthly visitors and 2,209 subscribers. The magazine had 13,651 visitors and 1,477 ebook subscribers.

I've been an editor and a short fiction first reader for a couple of magazines. It doesn't give me a lot of access to what's actually going on behind the scenes, but it has given me a huge appreciation for short stories. Many magazines are run by volunteers, and keeping any magazine running is a labor of love, done in support of the readers, writers, and the future storytellers in the science fiction/fantasy space.

I would encourage you to support short fiction markets if you love science fiction and fantasy. These magazines are often the proving ground for young writers, and give space for established voices to experiment and explore their own style with more freedom than is typically allowed at a publishing house. Short fiction is vital, exciting, and wonderful, and so much of it is easily accessible via online publication, ebooks, or even in published yearly anthologies.

If you have a favorite short fiction magazine, tell us in the comments. Here is an incomplete list of magazines and markets I have enjoyed over the past few years, not including the zines listed in this article.

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