Comments on: SOSpz http://www.rimworlds.com/thecrotchetyoldfan/2009/04/sospz/ Science Fiction For Old Farts Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:35:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: The Crotchety Old Fan http://www.rimworlds.com/thecrotchetyoldfan/2009/04/sospz/comment-page-1/#comment-6998 The Crotchety Old Fan Mon, 13 Apr 2009 15:47:40 +0000 http://www.rimworlds.com/thecrotchetyoldfan/?p=4141#comment-6998 Yes, I reluctantly agree also - because it is a convenient demarcation - but as you've pointed out, it sends the wrong message. Yes, I reluctantly agree also – because it is a convenient demarcation – but as you’ve pointed out, it sends the wrong message.

]]> By: Neil Clarke http://www.rimworlds.com/thecrotchetyoldfan/2009/04/sospz/comment-page-1/#comment-6968 Neil Clarke Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:22:24 +0000 http://www.rimworlds.com/thecrotchetyoldfan/?p=4141#comment-6968 I agree with Cheryl on this one. If you are going to use pay as a criteria, you should be looking at pay for the staff, not the authors. The majority of semiprozine editors are not currently doing this for a living. I agree with Cheryl on this one. If you are going to use pay as a criteria, you should be looking at pay for the staff, not the authors. The majority of semiprozine editors are not currently doing this for a living.

]]> By: Cheryl http://www.rimworlds.com/thecrotchetyoldfan/2009/04/sospz/comment-page-1/#comment-6955 Cheryl Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:37:22 +0000 http://www.rimworlds.com/thecrotchetyoldfan/?p=4141#comment-6955 No, not really. Money inevitably defines professionalism. See the Campbell, for example. What I'm concerned about is who gets identified as the professional. In semiprozine the person up for the award is the editor, but you are making an eligibility rule that is dependent on the professional status of the contributors. You are quite right that a semiprozine that pays professional rates will have a better chance of winning because it has better quality contributors. That should act to <strong>encourage</strong> editors to pay their contributors more (and indeed themselves less, because the money goes to the contributors first). I think that's a good thing. What you want to do is <strong>punish</strong> editors for paying their contributors well. That's really not a good idea. No, not really. Money inevitably defines professionalism. See the Campbell, for example. What I’m concerned about is who gets identified as the professional. In semiprozine the person up for the award is the editor, but you are making an eligibility rule that is dependent on the professional status of the contributors.

You are quite right that a semiprozine that pays professional rates will have a better chance of winning because it has better quality contributors. That should act to encourage editors to pay their contributors more (and indeed themselves less, because the money goes to the contributors first). I think that’s a good thing. What you want to do is punish editors for paying their contributors well. That’s really not a good idea.

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