Le mag

Yes, yes, I know, the all new publishing schedule (version 156) is all shot to shit. Ish 5 will be going out in December no matter what. Ishs 6-8 will be out in 2005. No matter what.
The website is about due a total overhaul so I'll be working on that one, most likely over Xmas. (This includes link fixing and vanishing the dead ones and updating the submissions guidelines etc.)
Have been doing some serious thinking about the mags future recently and was on the verge of sending it to the dead zone but after juggling and wotnot, we're good. (And when you get down to it, I love it too much to quit.)
We will be implementing a couple of changes in the new year to help make it easier to produce, both financially and other.
For one, cover price will be going to £3.50 for UK, (and similar hike for you foreigners.) So subscribe now if you want it at the cheapy prices.
For another, the current payment rates are crippling me so we'll be looking at either a 50% cut in rates, or a total downgrade to '4theluv'.
Also, when fiction subs re-open we'll be accepting emailed submissions.

(and talking of emails - if anyone's got any outstanding queries that I haven't answered, email again and put 'H&N kick' in the subject header)

Fantasycon 2005

Can you say Mark Chadbourn (woohoo!)? I knew you could! That lovely chap and fantabulous author dude, of whom I may mention occassionally on this very blog, has agreed to be a guest of honour! Oh yes! Knew there was a perk to this committee organising malarkey! (Please pause while Jen does the happy dance of the shameless fan-girl! I thank you!)

We've also got the hotel confirmed now - definitely the Quality Hotel, Bentley, Walsall... but we couldn't get the date we were after (weddings...boo... hiss!) so the all new Fcon date will be (drum roll please...) Friday 30th September - Sunday 2nd October 2005.
It's a wee bit early to know anything panel related but there'll be the GoH interviews, late night readings, some indie horror film showings and, most likely, some RPG stuff - as well as all the Fcon regulars like the infamous raffle, the quiz, the banquet, the AGM... :->
Booking forms will be going out with the current Prism mailing (which I'm in the middle of doing at the moment - you get a Prism, a Dark Horizons & a funky dunky calendar with this one, though for size reasons the calendars are going out seperately. Please take a moment to sympathise with the poor people who have had to lick all those hundreds of envelopes and stamps - we have no tongues left at all now.)