One of the most respected publishers in the world of science fiction, Clarkesworld, has decided to halt its established practice and close its doors to new SF authors and their works. Due to the flood of short stories generated by artificial intelligence, the editors rejected as many as 500 submissions this month and suspended the authors, if they can even be called that.
As reported by the Guardian, the magazine that published stories by authors such as Jeff VanderMeer, Yoon Ha Lee, and Catherynne Valente, received short SF stories every month, and if they were published, the authors were paid 10 cents per word (up to a maximum of 2500 words).
Until further notice without a solution
The open competition attracted the attention of users eager for quick earnings, so they also decided to write with a little help from artificial intelligence. Since ChatGPT came to light, the rate of submissions has significantly increased, as has the number of rejected authors, with Clarkesworld rejecting as many as five hundred in February.
As the magazine’s editor stated to the Guardian, the situation they found themselves in is not unique, and more and more editors and publishers are reaching out to them with the same problem. Users are most attracted to such open competitions, and it is already clear to Clarkesworld that their usual practice will not be sustainable and will create a huge problem for new, ‘real’ authors in the long run.
He admitted that they currently have no solution to this problem, so the competition will be closed until further notice.
