IN SHORT

• Issue one is sold out in physical formats. It may still be possible to get a copy later. Details below.
  
  
• There are new rewards for our backers bundled with all further author & artist raise stretch goals.
  You've unlocked three pay raises each for authors & artists. The next author pay raise is a big deal as it gets them to what is known as "SFFWA Pro Rates", and because it unlocks something fun for backers. Details below.
  
  
• 7pm EST Livestream Tonight: S&S AMA
  Join us right on the crowdfund page for a Sword & Sorcery themed Ask Me Anything livestream with our editor-in-chief, Oliver Brackenbury, Molly Tanzer, and one or more Mystery Guests! Free free to put questions in the comments of this update.

IN DETAIL

If you've already pledged for a bundle that includes issue one in softcover or grabbed it as an add-on, you're good.

Otherwise our first issue is now only available in digital formats. There are two ways this might change...



1) If someone who has a copy of issue one in their pledge cancels that pledge, then the copy will re-appear and you'll see the Add-On listing's "0 remaining" count go back up to "1 remaining".

2) We are trying to get a few dozen absolute final copies from the print run returned to us by a distributor. This is currently being negotiated and we are being cautious - we won't add them to our inventory until they are safely in our fulfillment center. It'd be rough to sell them first, then have the package lost in the mail or destroyed or...

If this happens, we will contact anybody who has pledged for one of our new "Issues two through ten" pledges so they have the opportunity to complete their runs, then make an update so everybody knows.

Gimme All The Issues You've Got: Softcover

Gimme All The Issues You've Got: MOSTLY Hardcover

And we have correspondingly created new versions of Gimme EVERYTHING You've Got! (SOFTCOVER) & Gimme EVERYTHING You've Got! (MOSTLY hardcover)

NEW AUTHOR & ARTIST RAISES UNLOCKED, AND NEW REWARDS FOR BACKERS AS WE UNLOCK MORE

Oliver is still scrambling to make a big cool stretch goal map but in the meanwhile you've now unlocked three author and three artist raises. Wow!

The next author raise will bring their pay up to 8 cents a word. This is a very important number to authors & publications as it is what the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association recognizes as a professional pay rate for SFF authors.

To celebrate that unlocking the next author pay raise will unlock one reward for all backers, and another for the person whose pledge gets us over the line.

Everybody will get digital backgrounds sized for their computer & phone featuring Jimmy Makepeace's excellent art for issue 8.


The person whose pledge gets us over the line for the next author raise will win a short story critique from Molly Tanzer herself! The story can be up to 5000 words, and if you don't want a story critique this can be gifted to a friend or the backer who pledged just before you did.



SWORD & SORCERY ASK ME ANYTHING LIVESTREAM TONIGHT


Molly will also be joining Oliver Brackenbury for a Sword & Sorcery Ask Me Anything livestream tonight at 7pm EST for one hour....and there may be other special guests as well!

The stream will be viewable right here on the crowdfund page, and you're welcome to put advance questions in the comments of this update.

See you then!

Keep your swords sharp & your sorcery numninous,

THIS SNAIL KNIGHT IS GOING TOO FAST FOR OUR GRAPHICS DEPARTMENT (aka Oliver)

And we're less than $400 from cracking open a third Author Raise! These first few days of the crowdfund have been the best we've ever seen by far, and we really appreciate it.

Soon we'll have a proper new stretch goal map, and on that map will be something we've never tried before...
 

STRETCH GOAL RIDERS

SATAN & SORCERY?

We are very few backers from the devil showing up. At least we think that's what happens...seven more backers until we find out...

FINALLY, FOR NOW...

By sharing the original launch day post on Bluesky you've also unlocked two bonus stories!



Here's a direct link to that post in case you'd like to get in on this and help unlock some Sword & Sorcery poems: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:lsqlgpbbnvulxnqzgx7bcgcx/post/3meo2e2ttuu2e

We'll have a proper update on all this stuff, and more, soon. What can we say, you just moved too fast for us!

Keep your swords sharp and your sorcery numinous,

Wow! At just under 29 hours from launch, we've hit our minimum funding goal to produce issues 8, 9, and 10 of New Edge Sword & Sorcery magazine.

We've also unlocked our first bonus story (did you know sharing this Bluesky post unlocks bonus content for the year's issues?). More details on that later...

Up next is our first stretch goal (aka Achievement), DOUBLE ART. As I'm writing this we're 88% of the way there. 

We've unlocked this for all of our past issues, making two pieces of art per story or article the standard readers like you have come to expect!

SERIOUSLY, THANK YOU!

Thank you so much for getting us to minimum funding in only 29 hours, by far the fastest we've ever funded anything. 

This is very exciting, as it gives us plenty of time to push through more stretch goals like DOUBLE ART, and INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING DISCOUNT, as well as pay raises for our contributors!



While we catch our breath and look to the future, perhaps you'd like to chat with your fellow Sword & Sorcery enthusiasts? Over on the Community tab folk have been talking about...

• What are some works in the Dying Earth subgenre you really recommend?
  
  
• Cover art!
  
  and
  
  
• Paleofiction rumours?

Not only is it fun, posting in our Community Tab can win you free copies of the new issues, annotated with "DVD Extra" behind-the-scenes info from yours truly, the editor! Here's an example from last year:



Scroll down our Exclusives, Unlockables, and Add-Ons section and you'll see...

 THE TOP BACKER, meaning the backer who is most active in our Community tab, will receive softcovers of 8, 9, & 10 that have each been annotated (using post-its, not writing on the page unless you give him permission) by editor & publisher Oliver Brackenbury, providing special insight into the process of producing the issues. 

There's even a leaderboard, if you're really feeling competitive!



Phew! Okay, that's plenty for now. Thanks again ever so much for backing us, and sharing the crowdfund (that really helps).

There's plenty more livestreams, achievements, unlockable rewards, and wonderful madness to come...

Sincerely,