2011 In Review
It’s December (for a little while yet!), so surely that means it’s time for a look back at the year that was. This past January, we looked at what we hoped to achieve in the coming year — did you make the goals you set? What are you planning for 2012?
Numbers
Shimmer received approximately 2400 submissions in 2011–which seemed big, but when I looked back at 2010, with 1800 submissions, seemed even bigger! Of those 2400, about 6% (136) were passed up the editorial chain for further consideration. We accepted eight out of those 136, a smaller number than usual (and split between issues fourteen and fifteen). Six stories were from women, two from men.
It’s much harder to break down overall gender stats, but a glance at the reams of email looks to be about 500 male submissions for every 300 female submissions.
Accomplished
Our blog became a regular thing in 2011, with the addition of the Advice for Newer Writers feature. We hope to take that to the next level in 2012, pushing you beyond the basics. Do you have a topic you’d like to see us tackle?
In March, we were part of #zinechat on Twitter, with editors wrangling questions from writers and readers. This lead to a great conversation about exactly what Shimmer wants in its stories, as well as our next themed issue which is still in the planning stages. Want to follow the Shimmer staff on Twitter? You can start with @bethwodzinski and @ecthetwit and go from there!
World Fantasy Con saw a Shimmer reading and party! Among those in attendance were: Beth Wodzinski, Sean Markey, Keffy Kehrli, Grá Linnaea, Ferrett Steinmetz, Nicole Taylor, Cat Rambo, Vylar Kaftan, Caitlyn Paxson, M.K. Hobson, Shweta Narayan, and Marissa K. Lingen!
We released two issues in 2011, lucky #13 and #14.
Staff
There were some changes to the staff line up, most notably Beth shifting her role and handing off senior editing duties to me. (And what is there to know about me? I like the Oxford comma, I appreciate cupcakes, and have fallen in love with Gabriel García Márquez.)
Grá Linnaea and Keffy Kehrli were promoted to full-blown editors, the talented Sandro Castelli joined us as Minister of Art, and Matt Barron as Minister of Layout! We gained Associate Editors Shalene Gupta and Josh Vogt. Associate Editor Sophie Werely leaves us as the year winds down and while we will miss her smiling face, we know she’s destined for bigger and better things.
Goals for 2012
Three issues of Shimmer! Shimmer for your eReaders! A themed issue? More cake! More monkeys! Maybe we’ll finally get our very own TARDIS… There will certainly be more conventions, and parties, and readings.
Thank you
Thank you for being part of Shimmer this past year. We can’t do what we do without you. Publishing is constantly changing, but our goal remains the same: to bring you amazing fiction that stays with you long after you close an issue. If we did that this year, we were successful! Onward to the next.
Five Questions with Shimmery Staff: Honey
We recently got a little distracted by bees an honey and how awesome both are, so a bonus honey round in the Shimmer Staffer questions! Victims Participants this time include: Beth Wodzinski, Sean Markey, Grá Linnaea, Sophie Wereley, and Keffy Kehrli.
We all agree that bees rock, so what’s your favorite kind of honey?
BW: Any kind that causes botulism in infants in a dystopian future. You just can’t win in a dystopia, man. (Fictional infants! Fictional!)
KK: I don’t actually know anything about bees. Therefore, I would have to say that my favorite kind of honey is the kind that has been harvested, packaged, and is on sale at a supermarket near me.
SM: Cinnamon 
SW: Wildflower! Bees actually need lots of different pollens and nectars to create honey that’s complex in its nutrient content. Clover, almond, orange blossom, and other single-flower honeys might actually stunt the health of a hive. Buy wildflower honey! Support your bee-buds!
GL: Clover! No, Blackberry! Wait … Mesquite!
Five Questions with Shimmery People: Books!
Shimmer staffers talk books! Victims Participants this time include: Beth Wodzinski, Sean Markey, Grá Linnaea, Sophie Wereley, and Keffy Kehrli.
What’s the last book you bought? What’s the last book you read?
BW: The last three books I bought are: Dan Wells’s serial killer trilogy; George Martin’s Dance with Dragons; Joan, by Donald Spoto. The last book I read was Scott Westerfield’s Midnighter trilogy.
KK: The last book I bought was Stina Leicht’s Of Blood and Honey. The last book I read was Cat Valente’s The Grass-Cutting Sword, which is placed somewhere on the intersection between poetry and prose. It’s about ancient gods, eight daughters and a monster. Beautiful language.
SM: The last book I bought was The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The last book I read was The Magician King by Lev Grossman.
SW: The last book I bought was The Complete Pelican Shakespeare. For college. The last book I read was Across the Universe by Beth Revis.
GL: I just picked up Boarding Instructions by Ray Vukcevich, who’s amazing. I just read The October Country by Ray Bradbury. I guess I’m having a Ray week!
Five Questions with Shimmer Staffers: Storytime
We can’t all be at World Fantasy Con, so… It’s storytime (briefly), with Shimmer staffers. Victims Participants this time include: Beth Wodzinski, Sean Markey, Grá Linnaea, Sophie Wereley, and Keffy Kehrli.
You have before you three items: a black and white striped umbrella, a pair of red shoes, and a packet of seeds. There is a rabbit somewhere nearby (or possibly a zombie, one never knows). What’s the first sentence of this story?
BW: “Dorothy,” said the White Rabbit, “I’d like you to meet Alice. Now come along!”
KK: What’s the sound of one hand clapping? Oh, that’s right, kind of a sad flapping noise.
SM: I’ve heard it’s bad luck to open an umbrella inside the house, but when you suspect your house is infested with zombies, you already have the worst kind of luck.
SW: Plants vs. Zombies, the VR REAL-D EX edition, was the only thing that Mom told me I was not allowed to the install in the LiveScreen.
GL: “The rabbits came for her monthly, when the moon was but a sliver.”
Next time: What’s the last book you read? What’s the last book you bought?
World Fantasy Con, 2011
Shimmer peeps will be in attendance and lurking where you least expect them! Gra, Keffy, Beth, and Sean will be haunting the hotel halls. The Shimmer party is Saturday night, and the Kir Royale is the official party beverage. How can you resist? You can’t!
And have a cupcake for those of us who can’t attend, eh?