The news is slowly leaking through the internet.  Allow me to provide additional confirmation.  Realms of Fantasy has indeed pulled a phoenix.  The magazine is coming back.  Sovereign Media, the old publishers, have sold the magazine to Warren Lapine.  Some of you may remember Warren as the publisher of DNA Publications, which put out magazines such as Weird Tales, Absolute Magnitude, Fantastic Stories, etc.  Now he'll be publishing RoF.

I'm sure there are bunches of you with bunches of questions, so I'll try to answer what I can in advance:

1) When is the magazine coming back?

We're hoping to come back in May.  When I have an exact release date, you can be sure I'll announce it here.

2) Is there a website?

Glad you asked.  We already have a temporary website in place.  

3) So if you're this excited, does this mean that you're staying with the magazine?

Very perceptive of you.  I am remaining as assistant editor and Shawna McCarthy is staying on as editor.  

4)  Will it be the same magazine?

From what I understand, we should be awfully similar to what we were under Sovereign Media.  We'll have the same fiction editors, and I imagine many of the same writers will continue submitting their work to us.  My understanding is that we'll still have color artwork.  I don't have solid details about the non-fiction columns, but in talking with Warren my impression is that we wants to change very little.

5) Are you going to be paying the same rates for fiction?

That's what I've been told by Shawna.

6.  Same word counts for fiction?

That's what I've been told by Shawna.

7. Will RoF still be a SFWA market?

So says Shawna.

8. Will you guys still be bi-monthly? 

My understanding is that this is currently the plan.

9. Great.  Can I submit my work to you?

Not just yet.  Everything became official yesterday, so we're still sorting a lot of things out.  When I asked Shawna about this, she told me that her guess is we'll need 3-4 weeks before we're ready to open again to submissions.  We may end up opening to submissions sooner, or maybe a little longer than this.  At this point, my recommendation would be to wait until you read on the new website or on my blog or Warren's blog that we're open to submissions.  Once we are open, I'll announce it here ASAP.

10. Are you still doing a Halloween issue?  

We don't know yet.  Rest assured that if we decide not to go this route, your story will still be considered for RoF.  If your story was bought or accepted for the Halloween issue, read 12 & 13.

11. So when the news broke that RoF was closing, my story was in the slush and I never heard back from you.  What happens to my story now?

I already started slushing again yesterday.  Responses to those stories will go out today.  My last batch of slush runs all the way through 1/14/09.  I anticipate getting through it before March is over.  If you sent us something that is postmarked after this date, it's still with Shawna.  I'm afraid you'll have to wait for me to look at it until the next slush transfer (and at this point I have no idea when that will be, sorry).

12. I had a story that was paid and/or contracted for.  What should I do?

Hold on a little longer.  Some of the details regarding the transfer of stories to the new publisher are still being hammered out.  I would suggest to wait until you hear from Shawna or Warren.  If they ask me to contract you, I will of course do so ASAP.

13. I had a story that was accepted for the magazine, but I never received a contract or payment.  What should I do?

See 12.

14. I had a story that was passed along to Shawna but I never heard back from her.  What should I do?

Keep waiting and please continue having patience with us.  I'm not sure when Shawna will start reading for RoF again (for all I know she's started again already), but these stories will be considered for the new RoF.

15. You, Doug, have my story and it was going to be passed along to Shawna before the news broke about RoF.  What should I do?

Keep waiting and please continue having patience with us.  Like I said, I don't know when the next slush transfer will be, but your story will be passed along to Shawna for consideration.  Once that next slush transfer takes place, I fully intend to get us back to our old schedule in terms of response times, and to do it ASAP.

16. I had submitted a story to RoF, then contacted you, letting you know that I'd submitted it elsewhere before you put up that hold request on your blog.  What happens now?

First, if you never contacted me before and your story is being considered elsewhere, please contact me now.  Second, if you've sold a story you submitted to us and still haven't told me, please do so now.  Next, if you have a story you've sent elsewhere and it was supposed to be considered by Shawna, Shawna tells me these stories will be among the first ones she reads when she starts reading again for RoF.  So sit tight and wait to hear from Shawna, and if you hear back from this other magazine before you hear from Shawna, please let me know (regardless of response, so I can update my records accordingly).  I know a few of you had stories that were going to be passed along to Shawna, but right now they're still with me and you submitted them elsewhere before I put up that hold request.  When I do my next slush transfer with Shawna, I'll put these stories on top.  But if you hear back from these other magazines before you hear back from Shawna, please let me know (regardless of response, so I can update my records accordingly).

17.   Your answer to 16 has given me a headache and left me even more confused.

I can't blame you.  If you feel you somehow fall into category 16 and you're still confused, feel free to contact me through my LJ  email or through my private email, which you should already have.

18.  I still have questions.

That's what the comments thread is for.  Ask away and I'll do my best to answer you. 

We're back, baby!