Over at SF Signal is the disturbing news that Fantasy and Science Fiction will be going to a larger format published on a bi-monthly schedule. I understand the reasoning behind this move. I also think the larger issues will be a bigger seller on newsstands. However, it's hard to see this as good news. As I've previously mentioned, NYRSF and Locus are both having circulation problems, and I wouldn't be surprised to see more SF/F magazines follow F&SF's lead in the coming year. After all, the economy is bad and when people cut back, they always cut back on the non-essentials first (with that statement being about essentials from a life-supporting view--I know many people including myself think of our SF/F reading as essential). As I mentioned in that earlier post, this next year will likely be critical for the survival of SF/F magazines. Unfortunately, this is turning out to be an accurate prediction.
