IN SHORT

• We are plugging away at this year's issues and so far we're on schedule.
  
  
• We want your letters for the new letter's page feature! Please write us at [email protected] as soon as you can.
  
  
• Jirel of Joiry's first ever novella, BLUE FIRE, is crowdfunding now. It's funded and blown through four stretch goals already!!! Check it out here: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/brackenbooks/blue-fire-a-jirel-of-joiry-novella
  
  
• Goatskin's new novella is out now. Bryn Hammond wrote a doozy, and you can grab it here: https://newedgeswordandsorcery.com/product-tag/what-rough-beast/
  
  
• A new digital novelette, DARK SEA SILVER, has also come out. Meet a mysterious giantess and her large boat for only a few bucks, here: https://newedgeswordandsorcery.com/product/dark-sea-silver-digital/

IN DETAIL

At this point there isn't a lot to say except that we've been chugging along, watching our green progress bars for various stories...



...and illustrations move along! Names have been cropped out so it doesn't feel like we're shaming anybody.



We feel on track, and if all goes well then our next update should be in late July to let you know we've sent finished files off to our printer.

By the way...to get them in the issue WE WILL NEED YOUR LETTERS BEFORE JULY 1ST.

• Ideally your letter will involve S&S, NESS, and/or writing & publishing...but if you want to ask one of us about our favorite dinosaur it's possible you'll find out!
  
  
• Questions are more likely to get an answer, but sharing your thoughts on a story, pitching wild theories, and other statements are welcome.
  
  
• Letters over 200 words long may be edited down for length.
  
  
• Send your letter for Sword & Stationary to: [email protected]

WHAT ROUGHT BEAST? is Goatskin's latest novella-length adventure, a stand-alone tale of were-beasts, Weird Frontiers, and bloody revolution. It features interior art by Linnea Sterte and fantasy cartography by Caster Jones. It is officially released TODAY in digital and mass-market paperback formats: https://newedgeswordandsorcery.com/product-tag/what-rough-beast/

BLUE FIRE is the first ever Jirel of Joiry novella, written by Molly Tanzer, with interior art by Saprophial, Clade Mirya, and fantasy cartography by Caster Jones. Currently crowdfunding, this book has unlocked every stretch goal so far - double art, international shipping discount, spray edges (backers vote on the color), and a one page comic by Clade Mirya - and it still has over two weeks to go! Join us for the ride and don't miss those crowdfund exclusives: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/brackenbooks/blue-fire-a-jirel-of-joiry-novella



Today is a BIG release day as there's also a 17,000 word novelette by Audrey Stollings coming out, DARK SEA SILVER. It stars breakout character Lathra, a suspiciously long-lived giant of a woman with many mysterious plans…and one humungous boat.

PHEW!

Magazine progress, novellas, a novelette, letters to the magazine...today's a wild day in the land of mighty thews! Don't forget, if you missed the magazine crowdfund our pre-order store is open.

Alright, we'll be in touch again in late July when we've got everything off to the printer! Until then...

Keep your swords sharp & your sorcery numinous,

DID YOU KNOW WE'RE ADDING A LETTERS PAGE TO THE MAGAZINE?

SWORD & STATIONERY will become a new feature in every issue, a chance for you to have your thoughts shared with others in a classic, analog fashion which pulp scholars may read decades from now...

...but only if we get some letters! Here's some guidelines:

• Ideally your letter will involve S&S, NESS, and/or writing & publishing...but if you want to ask one of us about our favorite dinosaur it's possible you'll find out!
  
  
• Questions are more likely to get an answer, but sharing your thoughts on a story, pitching wild theories, and other statements are welcome.
  
  
• Letters over 200 words long may be edited down for length.
  
  
• Letters received by before before May 1st have the best chance of being included in one of this year's issues.

• Send your letter for Sword & Stationary to: [email protected]

Our goal is for this bring some of the great community spirit we have on our Discord out into the wider, NESS-reading world, and we hope to hear from you!

Keep your swords sharp and your sorcery numinous,

For NESS 2026 we still have 46 failed credit card charges, so you may wish to check if your pledge has gone through. 

If it hasn't, you can comment beneath this update and we'll respond, or perhaps first you can check out this help page for ways you may be able to resolve the issue yourself: https://help.backerkit.com/category/616-payment

Meanwhile the wheels keep turning on NESS 2026 but, as you can imagine, there isn't a lot more we can show you so soon after the crowdfund has ended...though we have got the vintage SFF magazine issues already in envelopes, ready to ship to the lovely folk who each made the made the pledge that unlocked a key stretch goal for us!



Those will go out some time in April.

Cheers,

IN SHORT

• WE FUNDED! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
  
  
• We unlocked every stretch goal, made a big crazy chart, then hit every stretch goal on that and then doubled the international shipping discount, why not???
  
  
• We unlocked every bonus story, piece of flash fiction, digital art background, a bonus poem, and Molly Tanzer's Jirel art booklet!
  
  
• Right now backers are being charged for their pledges.
  
  
• Backers will be charged for shipping approx. four weeks before fulfillment. This is also likely when surveys will be sent out to collect necessary information such as mailing addresses, though the surveys may come sooner.
  
  
• Our current goal for fulfillment is "Q4 2026", so expect to be charged for shipping in September at the earliest. Backers in Canada will have a $10 USD shipping discount, all other backers living outside the United States will have a $20 USD shipping discount.
  
  
• Enjoyed the TTRPGs we played in our livestreams?
  Then check out...
  DEFY THE GODS: https://hecticelectron.itch.io/defy-the-gods
  SWORDS WITHOUT MASTER: https://www.worldswithoutmaster.com/swords-without-master-about
  and DCC: THE DYING EARTH: https://goodman-games.com/store/product-category/dcc-setting-dying-earth/
  
  
• Some of our pals are doing cool stuff right now...
  Thorin, from last night's stream, has his RPG box set "SEEKERS OV THE OTHER WORLDS" funded and working on stretch goals. You could get that weird knife with an eye!
  https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/owl-knight-publishing/seekers-ov-the-other-worlds
  
  Meanwhile friend of the magazine James Mills, who has recently become such a champion of S&S in the Booktube scene, is crowdfunding a book he wrote: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/the-arcanist-fantasy-publishing-llc/old-sorcery-an-absurdist-epic-fantasy-novel
  
  
• Don't forget Swords Against!, whose crowdfund is still running! If you back both them and us you'll get that unique "Ace Double" zine with a story each by Bryn Hammond & Milton Davis...
  https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/mystic-bull-games/swords-against-the-swords-sorcery-fiction-magazine
  
  
• All backers are cordially invited to join our New Edge Sword & Sorcery Discord server through this link:
  https://discord.gg/HAjPqvxmDD
   
• Though we'll be much quieter for a little while, if you'd like more regular updates and other fun info, we can be followed on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram. Keep an eye on them, or join our newsletter.

IN DETAIL

So everything wrapped, and then I napped, and several hours later....here I am! Normally I'd recuperate more before writing this update, however there's a very important, time-sensitive item further down I had to get out to you ASAP...



Fulfillment Schedule
We're once again playing it safe by saying that issues will be shipped out in "Q4" aka "October, November, or December". Already we're about a month ahead of schedule compared to last year, however who knows what challenges the year may bring?

When we're closer to shipping we will do our best to provide a more specific shipping date.



Please do join The New Edge Sword & Sorcery Discord, a great online hang-out that I'd love to see your digital faces in, a fun spot to chat about the magazine, Sword & Sorcery in general, and otherwise connect with your fellow readers, writers, artists, and more.

It's also a breeding ground for goofs like how Meatball Subs Are The Only Real Sandwich, and the only time I get to eat one is when we've finished funding another publication.

Reader, I had a good time wrestling this massive beast earlier today...while appreciating it's probably a good thing I limit myself to how many I have in a year!

Of all our friends we linked to in In Short, if you check just one out please make it the crowdfund for our sword-siblings at SWORDS AGAINST! magazine, and get yourself that "Ace Double" zine co-produced by the two editorial teams!

The crowdfund ends at 12pm EST, tomorrow aka Sunday, March 15th.

https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/mystic-bull-games/swords-against-the-swords-sorcery-fiction-magazine 

Alright, that's all from me for now. Please make sure to read through IN SHORT for the practical details of what's happening with charging backers for pledges, charging for shipping, our rough schedule and more.

We have other exciting book projects planned for the rest of 2026 and with the success of this crowdfund you've put us in the position to make them as great as we possibly can. Thank you.

Normally I'd be more loquacious however I'm writing this while still feeling very, very stunned by all that's transpired. So for now I'll just say...you've brought us to incredible new heights, and I promise we'll work very hard to show our gratitude for that.

Keep your swords sharp, and your sorcery numinous!

Sincerely,