Thoughts about Helix Quarterly
Helix is a new online quarterly scifi/spec journal with a gimmick. It’s completely donation-dependent. No subscriptions. No advertising. I put the over/under at 6 issues. Here’s why.
Reason One: Same as it ever was
Editor William Sanders, while well-connected in the sci-fi/spec community, writes in his first editorial:
“This magazine had its origins in a discussion among some of us disgruntled bastards concerning the present rather discouraging state of speculative fiction; and in particular the timidity and conservatism that seemed to be taking hold in the editorial offices of the SF magazines. Several of us had recently had the experience of having perfectly valid stories bounce merely because they were too “dark”, too unconventional — or, most disturbingly of all, too likely to offend somebody.”
Complaints about industry conformity, accusations of timidity, compromises of integrity. The standard indie press talking points are there (and there’s nothing wrong with that). However, is this really different than any other web journal that has come and gone?
This leads to the question: is righteous indignation enough to fuel a publication for more than a few issues?
Reason Two: Budget
As artistically pure and romantic as the notion of a donation-only publication sounds, it’s not going to work. Sure, there will be the friends and associates who donate money, perhaps even becoming long-term patrons. However, what happens when these patrons move on? What happens when you publish something that they don’t agree with?
Their slush pile is invite-only, and they do not actually pay for stories. Though some people crave the exposure, what happens when the authors can earn $0.08/word elsewhere with ten times more audience?
I hope it succeeds. But I doubt it.