Grantville Gazette
Entry updated 26 February 2021. Tagged: Publication.
US professional (semi-professional until December 2006) Online Magazine that began as a fan-fiction site, hosted by Baen Books, for fiction set in the Assiti Shards Shared World universe established by Eric Flint in his novel 1632 (2001) and its sequels. The basic premise is that the small American town of Grantville is transported via a Timeslip to Germany in 1631 at the time of the Thirty Years War and the German territory likewise moved forward in time to present-day Virginia. The book and its sequels follow the experiences of the townsfolk as each year passes. Fan Fiction had already started to appear set in this universe and interest was further generated with the publication of an anthology, Ring of Fire (anth 2004). James Baen agreed to Flint's suggestion that the many new stories arising be published online having first been filtered through a subsite set aside at Baen's Bar on the Baen Books website known as "1632 Slush". The first Grantville Gazette appeared in November 2003 and irregularly thereafter, usually two a year, until the sheer volume of material led to a regular bimonthly schedule which did not really settle down until May 2007 when Flint stepped aside and handed editorial reins to Paula Goodlett.
The magazine version has also been released as an e-book and in print form as a series of anthologies of which the first four correspond to entire magazine issues (with minor variations) while the rest are more selective "best of" reprint selections. The first magazine issue, with an additional story by Flint, became Grantville Gazette (anth 2004) in paperback, but subsequent printed volumes were published first in hardback, all edited by Flint with co-editors as listed for later volumes: Grantville Gazette II (anth 2006), III (anth 2007), IV (anth 2008), V (anth 2009), VI (anth 2012), VII (anth 2015) with Paula Goodlett, VIII (anth 2018) with Walt Boyes, and IX (anth 2021) with Walt Boyes and Joy Ward.
The magazine and anthologies contain material by both established and aspiring writers; Grantville Gazette has generated a huge following. [MA/DRL]
links
previous versions of this entry