August Radon Roundup

Patrons are the lifeblood of our journal. So today we're creating an intimate update--just for you. Below will be a snapshot of where we are, what we're doing, and what's coming.

A huge amount goes on behind the scenes. Even if you closely follow us on our Twitter and Discord there there's more to tell.

Issue #2 coming next month.

Now that August is here, Radon is switching from focusing on our slush pile to producing the next issue. On August 15th we will internally close submissions for the second issue. Everything received after this will be slated for Issue #3 in January.

On August 15th we will also announce Issue #2's cover art and release date: September 15th. Going forward, Radon aims to be more predictable and have all releases occur in the middle of the month.

Our submission tracker currently sits at a number of 1,600. One thousand of those submissions were from Issue #2 alone. This increase in volume led us to increase our staff from the initial three founders to nearly ten of us. Our CLMP listing for fiction readers proved quite popular, and you'll see new names on our masthead when we update our site for the second issue. However, finding a social media manager has proven tricky. We apologize for not posting as much as possible, but it's a tough balance to strike between work and social media.

Should we reach ~$100/month on Patron we'll be doubling our author pay rates and moving to Submittable which would open additional ways to interact with authors and be found.

For now we are focusing on the journal itself and establishing ties with other publishers. We have found a close relationship with AK Press (a popular anarchist publisher) and are helping them navigate toward science fiction releases. To that end they provided us with a number of advanced copies for upcoming speculative releases. Our first review/blurb will come out next week you can find on our Twitter. AK Press, either later this year or next, will be providing us publisher-wide coupons to give our patrons which will allow you great discounts for books. Be on the lookout for those!

We understand that Radon is a unique set of genres and occupies unknown land. Some moments might pull us more toward our anarchist side, while others pull us toward our science fiction roots. We aim to give both our full attention and figure out the future alongside you and our authors. Above all our top priority is quality. We have no aim to be a literary journal here for a flash and then gone. We aim to become a mainstay in the scene and rival Clarkesworld and Asimov's.

Patron Rewards

We have sent all of our Patrons emails welcoming them to the fold. If yours did not show please let us know at RadonJournal@gmail.com. Our Discord also remains open to you and we hope to talk to you there. If you are a tier receiving stickers or mugs, please ensure that you have inputted your mailing address into Patreon so that it will be sent out when you hit the 3-month mark. Our designs are custom made, with Patreon doing the manufacturing and shipping.

Awards

From the onset, Radon wanted to nominate its authors for prizes around the web and beyond. The first deadline for one of the seven awards we nominate for is coming up in September. You can expect to see a number of nomination posts in the coming months as award season approaches.