Jim Baen's Universe
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Jim Baen's Universe | |
|---|---|
 |
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| URL | http://www.baens-universe.com/ |
| Commercial? | Yes |
| Type of site | Periodical |
| Available language(s) | English |
| Owner | Baen Books |
| Created by | Eric Flint, Jim Baen, and Mike Resnick |
| Launched | June 2006 |
| Current status | Active |
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Jim Baen's Universe (JBU) is a bimonthly online fantasy and science fiction magazine created by famed publisher Jim Baen that began soliciting materials in January of 2006 and launched in June 2006. The first and current editor-in-chief is Eric Flint, who was called "Baen's Bulldog" (By Jim Baen) for he's led the Baen's PR charge in Baen's controversial Anti-DRM stance since 1999 that is so dear to both Baen and his editor, who is also "First Librarian" of Baen's Free Library (founded 1999). Flint wrote in the forward [1] to Grantville Gazette III that Jim Baen was able to see the first issue of JBU, but had a stroke on June 11th, 2006 and didn't see its full success. Jim Baen, by all accounts a visionary, died shortly after the launch towards the end of its first month.
The long-time veteran editor Mike Resnick with four decades experience in publishing serves as executive editor, and the magazine targets "very long novel" length (120,000-150,000 words per issue) while paying near top Pro-rates. In the words of the literary magazine Greatest Uncommon Denominator magazine reviewer Debbie Moorhouse says:
JBU is a massive read. Even at an accelerated pace, with a deadline looming, it took me days to read it all. This is what I want from a magazine: a variety of stories to get my teeth into and some non-fiction to leaven the mixture. The only drawback was that I couldn't take it with me to my usual reading place--it just isn't possible to snuggle up in bed with a computer.
In its short history Universe has featured stories from a number of notable authors, including Alan Dean Foster, Gregory Benford, Esther Friesner, and Cory Doctorow[3]. It is notable for being one of the few webzines recognized by the SFWA as a Qualifying Short Fiction Venue[4]. That is, publication can be used to claim status as a professional science fiction writer to earn SFWA membership[5].
Regular columnists include Flint, Resnick, Barry Malzberg, and Stephen Euin Cobb.
Part of the magazine's stated philosophy is to nurture new authors. Slots are reserved in each issue for new writers. Amateur writers are encouraged to submit their work via an online forum, referred to as "e-slush." Stories submitted to e-slush are criticized by peers and associate editors. The theory is that this process may turn stories that were not quite publishable into publishable ones.
[edit] Awards and recognition
- Cory Doctorow's "When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth" won the Locus Award for best novelette of 2006[6]. It was later reprinted in Doctorow's Overclocked: Stories of the Future Present.
- Locus also cites four novelettes from Baen's Universe in its 2006 Recommended Reading List[7].
- Mike Resnick's "All the Things You Are" was nominated for (but did not win) the 2007 Hugo Award for Best Novelette[8]
- Hugo Award winning editor Gardner Dozois has selected three stories from Universe to include in his 2007 anthology of the year's best science fiction. He also indicated in his forward that "Jim Baen's Universe (www.baensuniverse.com) made a very strong debut this year (sadly, and ironically, the same year that its founder died), publishing some of the year's best science fiction..."[9]
[edit] Reviews
- Volume One, Number Two was reviewed in Tangent Short Fiction Review[10]
- Volume One, Number Three was reviewed in Greatest Uncommon Denominator magazine[11]
- Volume One, Number Four was reviewed in Locus Magazine[12]
- Volume Two, Number One was reviewed in Tangent Short Fiction Review[13]
[edit] Electronic distribution
Universe originated as an experiment in e-publishing. The magazine is electronic only, and is not available in print (although a hardcover "Best of" collection has been published[14]). It is distributed without digital rights management. [15] The first half of each story can be read for free, but only subscribers can read the second half. Individual issues can be purchased via the e-publisher Webscriptions, which was also a web entity that Jim Baen was instrumental in—so much so, Baens Webscription services and Webscriptions (owned by Webwrights of Tennessee) are confused by many.
[edit] References
- The Editor's Page @JBU and the "Salvo's Against Big Brother Columns (Baen's/Flints column dedicated to fighting DRM)
- News and announcements from the Editor-in chief's home page. Q&A pages and information hold much about genesis of this e-zine.
- ^ Flint, Grantville Gazette III , "Preface", July 2006, copyright January 2007, hardcover, Baen Books.
- ^ Moorhouse, Debbie (Tuesday, June 26, 2007). Review: Jim Baen's Universe Volume One Number Three. Greatest Uncommon Denominator. Retrieved on 2007-12-08.
- ^ Comprehensive Jim Baen Universe Authors Index
- ^ List of SFWA Qualifying Short Fiction Venues
- ^ SFWA Membership Requirements
- ^ 2007 Locus Award Winners
- ^ Locus magazine 2006 Recommended Reading List
- ^ 2007 Hugo Award Nominees
- ^ Dozois, Gardner (2007). he Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Fourth Annual Collection. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 978-0312363352.
- ^ Tangent Short Fiction Review of Vol 1 Num 2
- ^ Greatest Uncommon Denominator Magazine review of Vol 1 Num 3
- ^ Locus Magazine Issue 551 Table of Contents
- ^ Tangent Short Fiction Review of Vol 2 Num 1
- ^ Flint, Eric (2007). The Best of Jim Baen's Universe. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-2136-5.
- ^ Boing Boing: Baen's Universe - new sf e-zine with no DRM and top writers
[edit] External links
- Jim Baen's Universe
- [1] - many JBU columns are available to non-subscribers, those that aren't can be read in part (about half)
