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Spaceways, v. 3, issue 4, May 1941
Page 14
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14 SPACEWAYS TRANSITION 8 by DONALD A. WOLLHEIM The transition from fan to professional editor is one which is undoubtedly the secret ambition of most fans and particularly of those who have edited fan magazines and who have written science-fiction stories. Letters to the editor are a give-away of the thought. These letters would not be written if there were not those who did not hold themselves to be as competant to judge fiction as the editor. Which is as it should be. It was natural that a fan of my record and standing would have wanted to become an editor. I take a certain pride in never accepting an editor's opinion on science-fiction as automatically superior to my own. Thi sis admittedly damnably egotistical and I hope the readers of this article do not take it as meaning that I regard the rest of fandom as a bunch of galoots. I don't and never did. What I mean is this: After all, I had been an ardent and avid reader of science-fiction for about fifteen years. During this period I had absorbed just about everything of this sort ever written. I had collected hundreds of items from Argosies and obscure magazines from the nineteenth century onwards; I had spent countless hours over a period of many years arguing science-fiction, arguing things pertaining to it, threshing out the question of space-flight, of time-travel, of the dimensions, with dozens of fans and friends. I had met, made close friendships and close correspondences with at least several hundred readers of science-fiction. I had engaged in arguments with them, had enjoyed the friendship of some, the respect of others, the hate of still others. All in all, I felt that I could say truly that I knew science-fiction and I knew its readers. In addition I knew what made up a story--at least sufficiently well to sell a couple yarns 'way back when I first became active as a fan and to be able to turn out presentable yarns now when I write. Now, considering this, consider the case of the existing editors. After all, a fan is an expert. The longer the experience, the more capable the expert. By what right thus did incompetants edit magazines of this specialized field? I was thinking of such as Robert Erisman, Malcolm Reiss; men who may be experts at general pulp editing but whose knowledge of science-fiction didn't equal that of the 35th top fan. Again, other editors were such as did not make me feel inferior to any of them in my knowledge of fantasy. Palmer is an old time fan but he had left fantasy for quite a while before he came back an editor. I had never left fantasy. Mort Weisinger stopped being a follower of science-fiction before I became active. His interest today is still purely a matter of business. Leo Margulies was never a fan in the correct sense. John Campbell was one of the best writers of fantasy ever, but the depth to which I had gone into fantwork and the nature of science fiction made me feel that I was still able to speak to him on equal terms. Fred Pohl is an old fan friend of mine. So then I never had any qualms about my ability to judge science-fiction as compared with the then existing editors. Early in 1940, I carefully surveyed the professional pulp magazine publishers, trying to determine those who might be likely to put out a new fantasy magazine and who would likely be able to hire a new editor rather than throw the work on some existing general editor. I had several discussions with a number of companies, drew up tentative plans for some. As it developed, however, most of the publishers finally decided to sink their dough in comic magazines. Everywhere I went, the publishers were going wild about comics. A report had said that one of them, Action Comics, was selling three million copies. Naturally, this was enough to drive any publisher mad. Science-fiction lost every time. (As a side-thought, most of those comic magazines were a terriffic loss. The publishers usually bet on the wrong horse.)
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14 SPACEWAYS TRANSITION 8 by DONALD A. WOLLHEIM The transition from fan to professional editor is one which is undoubtedly the secret ambition of most fans and particularly of those who have edited fan magazines and who have written science-fiction stories. Letters to the editor are a give-away of the thought. These letters would not be written if there were not those who did not hold themselves to be as competant to judge fiction as the editor. Which is as it should be. It was natural that a fan of my record and standing would have wanted to become an editor. I take a certain pride in never accepting an editor's opinion on science-fiction as automatically superior to my own. Thi sis admittedly damnably egotistical and I hope the readers of this article do not take it as meaning that I regard the rest of fandom as a bunch of galoots. I don't and never did. What I mean is this: After all, I had been an ardent and avid reader of science-fiction for about fifteen years. During this period I had absorbed just about everything of this sort ever written. I had collected hundreds of items from Argosies and obscure magazines from the nineteenth century onwards; I had spent countless hours over a period of many years arguing science-fiction, arguing things pertaining to it, threshing out the question of space-flight, of time-travel, of the dimensions, with dozens of fans and friends. I had met, made close friendships and close correspondences with at least several hundred readers of science-fiction. I had engaged in arguments with them, had enjoyed the friendship of some, the respect of others, the hate of still others. All in all, I felt that I could say truly that I knew science-fiction and I knew its readers. In addition I knew what made up a story--at least sufficiently well to sell a couple yarns 'way back when I first became active as a fan and to be able to turn out presentable yarns now when I write. Now, considering this, consider the case of the existing editors. After all, a fan is an expert. The longer the experience, the more capable the expert. By what right thus did incompetants edit magazines of this specialized field? I was thinking of such as Robert Erisman, Malcolm Reiss; men who may be experts at general pulp editing but whose knowledge of science-fiction didn't equal that of the 35th top fan. Again, other editors were such as did not make me feel inferior to any of them in my knowledge of fantasy. Palmer is an old time fan but he had left fantasy for quite a while before he came back an editor. I had never left fantasy. Mort Weisinger stopped being a follower of science-fiction before I became active. His interest today is still purely a matter of business. Leo Margulies was never a fan in the correct sense. John Campbell was one of the best writers of fantasy ever, but the depth to which I had gone into fantwork and the nature of science fiction made me feel that I was still able to speak to him on equal terms. Fred Pohl is an old fan friend of mine. So then I never had any qualms about my ability to judge science-fiction as compared with the then existing editors. Early in 1940, I carefully surveyed the professional pulp magazine publishers, trying to determine those who might be likely to put out a new fantasy magazine and who would likely be able to hire a new editor rather than throw the work on some existing general editor. I had several discussions with a number of companies, drew up tentative plans for some. As it developed, however, most of the publishers finally decided to sink their dough in comic magazines. Everywhere I went, the publishers were going wild about comics. A report had said that one of them, Action Comics, was selling three million copies. Naturally, this was enough to drive any publisher mad. Science-fiction lost every time. (As a side-thought, most of those comic magazines were a terriffic loss. The publishers usually bet on the wrong horse.)
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