Realms of Fantasy

Realms of Fantasy
CategoriesFantasy fiction magazine
FrequencyBi-Monthly
First issueOctober 1994 (1994-October)
Final issueOctober 2011
CountryUSA
LanguageEnglish
ISSN1078-1951

Realms of Fantasy was a professional [1] bimonthly fantasy speculative fiction magazine published by Sovereign Media, then Tir Na Nog Press, and Damnation Books, which specialized in fantasy fiction (including some horror), related nonfiction (with particular interest in folklore) and art. The magazine published short stories by some of the genre's most popular and most prominent authors. Its original publisher was Sovereign Media, and it first launched with the October 1994 issue. It was headquartered in Herndon, Virginia.[2]

On January 27, 2009, the magazine's managing editor under Sovereign Media announced that Realms of Fantasy would cease publication after the April 2009 issue.[3] The closure was blamed on "plummeting newsstand sales, the problem currently faced by all of the fiction magazines."

In March 2009, SFScope reported that the magazine had been bought by Warren Lapine's Tir Na Nog Press and would not close.[4] Publication restarted with a release date in July 2009, missing one issue (April 2009).[5] The fiction editorial staff did not change.

Douglas Cohen was promoted to Editor in November 2009,[6] and was previously Assistant (Fiction) Editor [May 2005], and had assumed roles of Nonfiction Editor and Art Director in March 2009.[7][8] The headquarters was in San Jose, California.[9]

Shawna McCarthy was and remained the fiction editor since the magazine's inception in 1994.

In October 2010, Lapine announced plans to shut down the magazine, with the final issue (December 2010) made available to subscribers online.[10] However, a month later the magazine was sold to small press publisher Damnation Books,[11] which resumed publication without a significant hiatus.[9] In November 2011, William and Kim Gilchrist of Damnation Books LLC announced that publication of the magazine would end with the October 2011 issue.[12]

  1. ^ Lazette Archived 2009-11-04 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Realms of Fantasy". Galactic Central. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  3. ^ Realms of Fantasy Closing, Locus Magazine, January 27, 2009, Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  4. ^ Realms of Fantasy is NOT closing; sold to Tir Na Nog Press, SFScope, March 10, 2009, Retrieved March 10, 2009
  5. ^ Steven H Silver (March 11, 2009). "Realms of Fantasy Saved". SF Site. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
  6. ^ Douglas Cohen promoted to edit
  7. ^ SFScope
  8. ^ Geocities
  9. ^ a b Realms of Fantasy Changes Hands Once Again Locus Online. November 8, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  10. ^ Realms of Fantasy Folds Locus Online. October 10, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  11. ^ Damnation Books
  12. ^ Ian Randal Strock. (November 2, 2011). The third death of Realms of Fantasy SFScope. Retrieved February 22, 2017.