What is this? About the Grantville Gazette

Written by Grantville Gazette Staff

The Grantville Gazette originated as a by-product of the ongoing and very active discussions which take place concerning the 1632 universe Eric Flint created in the novels 1632, 1633 and 1634: The Galileo Affair (the latter two books co-authored by David Weber and Andrew Dennis, respectively). This discussion is centered in three of the conferences in Baen’s Bar, the discussion area of Baen Books’ web site. The conferences are entitled “1632 Slush,” “1632 Slush Comments” and “1632 Tech Manual.” They have been in operation for almost seven years now, during which time nearly two hundred thousand posts have been made by hundreds of participants.

Soon enough, the discussion began generating so-called “fanfic,” stories written in the setting by fans of the series. A number of those were good enough to be published professionally. And, indeed, a number of them were—as part of the anthology Ring of Fire , which was published by Baen Books in January, 2004. ( Ring of Fire also includes stories written by established authors such as Eric Flint himself, as well as David Weber, Mercedes Lackey, Dave Freer, K.D. Wentworth and S.L. Viehl.)

The decision to publish the Ring of Fire anthology triggered the writing of still more fanfic, even after submissions to the anthology were closed. Ring of Fire has been selling quite well since it came out, and a second anthology similar to it was published late in 2007. Another, Ring of Fire III, is forthcoming. It will also contain stories written by new writers, as well as professionals. But, in the meantime . . . the fanfic kept getting written, and people kept nudging Eric—well, pestering Eric—to give them feedback on their stories.

Hence . . . the Grantville Gazette. Once he realized how many stories were being written—a number of them of publishable quality—he raised with Jim Baen the idea of producing an online magazine which would pay for fiction and nonfiction articles set in the 1632 universe and would be sold through Baen Books’ Webscriptions service. Jim was willing to try it, to see what happened.

As it turned out, the first issue of the electronic magazine sold well enough to make continuing the magazine a financially self-sustaining operation. Since then, even more volumes have been electronically published through the Baen Webscriptions site. As well, Grantville Gazette, Volume One was published in paperback in November of 2004. That has since been followed by hardcover editions of Grantville Gazette, Volumes Two, Three and Four.

Then, two big steps:

First: The magazine had been paying semi-pro rates for the electronic edition, increasing to pro rates upon transition to paper, but one of Eric’s goals had long been to increase payments to the authors. Grantville Gazette, Volume Eleven is the first volume to pay the authors professional rates.

Second: This on-line version you’re reading. The site here at http://www.grantvillegazette.com is the electronic version of an ARC, an advance readers copy where you can read the issues as we assemble them. There are stories posted here which won’t be coming out in the magazine for more than a year.

How will it work out? Will we be able to continue at this rate? Well, we don’t know. That’s up to the readers. But we’ll be here, continuing the saga, the soap opera, the drama and the comedy just as long as people are willing to read them.

—The Grantville Gazette Staff

Anaconda Project Episodes Delayed

Written by Eric Flint

Sorry, folks. Eric is sick and won’t be able to provide the scheduled two episodes of Anaconda Project for this issue. He’s promised to have four episodes for the July issue.

And, of course, the two slated for this issue will be free to the public, just in case your subscription expires.

Mind, we don’t really understand why you’d let your subscription expire . . .

Grantville Gazette Volume 23

And here we are again, with another issue of the Grantville Gazette! Lots of interesting goings-on in 1632/3/4/5 Europe to tell about this issue.Once Maria Anna and Don Fernando decided to get hitched, it doesn’t seem likely that Maria Anna would be content to be a typical queen. And sure enough, she isn’t. Girl’s got plans. Read about a few of them in Kim Mackey’s “Game, Set and Match.”What would happen to the Methodists if the religion’s founder showed up? Well, he probably won’t, but what about his grandpa? What’ll Mary Ellen Jones do? Check out “Loose Canon” by a new writer, Kirt Lee.The dumpling carts were doing well, but then summer came . . . Read what happened in Terry Howard’s “Don’t Cry Over Frozen Milk.” And crime in Magdeburg just won’t stop, so read the mystery in David Carrico’s “Rachel’s Plaint.”Way up north, in the frozen hill, there’s this waterfall . . . See what happens with it in Kerryn Offord’s “Silencing the Sirens’ Song.” More doings over in England, check out “Homecoming” by Karen Bergstralh. And for trips to the new world, there’s Herbert and William Sakalauck’s “Northwest Passage, Part Two,” as well as more about the evangelicals in Part Five of Wood Hughes’ “Turn Your Radio On.”Nonfiction concentrates on energy and metals with articles from Jeff Corwith and Iver P. Cooper, “The Oil Mines at Wietze and Pechelbronn” and “Mineral Mastery: Discovery and Control of Ore Deposits After the Baltic War.”It’s again full of info, with lots of speculation and loads of entertainment, Volume 23 of the Grantville Gazette!


Ebook This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental. First printing, May 2009 Electronic version by WebWrights http://www.webscription.net	SKU: 1011250062Copyright © 2009 by Grantville Gazette A 1632, Inc. Publication Grantville Gazette P. O. Box 7488 Moore, OK 73153-1488 All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.