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Fantasia, v. 1, issue 3, July 1941
Page 24
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24 FANTASIA QUICK, HENRY -- THE KREML! The editorial hair-tearing is only figurative, but the situation might very well warrant the real thing. Trouble is that to date only four submissions have reached Fantasia by the postal route, and four submissions over six months are patently too few. So forgive us while we strike up the old song-and-dance; we'll cut it as short as possible. First, we want material from other than local sources because we want a wider range of choice. We feel that the reading matter we have presented so far has been generally good, and your comments have confirmed our opinion; but we won't allow Fantasia to become inbred. For the good of both the magazine and its readers, we must have access to a greater proportion of fan ideas and talent, commodities on which neither San Francisco nor any other locality has a corner. In this way we can justify Fantasia's existence, presenting the best of the submissions to the fan-world, pacing mounting circulation with qualitative expansion. Second, the precise character of the material we require is beyond definition. If you can get the "feel" of Fantasia's own personality -- still developing, and admittedly in a more or less embryonic stage -- then you'll know as much about what we want as we do, ourselves. As to type, we are after fiction, poetry and articles, plus any hybrid forms which might suggest themselves to you. Third, we must necessarily be conservative as to the methods of obtaining material. This is as near to a personal invitation as we can afford to venture, because direct personal solicitation -- no matter how adroitly phrased -- carries with it an implied obligation to publish the material solicited, and we cannot and will not in any way commit ourselves to print anything, sight-unseen. It's difficult to be specific about generalities, but we've done the best we can. We mean every word of it, and, in the interest of our readers, Fantasia and the editorial bangs, we trust you'll give our urgent request for material your careful consideration. We'll be looking forward to receiving a contribution from you, and if we're able to, we'll use it. Our little experiment with 200 copies of the April issue panned out a dud, as the circulation increase did not justify our prior expectations. So we're limited ourselves to 150 copies per issue until such time as Fantasia's paid circulation approximates 100. We have hopes of reaching that mark with the fourth (October) number. Whether any records will have been broken if we succeed is a matter for speculation. Once again, our thanks for your encouraging letters. Unfortunately, there are just too many of them for the three pages allotted to Odds Bodkins! But all are considered in compiling the ratings and in formulating the very sketchy policies we do adhere to. Next issue, we're presenting another little innovation to supplement the first year of Fantasia's life; you'll find it unexciting, but perhaps helpful. Now, the collective ratings of material appearing in Fantasia for April, 1941. First place in the concensus report went to Illustrations throughout, Hypothesis and Rendezvous. Taking second were Cover and Pictorial, Man the Space-Rockets, and Djinn Fizz. Third were Epic, Let There Be Art, and Remember? These standings may not be exact, but they serve as a fairly accurate barometer of reader-opinion. THE STAFF
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24 FANTASIA QUICK, HENRY -- THE KREML! The editorial hair-tearing is only figurative, but the situation might very well warrant the real thing. Trouble is that to date only four submissions have reached Fantasia by the postal route, and four submissions over six months are patently too few. So forgive us while we strike up the old song-and-dance; we'll cut it as short as possible. First, we want material from other than local sources because we want a wider range of choice. We feel that the reading matter we have presented so far has been generally good, and your comments have confirmed our opinion; but we won't allow Fantasia to become inbred. For the good of both the magazine and its readers, we must have access to a greater proportion of fan ideas and talent, commodities on which neither San Francisco nor any other locality has a corner. In this way we can justify Fantasia's existence, presenting the best of the submissions to the fan-world, pacing mounting circulation with qualitative expansion. Second, the precise character of the material we require is beyond definition. If you can get the "feel" of Fantasia's own personality -- still developing, and admittedly in a more or less embryonic stage -- then you'll know as much about what we want as we do, ourselves. As to type, we are after fiction, poetry and articles, plus any hybrid forms which might suggest themselves to you. Third, we must necessarily be conservative as to the methods of obtaining material. This is as near to a personal invitation as we can afford to venture, because direct personal solicitation -- no matter how adroitly phrased -- carries with it an implied obligation to publish the material solicited, and we cannot and will not in any way commit ourselves to print anything, sight-unseen. It's difficult to be specific about generalities, but we've done the best we can. We mean every word of it, and, in the interest of our readers, Fantasia and the editorial bangs, we trust you'll give our urgent request for material your careful consideration. We'll be looking forward to receiving a contribution from you, and if we're able to, we'll use it. Our little experiment with 200 copies of the April issue panned out a dud, as the circulation increase did not justify our prior expectations. So we're limited ourselves to 150 copies per issue until such time as Fantasia's paid circulation approximates 100. We have hopes of reaching that mark with the fourth (October) number. Whether any records will have been broken if we succeed is a matter for speculation. Once again, our thanks for your encouraging letters. Unfortunately, there are just too many of them for the three pages allotted to Odds Bodkins! But all are considered in compiling the ratings and in formulating the very sketchy policies we do adhere to. Next issue, we're presenting another little innovation to supplement the first year of Fantasia's life; you'll find it unexciting, but perhaps helpful. Now, the collective ratings of material appearing in Fantasia for April, 1941. First place in the concensus report went to Illustrations throughout, Hypothesis and Rendezvous. Taking second were Cover and Pictorial, Man the Space-Rockets, and Djinn Fizz. Third were Epic, Let There Be Art, and Remember? These standings may not be exact, but they serve as a fairly accurate barometer of reader-opinion. THE STAFF
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