Take a look at Abyss & Apex, for example. With close to a decade underneath their belt, they just recently (2009) made it to the SFWA as a professional market. Up until that point they were semi-pro, paying less than 5 cents a word.

It took them around 10 years (as I recall) to get to the point where they were paying pro rates. They rely on donations according to their website, built up over the years.

The point is, we are just another car on the road of speculative fiction. If you prefer to drive another vehicle (see publication who can afford to pay you 5 cents (or more) per word) that’s entirely your choice. We are the new kid on the block, after all, and many an eyebrow will be raised in curious wonder until we have a few years underneath our belt.

Remember, Clarkesworld, Subterranean, F&SF, Strange Horizons and all the others started off small, too It may have been far enough back that no one remembers when, but everyone grows from a beginning. This is ours.

Another thing to keep in mind is that no one is forcing you to support us. We are not a pro market, not in the least. If you (anyone) are a professional writer who is used to making several hundred dollars per sale for short fiction, we are probably not the publication for you. At least not yet. We are a new, independent, small press that is focused purely on quality fiction. That could come from serious writers who have a story they might not have been able to sell at a higher paying market, or new writers who have something that they want to get out to an indy market label where things are small and personal. Right now, we are babies. We are a passion project that is starting out small and working its way up. We understand we have to earn your respect as readers, and that’s what we aim to do.

So with that in mind I look forward to seeing your purchase as you support us on our way to becoming one of those you so avidly read! And, if you are truly an intrepid sort, we might even see one of your submissions!

Ours is small, but you are getting a major dose of content. Black Gate, for example, charges between 13 and 16 dollars for their issues, yet they do not pay as much as Asimovs. We have a similar level of content, and are charging what we feel is fair for our authors and artists.

We are also just getting started out, and the entire project is funded out of my own pocket I’m not claiming we are better than anyone…we are just another face on the market, and as we build up a subscription base we will begin paying what we can afford to pay.

Think of it this way…if you look at a vehicle in its most basic form it is nothing more than four wheels, a compartment, and a motor that gets you from point A to point B. There are thousands of different kinds of cars. Each person in the world has a personal preference as to which type of car they want to drive and which brands they prefer over others. Some cost more than others. Some have better amenities than others. Some brands have decades of history, while others are just starting out. We are just another type of car on the road of speculative fiction.

We aren’t in the same category as Asimov’s (yet!) because we are just starting out, have a small budget, haven’t yet gotten advertising, nor do we have several decades’ worth of reputation backing us. But our content is fresh, it’s good, and it’s innovative, which is a great start for a new publication. And there’s no reason why our writers and artists shouldn’t be compensated accordingly. Feel 10 dollars is too expensive to pay for quality content? Well, if you can read a copy faster than you can eat and digest a McDonald’s meal…….

Don’t believe me? Feel free to pick up a copy of Issue One and find out for yourself! Not to mention, your support will push us that much closer to increasing the rates we pay to our artists and authors!

Or if you want to argue the green angle, there are quite a few e-zines that are free to read, but they too pay professional rates to their authors.

How is yours better?