Online magazine seeks donations

Filed under: Strange Horizons
2 Comments

The Strange Horizons fall fund drive is nearly over, and I still haven't managed to post about it.

I suppose I probably have some new readers lately, so I should mention that Strange Horizons is the online speculative fiction magazine for which I'm a fiction editor. We publish new fiction, poetry, and nonfiction fifty-one weeks out of every year. We've been doing this for over six years now, and we've never missed a week (except our one week of vacation each year).

The magazine is funded entirely by donations, and almost all of the money goes to paying contributors; all 30 staff members are volunteers. In the US, donations are tax-deductible; we're an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

So. If you like what SH is doing, or even if you just believe in nonprofit online publications making high-quality material available for free, I encourage you to stop by and donate; just follow the "fund drive" link up above.

As usual, we're happy to see donations of any amount. Network for Good, our preferred donation system, has a $10 minimum, but I don't think there's a minimum via PayPal. And, of course, we're always pleased to see larger amounts. If you donate $25, you get a spiffy membership card; higher levels of donations come with more premiums.

I'm sorry to say that the fund drive is going pretty slowly this time around. If you've been meaning to donate but have been putting it off, please consider stopping by and donating now. The process is pretty painless, and we and our readers will be most grateful.

If you haven't been by the site in a while, you may also be interested, of course, in checking out some of our content. We've had some pretty unusual fiction lately. [Added later: I should have mentioned that some of the recent fiction is definitely not work-safe.] This week's reviews focus on James Tiptree, Jr., and her legacy. The latest column is Matt Cheney pondering "The Absence of Animals," especially on Battlestar Galactica. Our recent poetry includes work by longtime reader favorites as well as newer poets. And the latest of of our art galleries features Raul Cruz's mix of Aztec and Mayan elements with science fiction and fantasy.

So come take a look at what we're doing, and consider sending a little money our way while you're there.

2 Responses to “Online magazine seeks donations”

  1. Aliette de Bodard

    Oops, I had completely forgotten about the fund drive. Thanks for reminding me!

    reply

  2. Renata Hill

    Jed, as an aficionada and editor of a speculative fiction e-zine myself, I wish you the best in your fund drive. The editors of Electric Spec (www.electricspec.com) also have discussed the revenue issue and agree with your “museum model” of soliciting contributions. As far as increasing the dollars received goes, it’s all about marketing. And marketing. And more marketing. Get your title out there everywhere you can think of in cyberspace and the real world. Be shameless about it. The more people who hear about your fantastic e-zine with it’s awesome website, incredibly determined set of volunteers, and most importantly, high quality stories, the more money you’ll receive. Your product is such that it will sell itself as soon as spec fiction readers know of it. Again, good luck. Oh, and I put my money where my keyboard was, too.

    reply

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