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Spaceways, v. 3, issue 4, May 1941

Page 18

18     SPACEWAYS

BEACON LIGHT 7
by
S F CYNIC

Just how important are fans from the professional editor and publisher's viewpoint? That is something which has long puzzled many. Articles have been written proving that fans are tremendously important, because of their expert knowledge of all phases of stf and fantasy. Articles have also been written proving that the fans are a loud-mouthed little minority better disregarded. Some editors have gone on the first assumption, others on the second, still others on a third assumption, namely that, while fans may not be as important as they seem to think themselves, still they are worth listening to.
Campbell obviously listens very carefully to his readers, both the fans and the general reader who writes in. He has his reward: the best liked in the field, the titles with the largest all-around following. Whether or not he has the largest circulation is not quite definite. Both the and Palmer have laid claim to the honor; both have brought forth statistics to prove it. Apparently, it's a close battle. Palmer, now, also listens very closely to a certain type of reader. But that type is not the type of which fandom is mainly composed; there is, true, a Palmer faction within fandom, but it is not very large, and not looked upon by the majority with much favor. Thrilling Wonder Stories very clearly has a definite audience, and its adherents can be found in stf fandom to a large degree.  And, even at this early date, it can be noted that Wollheim and Tremaine are gathering to themselves a steadily growing list of retainers. In the case of the former, many of these are of the Campbell school; many letters received by Stirring's editor have listed the magazine as among their top favorites, placing Astounding and/or Unknown at the top. Comet has not yet hit its full stride, but, when it does, it will build up a specialized audience just as the old Astounding did. Will it be as large an audience? Remember, the competition to the Street & Smith Astounding a few years back just didn't exist. Future Fiction and Science Fiction obviously have a following of their own. And there is a possibility that the new Super Science Novels will attract its own clique, garnering some from the stalwart Startling enthusiasts. Planet Stories clearly has a steady audience; more on Planet later, however. But these magazines which have their own crawd do very obviously keep close contact with that clique, make sure they know just what the boys want, and give them that no matter how loudly outsiders may yell. So far as we have been able to make out, however, Astonishing Stories, Marvel Stories, and the old Super Science were transient-attractors, Astonishing in particular. It has the edge, being a compact little thing at a very popular price, generally neat in appearance, and containing a nice number of stories, none of which were too long. Just the thing to pick up at an odd moment, then perhaps leave on the subway. And don't let anyone tell you that this is bad, because a magazine can be a terrific financial success on that basis, because the transient will come back for more, though not for every issue and he will recommend the mag to friends on the same basis.
The conclusions to be drawn, therefore, seem to be this. Fandom as a whole is not reliable as a guide for any one magazine. However, the fans within a particular magazine's following can help a great deal. Within the exception of such cases where a single group goes gunning for one particular object in regard to a particular magazine (or perhaps all magazines) the editor who is wise listens will and heeds. And he's usually rewarded.
I promised to say a bit more about Planet Stories. Theirs is a most interesting case. For the most part, they publish quarterly magazines, well-printed, generally neat in appearance, containing a usually good or better grade of story. When the company decided to try their hand at stf, back in the Fall of 1939, just prior to Astonishing's first appearance, they didn't have too much of an idea what it was all about. Their first issue had but four stories, a rather poor cover, generally punk drawings, and no departments. But, such was the skill of the editor, Malcolm Reiss, the mag had a definite atmosphere from the very start. The second issue showed a remarkable improvement in many ways. The cov-

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18 SPACEWAYS BEACON LIGHT 7 by S F CYNIC Just how important are fans from the professional editor and publisher's viewpoint? That is something which has long puzzled many. Articles have been written proving that fans are tremendously important, because of their expert knowledge of all phases of stf and fantasy. Articles have also been written proving that the fans are a loud-mouthed little minority better disregarded. Some editors have gone on the first assumption, others on the second, still others on a third assumption, namely that, while fans may not be as important as they seem to think themselves, still they are worth listening to. Campbell obviously listens very carefully to his readers, both the fans and the general reader who writes in. He has his reward: the best liked in the field, the titles with the largest all-around following. Whether or not he has the largest circulation is not quite definite. Both the and Palmer have laid claim to the honor; both have brought forth statistics to prove it. Apparently, it's a close battle. Palmer, now, also listens very closely to a certain type of reader. But that type is not the type of which fandom is mainly composed; there is, true, a Palmer faction within fandom, but it is not very large, and not looked upon by the majority with much favor. Thrilling Wonder Stories very clearly has a definite audience, and its adherents can be found in stf fandom to a large degree. And, even at this early date, it can be noted that Wollheim and Tremaine are gathering to themselves a steadily growing list of retainers. In the case of the former, many of these are of the Campbell school; many letters received by Stirring's editor have listed the magazine as among their top favorites, placing Astounding and/or Unknown at the top. Comet has not yet hit its full stride, but, when it does, it will build up a specialized audience just as the old Astounding did. Will it be as large an audience? Remember, the competition to the Street & Smith Astounding a few years back just didn't exist. Future Fiction and Science Fiction obviously have a following of their own. And there is a possibility that the new Super Science Novels will attract its own clique, garnering some from the stalwart Startling enthusiasts. Planet Stories clearly has a steady audience; more on Planet later, however. But these magazines which have their own crawd do very obviously keep close contact with that clique, make sure they know just what the boys want, and give them that no matter how loudly outsiders may yell. So far as we have been able to make out, however, Astonishing Stories, Marvel Stories, and the old Super Science were transient-attractors, Astonishing in particular. It has the edge, being a compact little thing at a very popular price, generally neat in appearance, and containing a nice number of stories, none of which were too long. Just the thing to pick up at an odd moment, then perhaps leave on the subway. And don't let anyone tell you that this is bad, because a magazine can be a terrific financial success on that basis, because the transient will come back for more, though not for every issue and he will recommend the mag to friends on the same basis. The conclusions to be drawn, therefore, seem to be this. Fandom as a whole is not reliable as a guide for any one magazine. However, the fans within a particular magazine's following can help a great deal. Within the exception of such cases where a single group goes gunning for one particular object in regard to a particular magazine (or perhaps all magazines) the editor who is wise listens will and heeds. And he's usually rewarded. I promised to say a bit more about Planet Stories. Theirs is a most interesting case. For the most part, they publish quarterly magazines, well-printed, generally neat in appearance, containing a usually good or better grade of story. When the company decided to try their hand at stf, back in the Fall of 1939, just prior to Astonishing's first appearance, they didn't have too much of an idea what it was all about. Their first issue had but four stories, a rather poor cover, generally punk drawings, and no departments. But, such was the skill of the editor, Malcolm Reiss, the mag had a definite atmosphere from the very start. The second issue showed a remarkable improvement in many ways. The cov-