grammar fascist writes "Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show, a science fiction / fantasy webzine, went online just yesterday. Card, the editor-in-chief, has stayed true to his ideals: quality stories, author's rights, and trust in people's honesty. New stories are released quarterly, with new column installments added monthly to the current issue. New art is created for each story. There isn't even an attempt at draconian content control. Writers and artists give exclusive rights for one year - after that, limited rights. Card wants your stories and art, not your copyrights. I've finished the first issue now, and the stories are great. "Eviction Notice" made me cry, and I laughed out loud at "Loose in the Wires." I paid my $2.50 initially to support the business model, but the stories themselves are worth it."Ads_xl=0;Ads_yl=0;Ads_xp='';Ads_yp='';Ads_xp1='';Ads_yp1='';Ads_par='';Ads_cnturl='';Ads_prf='page=article';Ads_channels='RON_P6_IMU';Ads_wrd='scifi,books,mainpage';Ads_kid=0;Ads_bid=0;Ads_sec=0; Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show Log in/Create an Account | Top | 239 comments | Search Discussion Display Options Threshold: -1: 239 comments 0: 222 comments 1: 189 comments 2: 135 comments 3: 35 comments 4: 16 comments 5: 13 comments Flat Nested No Comments Threaded Oldest First Newest First Highest Scores First Oldest First (Ignore Threads) Newest First (Ignore Threads) The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way. Doctorow (Score:1) by yourexhalekiss (833943) <yourexhalekiss&gmail,com> on Monday October 17, @08:53AM (#13808454) Cory Doctorow from BoingBoing is going to jump all over this.(Not without reason though, it seems.) [ Reply to This Great for O.S. Card (Score:3, Insightful) by mordors9 (665662) on Monday October 17, @08:55AM (#13808465) This follows in the great tradition of the old print anthologies of SF Stories. Hopefully this will lead to more interest in SF and writing in general. Perhaps we can return to the glory days of SciFi. [ Reply to ThisRe:Great for O.S. Card by EvilTwinSkippy (Score:2) Monday October 17, @11:27AMRe:Great for O.S. Card by MightyMartian (Score:2) Monday October 17, @12:43PMRe:Great for O.S. Card by rufty_tufty (Score:1) Monday October 17, @01:26PMRe:Great for O.S. Card by EvilTwinSkippy (Score:2) Monday October 17, @02:34PMRe:Great for O.S. Card by Kadin2048 (Score:2) Monday October 17, @03:42PMHuman drug factories by Demolition (Score:2) Tuesday October 18, @12:07AMRe:Great for O.S. Card by llefler (Score:2) Monday October 17, @04:25PM Another way to support Independant Science Fiction (Score:5, Informative) by salimfadhley (565599) <ip AT stodge DOT org> on Monday October 17, @09:00AM (#13808485) (http://wiki.stodge.org/ | Last Journal: Sunday April 11, @07:20PM) Another way to support independant sci-fi is to listen to Escape Pod [escapepod.info], the weekly science-fiction podcast magazine.I'm not involved in this project, but I have been a frequent donor. I think EP is a very important project. To some extent, the sci-fi and fantasy genres are dominated by the feature film, the novel and the long-running series. The traditional vehicle for short stories, magazines, have a dwindling readership, and do not have the distribution that they once had at their peak.EP seeks to create an audience, and perhaps one day a market for short, original science-fiction stories. I think this is a very noble and important cause.Please tune in. I hope you enjoy it. You can find it listed on all good podcast directories. [ Reply to This Stresstesting server (Score:3, Funny) by Big Nothing (229456) <big.nothing@bigger.com> on Monday October 17, @09:00AM (#13808487) Orson Scott Card's Intergalactic Medicine Show, a science fiction / fantasy webzine, went online just yesterday. Card, the editor-in-chief, wants to have his server stress tested. [ Reply to ThisHey! by MightyMartian (Score:2) Monday October 17, @12:00PM1 reply beneath your current threshold. Pffft...Mormons (Score:5, Interesting) by BushCheney08 (917605) on Monday October 17, @09:01AM (#13808489) Card, the editor-in-chief, has stayed true to his ideals: quality stories, author's rights, and trust in people's honesty. Pffft. Leave it to a Mormon to actually implement a business model that respects the work's creator...(I just spent last week in SLC. Can't say I agree with a lot of their views, but they are a very nice bunch of people.) [ Reply to Thisa very nice bunch of people by wiredog (Score:2) Monday October 17, @09:34AMRe:a very nice bunch of people by Oscillaters (Score:1) Monday October 17, @09:58AMRe:a very nice bunch of people by SirChive (Score:2) Monday October 17, @11:14AMRe:a very nice bunch of people by thegameiam (Score:2) Monday October 17, @12:12PMRiiiiight. by Anonymous Coward (Score:1) Monday October 17, @10:12AMRe:Umm.... by Oligonicella (Score:2) Monday October 17, @06:02PM2 replies beneath your current threshold. Re:a very nice bunch of people (Score:4, Funny) by Scrameustache (459504) on Monday October 17, @11:21AM (#13809355) (http://slashdot.org/ | Last Journal: Wednesday April 06, @12:47AM) And they don't go to extreme lenghts to try to convert you. Once it's clear that you're not interested they leave you alone.That's probably because they'll just convert you post-mortem.But they sure are a lot nicer than Jehova's Witnesses. [ Reply to This | ParentI don't care what they do to me after I'm dead by wiredog (Score:2) Monday October 17, @12:37PMRe:a very nice bunch of people by swillden (Score:3) Monday October 17, @01:24PM1 reply beneath your current threshold. Re:Pffft...Mormons (Score:5, Funny) by LWATCDR (28044) on Monday October 17, @09:35AM (#13808664) (Last Journal: Tuesday March 22, @09:08PM) You just had to go there.Now we can get see the flood of anti-Mormon bigotry start flowing.BTW The Mormon Churches website has instructions on how to view and or listen to their webcasts on Linux.Thanks for saying that they are a nice bunch of people but just like every group you have some good and some bad. Frankly if you want to show your respect for them it is best too just not mention them.Freedom of Religion is less welcome on Slashdot than a racially mixed wedding at a Klan meeting. [ Reply to This | ParentRe:Pffft...Mormons by kentrel (Score:1) Monday October 17, @11:36AM1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:Pffft...Mormons by nasor (Score:1) Monday October 17, @12:04PMRe:Pffft...Mormons by thegameiam (Score:2) Monday October 17, @12:14PMRe:Pffft...Mormons by nasor (Score:3) Monday October 17, @12:25PMRe:Pffft...Mormons by thegameiam (Score:2) Monday October 17, @03:21PMRe:Pffft...Mormons by Oligonicella (Score:2) Monday October 17, @06:07PMRe:Pffft...Mormons by Reziac (Score:2) Monday October 17, @08:46PMRe:Pffft...Mormons by LWATCDR (Score:3) Monday October 17, @12:21PMRe:Pffft...Mormons by rco3 (Score:2) Monday October 17, @02:32PMRe:Pffft...Mormons by LWATCDR (Score:2) Monday October 17, @02:51PMRe:Pffft...Mormons by rco3 (Score:2) Monday October 17, @03:51PMRe:Pffft...Mormons by LWATCDR (Score:2) Monday October 17, @05:00PMRe:Pffft...Mormons by LWATCDR (Score:2) Monday October 17, @05:09PMRe:Pffft...Mormons by rco3 (Score:2) Monday October 17, @06:39PMRe:Pffft...Mormons by LWATCDR (Score:2) Monday October 17, @07:41PM2 replies beneath your current threshold.Re:Pffft...Mormons by Gnulix (Score:1) Monday October 17, @12:38PMRe:Pffft...Mormons by corblix (Score:2) Monday October 17, @01:29PMRe:Pffft...Mormons by timster (Score:3) Monday October 17, @02:27PMRe:Pffft...Mormons by BushCheney08 (Score:1) Monday October 17, @02:42PM2 replies beneath your current threshold.Re:Pffft...Mormons by syrinx (Score:2) Monday October 17, @10:05AMBrownie, you're doing a heck of a job! by Scrameustache (Score:2) Monday October 17, @11:42AMRe:Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job! by Scrameustache (Score:2) Monday October 17, @05:52PM1 reply beneath your current threshold.1 reply beneath your current threshold.1 reply beneath your current threshold.Re:Pffft...Mormons by LWATCDR (Score:2) Monday October 17, @11:57AM2 replies beneath your current threshold.1 reply beneath your current threshold. Omni magazine? (Score:2) by Weaselmancer (533834) on Monday October 17, @09:05AM (#13808503) I'm definitely interested. My favorite magazine back when I was a kid was Omni. Loved the short story sci-fi they would always have there, and the creepy Giger artwork and all that. Totally bummed me out when they went all new-age.I've been looking for a good magazine sci-fi fix ever since. This could be just what I've been looking for since I was a teenager, if they do it right. [ Reply to ThisRe:Omni magazine? by JasonKChapman (Score:1) Monday October 17, @10:37AMRe:Omni magazine? by Ansonmont (Score:1) Monday October 17, @11:34AMRe:Omni magazine? by An ominous Cow art (Score:1) Monday October 17, @01:30PM Ummm... (Score:5, Informative) by KDan (90353) on Monday October 17, @09:09AM (#13808517) (http://www.mode-x.com/) Ok, so Orson Scott Card is a great author... but how is this groundbreaking? There are numerous webzines that publish quality stories, out there... Try Duotrope's digest [duotrope.com] to find them. Daniel [ Reply to ThisRe:Ummm... by mangus_angus (Score:1) Monday October 17, @09:14AMRe:Ummm... by rattboi (Score:1) Monday October 17, @11:03AM Re:Ummm... (Score:5, Insightful) by KDan (90353) on Monday October 17, @09:23AM (#13808567) (http://www.mode-x.com/) Also, in the "Submissions" section.. We pay 6 cents a word up to $500. Stories can be longer, but the word rate drops with increasing length to always yield a total of $500. With this payment we buy exclusive rights in any language or any medium throughout the world for one year from date of first publication in the magazine, and nonexclusive electronic and/or online rights in any language in perpetuity. We also buy nonexclusive print and audio rights throughout the world and in all languages for inclusion in multi-author anthologies based on the magazine, for which you will receive a pro rata share of the authors' share of advances and royalties, to be reported and paid when reports and payments are received by us from the publisher (or, if we are the publisher, every six months after one year after publication, if there are any earnings to report). Though these rights are not outrageous, they are by no means extraordinary. In fact, they are more restrictive than your average magazine rights - usually they don't restrict your right to publish in other media for a year, like this does (eg, according to this you are not allowed to sell your story to any anthology for a year from the publication date...). So essentially, whereas magazines normally only buy first rights (the rights to be the first to publish the story), this one wants to be the only one for at least a year. Respect for the author's rights? Really? Daniel [ Reply to This | ParentRe:Ummm... by mforbes (Score:2) Monday October 17, @01:09PMYou arer kidding, right? by N8F8 (Score:3) Monday October 17, @09:29AMnope by KDan (Score:2) Monday October 17, @09:43AMRe:nope by N8F8 (Score:2) Monday October 17, @09:46AMRe:nope by KDan (Score:2) Monday October 17, @10:44AMRe:Ummm... by Moofie (Score:1) Monday October 17, @12:47PM Card's Ideals (Score:3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17, @09:09AM (#13808521) Card, the editor-in-chief, has stayed true to his ideals: quality stories, author's rights, and trust in people's honesty... ...and flagrant homophobia [about.com]. [ Reply to ThisRe:Card's Ideals by batlock666 (Score:1) Monday October 17, @10:41AMDisagreement != Fear by Fished (Score:2) Monday October 17, @03:07PMRe:Disagreement != Fear by pomo monster (Score:2) Monday October 17, @04:41PMRe:Card's Ideals by BushCheney08 (Score:1) Monday October 17, @10:21AMso... by HBI (Score:2) Monday October 17, @10:41AM Re:Card's Ideals (Score:5, Insightful) by smooth wombat (796938) on Monday October 17, @10:55AM (#13809170) (Last Journal: Friday October 14, @09:52AM) those who oppose the political goals of certain homosexuals.You mean like equal protection under the law for the way they happen to be born? Or did you mean to marry who they want because they love that person?When people talk about the political goals of a group they usually mean that they don't want that group to have the same rights as they do.Take your pick. The anti-slavery groups, womens suffrage, womens rights, the people in these groups were denouced at one time or another (and to some extent still are) because these groups wanted the same rights for their members as the rest of the people had (usually white men).exhibiting lewd behavior on "gay pride" day you're branded a homophobe.So it's okay when heterosexual women flash their breasts (lewd behavior) during Mardi Gras or get felt up by their studmuffin while sitting on the park bench. [ Reply to This | ParentRe:Card's Ideals by halltk1983 (Score:2) Monday October 17, @11:16AMRe:Card's Ideals by Snocone (Score:3) Monday October 17, @12:27PMRe:Card's Ideals by halltk1983 (Score:1) Monday October 17, @01:13PMRe:Card's Ideals by Moofie (Score:2) Monday October 17, @01:27PMRe:Card's Ideals by halltk1983 (Score:1) Monday October 17, @05:36PMRe:Card's Ideals by Urusai (Score:1) Monday October 17, @01:46PMRe:Card's Ideals by Joe Decker (Score:2) Monday October 17, @11:33AM1 reply beneath your current threshold. well designed site... (Score:1) by jkind (922585) on Monday October 17, @09:16AM (#13808541) (http://www.milliondollarsweethearts.com/) Hope it takes off.. Here's a free story idea.. A short story written from the perspective of an Ethernet Frame. Would be no doubt scary, but also educational. [ Reply to This1 reply beneath your current threshold. More Independent Sci-Fi (Score:5, Informative) by Anitra (99093) <slashdot@anitra. ... m ['il.' in gap]> on Monday October 17, @09:58AM (#13808826) (http://ithilien.mine.nu/ | Last Journal: Wednesday July 13, @02:26PM) Want to read more free/cheap sci-fi and fantasy?Strange Horizons [strangehorizons.com] - a weekly e-magazine, donation-supported.Futurismic [futurismic.com] - a monthly e-magazine (focused on futuristic stories and articles about future technology), also donation-supported.I've been reading both of these for a few months now, and the stories are great! I'm planning to donate in their fund drives, because I think the quality is superb. [ Reply to ThisRe:More Independent Sci-Fi by grammar fascist (Score:2) Monday October 17, @01:41PMRe:More Independent Sci-Fi by grammar fascist (Score:2) Monday October 17, @01:45PM Author's rights WHAT? (Score:5, Informative) by damned_mediocrity (923503) on Monday October 17, @09:59AM (#13808829) From the /. article summary: "Card wants your stories and art, not your copyright."Ummm, not to question the great slashdot editors, but this is *standard practice* for lit magazines, both in print and online. The author USUALLY retains the copyright for published work. Nothing unique here.Also, most print lit magazines only purchase first serial rights and/or some type of one-time anthology rights. Card's magazine purchases EVERYTHING, all rights, for an entire year. This agreement is actually worse for writers than what most publications offer.As for having all rights (except online rights, which they keep forever!!) returned to the author after a year, this seems great... except when you consider:a) for many print/web literary publications, rights return to the author immediately after publication.b) that the author won't be able to sell the story very easily if it's appeared in another magazine before. Editors want FIRST serial rights, so they can provide readers with unique, never-read-before content. When rights are returned to the author after a year, the author's not going to be able to do much with them, except for maybe putting the story in a print anthology.Sorry slashdot editors, but this looks like a not-so-hot deal for authors. [ Reply to ThisRe:Author's rights WHAT? by nonsequitor (Score:1) Monday October 17, @10:17AMRe:Author's rights WHAT? by damned_mediocrity (Score:1) Monday October 17, @11:08AMRe:Author's rights WHAT? by shadowpuppy (Score:1) Monday October 17, @10:53AMRe:Author's rights WHAT? by julesh (Score:2) Monday October 17, @12:19PM1 reply beneath your current threshold. spEnder's Game (Score:2) by digitaldc (879047) on Monday October 17, @10:27AM (#13809005) I wholly support this way of paying for a subscription, $2.50 is not bad at all.PS the book 'Ender's Game' by Orson Scott Card is excellent, I recommend it to anyone.LINK: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0812 550706/103-3928436-9214253?v=glance [amazon.com] [ Reply to This 2 OSC stories in as many weeks? (Score:1, Flamebait) by j4ck50n (548439) on Monday October 17, @10:31AM (#13809021) Regardless of literary (non) accomplishments - this guy is a raging bigot of many shades.So, as long as I churn out second rate overblown sci-fi and inane social commentary - I am free to bash, discredit and spread hate and religious intolerance?The man is a racist homophobic bigot who deserves scorn and scrutiny, not praise. [ Reply to This Re:2 OSC stories in as many weeks? (Score:5, Insightful) by LadyVirharper (804893) on Monday October 17, @11:02AM (#13809221) Regardless of literary (non) accomplishmentsHave you actually ever read his work? Lots of fascinating ideas in there. Some are getting dated...ie, in Ender's Game there's a scene where Ender fools the other kids by basically signing up for a second account and IMing everyone, and while that stuff didn't exist when the book was written, it's common nowdays so probably doesn't have the same effect as it did not 10 years ago...but others are still interesting.His feuding brothers are getting annoying, though. For some reason half of his brothers like to hate the other halfs' guts. But that's another topic alltogether...and inane social commentaryWell, I find it nice that he's so involved with his community. Perhaps you find contributing to community inane, but I respect it.The man is a racist homophobic bigotRacist? Obviously you've never read his stuff. As for homophobic...perhaps, I don't like his opinions there myself. I don't think he's a bigot, though. A bigot is someone who never considers anyone else's view. I think he's someone who has thought about it, and has chosen his path, much like I've considered things, and I've chosen my path. Not everyone who is not all for gay rights or who supports Bush is a narrow-minded bigot, as much as I'd like to jump on that bandwagon myself and say they are. (wouldn't that be a form of bigotry itself?) who deserves scorn and scrutinyIn that order? The scorn before the scrutiny? ::grin:: Perhaps reverse that...take a good look at what he's saying, then decide if you want to scorn everything, or not.I'm not saying everyone should lovy-dovy-love him, just that I've found in my own following of his columns that he has more interesting, worthwhile ideas than not, and I've found I respect someone who contributes to his communties--SFF literature, and his local hometown--more than someone who bitches and complains but doesn't try to pitch in to help in their own communities. I do find his views on homosexuality to be a shame, though. And Bush. Bleh. I don't read his political columns anymore, because I know I don't agree.(Heh, I'm such a moderate...damned because I'm not left-wing enough, damned because I'm not right-wing enough.) [ Reply to This | ParentRe:2 OSC stories in as many weeks? by coyote_oww (Score:3) Monday October 17, @11:04AMRe:2 OSC stories in as many weeks? by TouchyFeely (Score:1) Monday October 17, @11:13AMRe:2 OSC stories in as many weeks? by RexRhino (Score:2) Monday October 17, @11:38AMRe:2 OSC stories in as many weeks? by TufelKinder (Score:2) Monday October 17, @11:39AMPot? Kettle? Black? by MavenW (Score:1) Monday October 17, @12:35PMRe:2 OSC stories in as many weeks? by Moofie (Score:1) Monday October 17, @02:15PM Alternatives (Score:2, Interesting) by Heddahenrik (902008) on Monday October 17, @10:32AM (#13809026) (http://heddate.com/) If you just want to read/look at scifi stories and art, Elfwood http://www.elfwood.com/ [elfwood.com] is much easier to access, and it's free.And at the spin-off sites like Elftown http://www.elftown.com/ [elftown.com] and Writersco http://www.writersco.com/ [writersco.com] you can have a much more intime conversations with or between the writers and artists. But there are also some pretty bad amateurs there, but many see that as a feature, not a bug. [ Reply to ThisRe:Alternatives by grammar fascist (Score:2) Monday October 17, @02:02PMRe:Alternatives by Reziac (Score:2) Monday October 17, @09:11PM The man knows quality. (Score:5, Insightful) by LadyVirharper (804893) on Monday October 17, @10:32AM (#13809027) I don't agree with OSC's politics either, but he's a very talented writer, and he also knows how to spot good writing (and other forms of art too). Like someone else said, everyone's flawed, and if you let it limit the artists you patronize, you'll be missing out on a lot of good things.OSC also is very active compared to other SFF writers in teaching the next generation to write. He's taught creative writing classes (and he's much more qualified than most who teach those usually worthless classes). He's written a book on how to write SFF, and a book on characterization. And, believe it or not, both books have solid advice...I taught myself how to write before I picked up his books on characterization and SFF, and I pretty much was nodding, going, "Yes, this is right...I do that already...yep, he's got it right..." What I had learned independantly on my own was confirmed in them. They're the only books on writing I've read so far that actually know what they're talking about...I've laughed a few others out the window for being absurdly incorrect on a lot of points.I have the feeling that the new webzine is just another step in making a high-quality market for the next generation of writers. I wouldn't be surprised if this turned into the next, oh, I don't know...Azimov's, or something like Marion Zimmer Bradley's anthologies, or other SFF 'zine that was backed by a highly talented author, back in the "Good 'ol days". [ Reply to ThisRe:The man knows quality. by OSUJoe (Score:1) Monday October 17, @01:42PMRe:The man knows quality. by Reziac (Score:3) Monday October 17, @09:07PMWhat if he were a misogynist? by surelyserious (Score:1) Monday October 17, @10:58PM cool! but can i get it in print?! (Score:4, Insightful) by radarsat1 (786772) on Monday October 17, @11:35AM (#13809470) (http://loopdub.sourceforge.net/) There's definitly something amazing about the short story format. It is particularly well-suited to sci-fi, as can be evidenced by the beginnings of the genre in Amazing Stories, etc, and thousands of issues of Omni and Asimov's Science Fiction that continue to publish great fiction. And there's something wonderful about holding the latest issue in your hand, taking it with you on the bus, reading it cover to cover, one story at a time.It's great that Orson Scott Card is doing his own magazine! I've read some anthologies that he's edited, and they were very good. However, I'd really love to order this in PRINT, if I could, or head over to the magazine store to pick up the latest issue.As much as we'd like websites to take over the print market, I just don't see it happening. I still want a piece of paper in my hand when it comes to reading. Even if it was on one of those nice new paper-like LCD screens, I can't imagine it would be an equal experience to holding a book in your hand. I think it's not resolution that is the defining factor here. It is something about the permanence of ink on paper that wins me over. When I finish reading a great story, I never want to lose it. I want to put it on my shelf so I know where it is. The harddrive is such a volatile place to store memories that you don't want to lose... [ Reply to This Current Best Souce of Science ficiton (Score:2) by DrRobert (179090) * <`moc.cam' `ta' `eciubgr'> on Monday October 17, @12:00PM (#13809643) (http://homepage.mac.com/rgbuice) scifiction.com is currently the highest paying market for science fiction period. It is edited by Ellen Datlow (from Omni) and the combination of the best editor and the best pay means it has in general the best ficiton. [ Reply to This spelling error on page 1 of story (Score:1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 17, @12:48PM (#13809979) I glanced at the first page (the free preview) of "Eviction Notice", since the submitter raved about how good it was.I noticed "Dukes of Hazzard" was misspelled as "Dukes of Hazard". That's about as good a sign of quality as newspapers which have typos in their headlines.(Posting anonymously since I'm not terribly proud of the fact that I knew off the top of my head that Hazzard has two z's. But hey, it's better than ranting about OSC's political views or about Paypal.) [ Reply to This quality stories! (Score:1, Troll) by mildness (579534) <<bill> <at> <bamph.com>> on Monday October 17, @01:56PM (#13810506) (http://www.billyburton.com/) Card, the editor-in-chief, has stayed true to his ideals: quality stories... So he won't actually be submitting stories himself then? (:-{p} BillyBob [ Reply to This Orson Scott Card is a swine... (Score:1) by wintermute42 (710554) on Monday October 17, @03:55PM (#13811542) (http://www.bearcave.com/) Card is notorious (or at least should be) for his anti-gay rants andhis support for a view of morality that closely mirrors that of theChristian Right. You can see echos of his strange world view in hisbooks.Since /. tends more toward libertarianism if it tends towardanything, why contantly suck up to card? What's next, noticesabout the latest novels by Newt Gingrich?Any way, you can read who ever you want. But for me it's hard toforget who Card is and what kind of politics he promotes. [ Reply to This1 reply beneath your current threshold. Reminds me of a great old magazine Aboriginal (Score:1) by ibvaughn (922147) on Monday October 17, @04:14PM (#13811686)