Since then they've fallen into a decline and now there are only a few titles being printed, although online markets have taken up some of the role that the classic print magazines have played.
The SFWA blog has published an analysis of whats's going on with the magazines, which still represent significant markets for new and established authors. There are two parts – Part 1: Submissions & Supplies and Part 2 Part 2: Short- and Long-Term Prospects & the Post-COVID Landscape.
The outlook is cloudy.
Clarkesworld Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Neil Clarke has been speaking with other magazines about these issues over the last breaking month, and he sums things up nicely for the short-term: “The financial situation for most magazines wasn’t great before all this started. When ‘breaking even’ was the goal for many that weren’t even budgeting to pay for their staff, you have a foundation for trouble. The most financially stable publications are the three with print editions (Asimov’s, Analog, F&SF) and with bookstores closed, that has cut off a source of revenue. Fortunately, it appears as though their print and electronic subscription copies are still flowing.”For online mags, it’s a mixed bag. “Other editors I’ve spoken to on the digital side of things are reporting a mix of ups, downs, and washes with gains and losses in subscriptions as some readers have lost jobs,” Clarke said. “Several have mentioned that they don’t feel comfortable reminding readers to subscribe or promoting other revenue-generating activities while all this is going on.”And the long term? “Mid-to-long-term is a big question mark. No one is talking about closing their doors just yet and many see what they are providing as an important escape from the daily news,” Clarke said. “A sustained drop in paid readership (or in some cases, the loss of an editor/publisher’s day job), would be a problem anytime. It’s just more of a significant concern now and in the months ahead.”
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