Bewildering Stories discusses...
The Value of Bewildering Stories
A contributor sends a note of appreciation and asks some pertinent questions.
Hi, Don. Again, wonderful advice and wisdom. Spot on. Not sure I’m the poetry type, though, but that exercise sounds like a great brain teaser to stave off old age. Hm.
What I like about BwS: The critique is honest and valuable, and more importantly it is always sage advice. Also, worth more than money; stories and art remain available for as long as BwS remains on the Internet. In the case of your stories, for example, I was able to read works you published some time ago, free.
How much advertising does BwS do? Can people find stories through Internet search engines?
[Don W.] Thank you for the kind words, they’re much appreciated! “A good word goes a long way.” — a BwS motto.
Every week I receive similar messages from contributors who’ve found little or no help elsewhere on the Net. They tell me we’re on the right track.
“Professional” publications bid — in effect — for submissions from “established” authors. BwS rests on no one else’s laurels; we aim to help develop such authors and offer them a home. That’s why BwS resembles a collection of ad hoc university seminars. We have guidelines and articles on writing but no “canned” lessons or fixed formulas; discussion is our priority. And the Bewildering university is ultimately democratic: free and open to all.
How much advertising does BwS do?
“Wherever there’s money, there are people trying to get their hands on it.” — a BwS motto. We accept no paid advertising, but we do allow authors to contract individually for advertisements on a page of their own.
Does BwS advertise itself? Not nearly as much as we can or, probably, should. We have long needed a Public Relations Editor, someone who knows where to place periodic announcements of what we do and are doing. Popular on-line forums would be a good start.
Complacency is never a good thing for a person or organization. BwS encourages self-promotion: after all, is anyone else going to do it for you? Authors who use social media, for example, to publish links to BwS are not necessarily engaging in self-flattery; they’re sharing information. It’s good for them and for BwS, too.
Can people find stories through Internet search engines?
Yes. And Bewildering Stories has many indexes. Everything is only one, two, or three clicks away, whether you browse by topic in Special Indexes or you already know what you’re looking for:
- From an Internet search engine: click on the link.
- From the BwS home page:
- Search function > enter a title or keyword, or the author’s name.
- Biographies & Bibliographies > author > title.
- Titles, Authors, Genres Index > Peruse the complete, official index by categories!
In my experience, most other on-line publications — and even authors’ personal websites — do not make their histories so easily and completely accessible. As a result, they often make their own prior publications “hard to find.” Everything in BwS is on line, all the time, and it’s easy to find.
Don
