Proposal to merge Prism with New/Dark Horizons

[Jen]

But will there be an alternative e-edition of the beast available for those of us who loathe and detest hardbacks (no matter how luxuriously glorious they may look) and really really don't have the room for the whole collecting of pretty things malarkey.

Seriously, I'd much rather have a PDF version of it for my sub.     (Captain, make it so!)

[Peter Coleborn]

Jen!!!!!!!!!!

How can you loathe books? Books are beautiful, life-enhancing things 

[Jen]

It's only hardbacks I loathe, they're buggerly awkward to read comfortably and generally take up too much shelf space.  Paperbacks are lovely creatures and welcome any time.  Although for purposes of space, mass portabality and instant access, e-books are now my new favourite.   

[Paul Woodward]

As a relatively new member of the BFS I would like to say that I like the idea of combining prism into the other magazines.
I also value the news on the front page of the website.
I think regarding news reviews and interviews longer articles are better read in print and shorter ones on the internet.  Perhaps a combination of internet and print, and not necessarily a duplication of each other.
I don't think a hardback magazine is necessary though, I am happy with softback. 
Although as an aside there is nothing better than holding a hardback novel in your hands and reading it, they don't flop as paperbacks do.

[LouM]

I've mentioned it in my rambling way before now, but basically what Paul said ^

I agree absolutely with David's point about needing to have something lovely as an incentive to join - otherwise people will just read the website, and feel there's no benefit in joining or renewing.

Also, paperbacks are nowhere near as good for making gates to a wooden block castle as hardbacks. They lack that impression of impenetrability: a well-placed trebuchet will take out a paperback in no time. 

[Jen]

Also, paperbacks are nowhere near as good for making gates to a wooden block castle as hardbacks. They lack that impression of impenetrability: a well-placed trebuchet will take out a paperback in no time. 

Ah, but, a maze made of hardbacks tend to do lethal damage to hamsters when the walls are breached, paperbacks allow them to fight another day.   

[David A. Riley]

Well, effectively it looks as if the last issue of Prism , the September one, was the last there will ever be. From now on there'll be just one publication mailed out to members, and reviews and news will be on the website. I hope this results in more members using this site.

Since there's no point in having an editor for a non-existent publication, I would just like to say that I have enjoyed doing what I could with it during the course of this year - and at least it's appeared on schedule - and was, hopefully, of interest to members when they got it.

What columns are kept - no doubt "Ramsey's Rant" and, I hope, Mark Morris's "Mark of Fear" and John Probert's "Profundo Probert" - don't need me just to pass them on to whoever will be collating everything for the printer.

I was there when the Bulletin first went litho in the mid seventies and, oddly enough, I was there again during the Bulletin's final issues. Which marks the end of an era. Perhaps, in this internet age, it was the right decision too. At least there should be no delays in getting news and reviews out there on the website to the society's members. And our printed journals can concentrate on other things that don't date quite so quickly.

David

[Stephen Theaker]

Thanks for all your hard work, David. Thanks for putting up with me!

[David A. Riley]

Thanks, Stephen. There was no "putting up" with you about it. Your advice and help was invaluable and much appreciated. I've even learned how to do pdf's, though a bit late in the day, alas.

David

[Jane Holland]

As a non-member, who has absolutely no right to comment or eavesdrop on this discussion, I'm going to say that membership of organisations is more attractive for me if meetings are involved. I can buy books and magazines anytime. But face to face meetings are an incentive for me to join. Where people only meet once or twice a year, and there's no chance to get together with other 'local' members more frequently than that, I rapidly become bored.

Of course, if it's more about getting published in the BFS publications, that's clearly a big draw for those who are writers. But with the word British in the BFS name, surely the main appeal is that many members are going to be within reasonable travelling distance of a meeting. Which isn't the case for international organisations.

I belong to the Romantic Novelists Association. It runs about 6 London meetings a year, incl. a long weekend conference, and has a large number of 'chapters', i.e. local groups which meet monthly in most cases, for lunch or talks. Members tend to have a very strong Twitter presence. It also administers a popular email list and a New Writers' Scheme, for which it charges a higher membership fee of around £100, where established writers within the RNA volunteer to look at and report on new writers' work. They get hundreds of applicants every year for the NWS and had to close entries after only 7 days this year.

Don't want to interfere. Just thought those comments might be useful for you in considering how to attract new/continuing members.

[Selina]

Well, effectively it looks as if the last issue of Prism , the September one, was the last there will ever be. From now on there'll be just one publication mailed out to members, and reviews and news will be on the website. I hope this results in more members using this site.

Thanks fro your recent work on Prism David.

Do we know if there's going to be some info going out to Section Editors and/or reviewers on how things proceed from here then?

[David A. Riley]

It's all in a state of flux at the moment and I'm far from sure just what exactly is planned to be done about all this. It's come quite sudden. I had already got the cover for the next issue of Prism ready for example. Now I'm told that the layout and setting of the magazine, book or whatever it's eventually going to be is to be done by PS Publishing, not as previously by the editors.

[Stephen Theaker]

As a non-member, who has absolutely no right to comment or eavesdrop on this discussion, I'm going to say that membership of organisations is more attractive for me if meetings are involved. I can buy books and magazines anytime. But face to face meetings are an incentive for me to join. Where people only meet once or twice a year, and there's no chance to get together with other 'local' members more frequently than that, I rapidly become bored.

Of course, if it's more about getting published in the BFS publications, that's clearly a big draw for those who are writers. But with the word British in the BFS name, surely the main appeal is that many members are going to be within reasonable travelling distance of a meeting. Which isn't the case for international organisations.

I belong to the Romantic Novelists Association. It runs about 6 London meetings a year, incl. a long weekend conference, and has a large number of 'chapters', i.e. local groups which meet monthly in most cases, for lunch or talks. Members tend to have a very strong Twitter presence. It also administers a popular email list and a New Writers' Scheme, for which it charges a higher membership fee of around £100, where established writers within the RNA volunteer to look at and report on new writers' work. They get hundreds of applicants every year for the NWS and had to close entries after only 7 days this year.

Don't want to interfere. Just thought those comments might be useful for you in considering how to attract new/continuing members.

Don't worry about interfering - the BFS is always looking for good ideas that can be nicked from other societies!

We have a long weekend conference too, FantasyCon, each September, and reading the history of the BFS suggests it's been pretty crucial in keeping the society active during some lean years.

[Stephen Theaker]

Do we know if there's going to be some info going out to Section Editors and/or reviewers on how things proceed from here then?

David H. should be in touch, but I think the plan is for some reviews at least to appear in the journal. With it being a hardback it will take longer to print, so the deadline for sending your sections in (currently scheduled for November 8th) is likely to move forward substantially.

[David A. Riley]

As a non-member, who has absolutely no right to comment or eavesdrop on this discussion, I'm going to say that membership of organisations is more attractive for me if meetings are involved. I can buy books and magazines anytime. But face to face meetings are an incentive for me to join. Where people only meet once or twice a year, and there's no chance to get together with other 'local' members more frequently than that, I rapidly become bored.

Of course, if it's more about getting published in the BFS publications, that's clearly a big draw for those who are writers. But with the word British in the BFS name, surely the main appeal is that many members are going to be within reasonable travelling distance of a meeting. Which isn't the case for international organisations.

I belong to the Romantic Novelists Association. It runs about 6 London meetings a year, incl. a long weekend conference, and has a large number of 'chapters', i.e. local groups which meet monthly in most cases, for lunch or talks. Members tend to have a very strong Twitter presence. It also administers a popular email list and a New Writers' Scheme, for which it charges a higher membership fee of around £100, where established writers within the RNA volunteer to look at and report on new writers' work. They get hundreds of applicants every year for the NWS and had to close entries after only 7 days this year.

Don't want to interfere. Just thought those comments might be useful for you in considering how to attract new/continuing members.

I too like the idea of regular meetings - something which London area members have had for some time with Open Nights. And I am pleased that the new chairman, David Howe, has now organised one for the North West in Manchester this December. That's a big step forward and one I am looking forward to. I just hope that many of our members and supporters from around this area will be able to get there.