Details on the New Owners of Analog, Asimov’s, and F&SF
Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Asimov’s Science Fiction, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction have been acquired by Must Read Magazines, a division of a new publishing company, Must Read Books Publishing. All editorial staff from the magazines have been retained in the acquisitions. Jackie Sherbow has been promoted to editor of Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. P.L. Stevens joins the group as publisher.
From Stevens’ statement to Locus:
There are writers who have posted online asking if the magazines have somehow been taken over by unusual interests and we want to reassure people that’s not the case. Ultimately the magazines’ content will remain editorially driven as they have always been, and they might be interested to know that one of our largest single outside financial backers, Michael Khandelwal, is a lifelong regional con attendee (more below). We feel these magazines are extremely important to the legacy and future of these genres, and hope to continue each magazines mission while updating the business behind the magazines in order to reach more readers and writers. The acquisitions were necessary for the magazines to survive and hopefully thrive in the changing publishing economy….
In recent years, magazines have faced significantly rising costs and lower payments from certain retailers.
The company plans to bolster the magazines by expanding their distribution in trade bookstores, increasing their digital footprint, investing more in marketing the magazines to new readers and writers across channels, and using their platform to promote genre fiction authors in general….
As always, the creative missions of the magazines are driven by their longtime editorial staff.
Peter Kanter, publisher of Penny Publications, said,
We have been proud to publish the four iconic magazines — Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Asimov’s Science Fiction, and Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine — since 1996, bringing fans the very best science fiction and mystery short stories available. Recently, we at Penny / Dell decided to focus on our core business: publishing puzzle magazines. We were thrilled to find a great new home for our fiction magazines with Must Read Magazines. We will be excited to see the editors bring the magazines to new levels of excellence.
Gordon Van Gelder, former publisher of the F&SF, has joined the new group in a consulting capacity. He said,
During the pandemic, it became obvious to me that there needed to be changes in the way F&SF operated. I’m very happy that Must Read Magazines has taken over ownership of the magazine and I’m delighted tobe handing over the reins to the new group. It has been an honor and a joy for me to run the magazine for the last quarter-century and I look forward to seeing where it goes in the coming years. And I’m particularly glad that F&SF is joining forces with the other fiction magazines. There’s a lot we should be able to accomplish together.
Editor Sheila Williams of Asimov’s told us,
We’re on schedule to meet all our usual deadlines, so no change in the publishing schedule. I think there will be some changes to the production workflow. The ones that I know of are reasonable. I’m not worried about that. I’ve been through those kind of changes many times.
Our editorial staff remains the same. We’re excited about the future. Thenew owners are enthusiastic about genre publishing. They’re readers. Our lead investor and board advisor, Michael Khandelwal, is an SF art collector and a regular at Virginia’s Mars Con, as well as founder of a Virginia writing nonprofit that does great work. The group purchased us because they appreciate the magazines.
I’m optimistic about the future. I think it’s great that the magazines’ owners are so supportive of fiction and want the community to grow. They appreciate the relationships that the editors have with their writers. I’ve been encouraged to continue working with our terrific authors and looking for innovative new writers.
Editor Trevor Quachri of Analog said,
For the time being, at least, I don’t expect much to change for Analog. The editorial staff (such as it is) is carrying over, and so too is the magazine’s identity, style, tone, and so forth. Most of the changes are back-end, whichthe vast majority of readers should never notice, but which will free up some time to be more ambitious in the future. It’s possible there might be some small art and design refreshes, but all stuff I’ve been planning to do anyway; I’ll save anything big for the centennial in five years…. The publishing schedule will remain the same.
Right now, I’m primarily concerned with making the transition from one group of support departments and programs and procedures to another as smoothly as possible, but I’m optimistic that we’ll be able to be more proactive about author promotion, a better website, etc. soon enough.
The parent company will take over sponsorship of the Astounding Award for Best New Writer, the Black Orchid Novella Award (with The Wolfe Pack), the Dell Award for Undergraduate Excellence in Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing, Asimov’s Readers Awards, AnLab Awards, The Analog Award for Emerging Black Authors, and Ellery Queen Readers Awards, among others.
Must Read Magazines is financially backed by a small group of genre fiction fans. A major investor and board advisor is Michael Khandelwal, the founder of a writing nonprofit and Virginia’s Mars Con toastmaster. Macmillan Learning Ebook consultant and developer Franco A. Alvarado has joined the group as director, design & operations. Leading the executive board is former Curtis Brown literary agent Steven Salpeter, who will manage the distribution, translation, and Film/TV rights for the company, as he does for other companies at his new firm 2 Arms Media.
Earlier coverage here and elswhere listed Salpeter as acquiring the magazines for another company. Salpeter has established his own independent business, but will remain attached to a number of projects that were sold or managed during his prior employment (at Assemble Media), including Sublimation with Universal International Studios based on the novel by Isabel J. Kim, and with other projects to be announced. Salpeter ‘‘looks forward to continuing a cordial relationship with his prior employers, which may include collaboration with them on select projects, but they have no involvement with Must Read Magazines.’’
