The 40th issue of Clarkesworld Magazine, dated January 2010, is now available. This issue features:
Fiction:
“The Things” by Peter Watts
“All the King’s Monsters” by Megan Arkenberg
Nonfiction:
“Lucius Shepard: An Expatriate Writer of Exotic Tales” by Jason S. Ridler
“Video Game Sci-Fi Comes of Age” by Brian Trent
2009 Reader’s Poll and Contest by Neil Clarke
Podcast:
An audio version of “The Things” written by Peter Watts, read by Kate Baker
The cover art is “Warm” by Sergio Rebolledo
Votes in the Reader’s Poll and Contest are due by 30 January. Five voters (randomly chosen) will receive a copy of Unplugged: The Web’s Best Sci-Fi & Fantasy: 2008 Download.
Publisher Neil Clarke has also announced some changes for the online magazine coming this year. He writes:
“In 2009, we experimented with publishing longer stories. In 2010, we’re making the change official. Our new upper word limit is 8000 words. Pay is 10 cents per word for the first 4000 and 5 cents per word after. Our preferred length is still around 4000 words, but we no longer feel the need to tie our hands with that limitation.
“For the last 18 months, Clarkesworld has been podcasting short fiction on a monthly schedule. Starting in January, we will change our podcast publication schedule to twice a month. Stories will be podcast on the 1st and 15th of each month. You can subscribe (for free) to our podcast at iTunes and Podcast Alley.
“Starting in the second quarter, we will add a reprint fiction track to the magazine. Stories will be serialized from a trade paperback anthology to be published by Wyrm sometime in late 2010. Details to follow.”