The Keystone Codex

How it works

Sci fi magazines used to be a huge cultural force, giving emerging writers a place to prove themselves to traditional publishers and audiences. That is no longer the case.

At the same time, indie authors are desperate for channels to reach readers. The surviving and emerging magazines are choking on a flood of story submissions, relying on volunteers to stretch the limited supply of editorial talent and enthusiasm to cover the workload. Adding AI writing into the mix is only making everything worse.

This is where the Keystone Codex comes along. Here is how it will work.

1. Your plucky admin (that would be me) opens for applications from writers to contribute to the next issue. I can also reach out to invite suitable indie authors to join in the fun. Each issue will have a theme chosen by the admin.

2. Unlike typical magazines, applicants won’t submit stories. Instead they will submit a short story concept that suits the theme, plus links to their published novels.

3. Admin will select suitable applicants (around 12 per issue) based on the quality of their novels and short story concept, then they can begin drafting.

4. Writers will be put into teams of around four, then offer feedback (structural, line, proofing) to produce the best possible stories. All feedback passes anonymously through the admin, who will filter it for quality, constructiveness and tact.

5. Admin will format the polished stories into a magazine, with ample space for each author to promote their novels. A small amount of paid advertising space will be available for any other indie authors, the funds from which will cover overheads.

6. The monthly magazine will be distributed as a free ebook, reaching the largest possible audience and driving sales of authors’ other works.

This structure solves many of the current problems crippling science fiction magazines.

Firstly, editorial talent is the rate limiting step in the traditional model. Decentralising this key function will make it possible for a single admin to coordinate the project. Accepting authors rather than stories also solves two key problems. Most magazines waste huge amounts of energy filtering their ever-growing slush piles (a worsening problem with the flood of AI generated submissions). Authors also waste huge amounts of time writing and submitting short stories that no magazine ends up wanting. AI generated stories will also be filtered out during the process.

Announcing the theme of each issue, then selecting the best applicants, will increase the market appeal of each issue. Readers who love a particular subgenre or trope will have a hand-picked selection of compatible authors to browse at zero cost, which is more likely to lead them to purchasing a novel from their favourites.

The free ebook drives the price of short fiction to its proper level - zero.

Pulp genre fiction proliferated when the price of printing physical magazines plummeted. We need to take the next step. It is often said that when a product is free then the consumer is the product, and that is also true for the Keystone Codex. It exists primarily as advertising for authors, advertising that is so good that potential audiences will go out of their way to read it.

The lack of direct payments to authors greatly simplifies administration. The amount of money paid for short stories by legacy magazines is frankly not worth the bother for most authors. With a substantial distribution and readership the value of the opportunity to advertise other major works will more than offset the investment of writing a short story. And writing a short story knowing it is guaranteed to be published is a huge saving of effort compared to the traditional way this is done at legacy magazines. Keeping admin minimal and streamlined will mean a single person can coordinate everything, avoiding the fragility and inefficiency of teams.

So there it is- a new vision for what a sci fi short story magazine should be in the 21st century. The monthly production cycle will mean that minor variations on the structure can be attempted to refine the model.

Please subscribe to make sure you get notifications when the first edition is ready. At this stage it looks like May will be used up recruiting authors, then June will be dedicated to writing, so the first edition should be out on the first of July!