Editorial,
Touching base after launching with some updates.
A little over a year ago I started Phano because it let me work at the intersection of several things I love: storytelling, art and design, and thinking and feeling deeply about futuristic things. If you’re like me, you are probably also interested in a few of those things.
Here at the beginning, now having bought stories from 50 plus authors, I’ve come to see that being an editor means being one of the first fans of an author’s work (if not the first). All art is communication between people. Through loving a story and what it communicates, you come to see its potential, and I find joy in sharing that with others.
Phano is a new publication, but the goal isn’t just to discover new and brilliant writers—submissions arrive from all levels. The aim is for quality, which I push for in the editorial role. As a one-person show it isn’t easy to make time to work so closely with contributors but I believe that making the process more personal leads to more creative rapport, better understanding, and ultimately better stories. And Phano is, if nothing else, a personal endeavor.
I’ve entered this gig at a strange time. If we haven’t already passed it, we’re approaching the threshold where the quality of writing alone can no longer tell us what is purely written by human hands and minds, and what was written in part or in whole by AI.
The provenance of a story must be vetted, but for Phano this doesn’t mean flying an anti-AI flag. Phano turns down AI submissions from a belief in keeping things human-made because art is communication about the human experience between humans. Cleansing our process of AI does not ensure that stories we put out are good. Focusing on what’s wondrous and thought-provoking about the future and making sense of the world as humans is what makes this worthwhile.
Themed Submissions and Raise In Pay Rate
Authors deserve to get paid more and I want to attract writers who might not have considered Phano as a venue for their work because of the lower rate. To do this, Phano is for the moment moving away from rolling open submissions towards themed submissions with a triannual publication schedule. If you are at LAcon you may have seen some of our tote bags bearing the name of our first themed submission: Don’t Touch Grass.
Themes as a through-line in the site pulls away from the more print-focused concept of “issues”. This deepen the focus on stranger story cohesion and let me raise the payment rate to 5¢ per word.
Please say hi If you see me at LAcon V, and I’ll look forward to reading your submissions.
A little over a year ago I started Phano because it let me work at the intersection of several things I love: storytelling, art and design, and thinking and feeling deeply about futuristic things. If you’re like me, you are probably also interested in a few of those things.
Here at the beginning, now having bought stories from 50 plus authors, I’ve come to see that being an editor means being one of the first fans of an author’s work (if not the first). All art is communication between people. Through loving a story and what it communicates, you come to see its potential, and I find joy in sharing that with others.
Phano is a new publication, but the goal isn’t just to discover new and brilliant writers—submissions arrive from all levels. The aim is for quality, which I push for in the editorial role. As a one-person show it isn’t easy to make time to work so closely with contributors but I believe that making the process more personal leads to more creative rapport, better understanding, and ultimately better stories. And Phano is, if nothing else, a personal endeavor.
I’ve entered this gig at a strange time. If we haven’t already passed it, we’re approaching the threshold where the quality of writing alone can no longer tell us what is purely written by human hands and minds, and what was written in part or in whole by AI.
The provenance of a story must be vetted, but for Phano this doesn’t mean flying an anti-AI flag. Phano turns down AI submissions from a belief in keeping things human-made because art is communication about the human experience between humans. Cleansing our process of AI does not ensure that stories we put out are good. Focusing on what’s wondrous and thought-provoking about the future and making sense of the world as humans is what makes this worthwhile.
Themed Submissions and Raise In Pay Rate
Authors deserve to get paid more and I want to attract writers who might not have considered Phano as a venue for their work because of the lower rate. To do this, Phano is for the moment moving away from rolling open submissions towards themed submissions with a triannual publication schedule. If you are at LAcon you may have seen some of our tote bags bearing the name of our first themed submission: Don’t Touch Grass.
Themes as a through-line in the site pulls away from the more print-focused concept of “issues”. This deepen the focus on stranger story cohesion and let me raise the payment rate to 5¢ per word.
Please say hi If you see me at LAcon V, and I’ll look forward to reading your submissions.
