Backed by enthusiasts such as Laurie Powers and Thomas McNulty, the interest in pulp fiction history and collecting pulp fiction memorabilia is surging. Proof can be found in the fact that at the recent Pulp Fest in Columbus, Ohio, over 50 unique vendor booths were offering to sell, buy, or trade pulp fiction publications and/or artwork.

The publications known as pulp magazines officially began appearing in 1896 and were aggressively published through the 1950’s. Most were 7 inches wide, 10 inches long, and a half inch thick featuring 128 pages of edgy, fantastic fiction. The pages were from cheap paper that was ragged and untrimmed and made from very inexpensive wood pulp.

Newspaper and magazine publisher Frank Munsey restructured his ‘slick’ magazine, Golden Argosy, from a magazine that offered both articles and fiction catering to young men into the first pulp fiction publication. Using the fastest printing presses available, the cheapest production methods, including the cheap paper, no illustrations, and cheap authors, Munsey was able to sell the all fiction publications at a dime a pop. This was a campaign totally targeted at the middle class who either could not afford the twenty-five cents for the ‘slick’ magazines, or just weren’t interested in them.

Right about here, a light bulb should be flickering on for you. Dime Store Cowboy.

Yes, Western short stories probably filled most of the pages of the early pulp fiction publications. With likes of Zane Grey and Paul S. Powers (Laurie’s grandfather) churning out exciting tales of the still untamed Wild West, what boy wouldn’t spend a dime on cheap entertainment?

Genrés were added; mystery, horror, crime, science-fiction, and even romance to name a few. Characters became famous and appeared in series of publishings; some even had their own magazine, including The Shadow and Doc Savage. Illustrations started appearing as the competition grew along with the popularity.

The cover art that began to appear was something to behold. Some were beautiful depictions of the featured characters in scenes of the old west and others were a bit racy; showing women in peril. Often times, the covers were created before the stories were written to fill the magazine, and authors were asked to submit stories based on the cover art.

Pulp Fiction Authors

The list  of the authors who wrote for pulp magazines is amazing. Names like L. Ron Hubbard, Phillip K. Dick, Isaac Asimov, Mark Twain, Tennessee Williams, and many more graced those uncut, ragged pages.

Pulitzer Prize winning author Upton Sinclair wrote for the pulps at one time. Sinclair wrote 8000 words a day, seven days a week at that time. Just to think that many of us struggle to write a 300 word blog post every day in these modern times.

Because the pulps paid far less than other markets, untried authors would start there, establishing a name for themselves. Even famous pens that were in a slump would turn to submitting to the short story anthologies for a boost in their cash flow. The publishers paid for the story on acceptance, even if the pieces weren’t to be published until months later, thus making submission to pulp fiction digests a very good way for a writer to make some quick cash.

Pulp Fiction Today

The pulps survived through the Golden Era of radio and the infancy of cinema; probably because both mediums (film and radio) borrowed heavily from the popular pulp magazines. Hollywood produced many serials that were shown every week while radio was famous for the dramatic weekly programs such as the Shadow.

By the time the 1950’s rolled around a number of factors were in play that contributed to the severe decline. Increasing production costs, the evolution of comic books, and television are the largest factors.

Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine (born in 1941), Asimov’s Science Fiction, and the German pulp fiction Perry Rhodan are all publications that seem to be thriving even after the decline of the pulp market.

Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine has survived in large part due to the high standards set by the editorial staff. The same can be said about the Asimov production, although it should be noted that the Asimov magazine was first produced well after the decline of the market and just recently celebrated thirty years in print.

Perry Rhodan started in 1961 and lays claim to having published over 2500 installments with dozens of story arcs. To date, the publication has sold over one billion copies, making it the clear leader in pulp fiction sales.

Myself

I was never much for comic books, well not until I was well into my adult years and discovered graphic comics. Even younger, I felt the need for something more substantial. That is one reason I liked the pulp digests much better when my peers were gobbling down those super hero publications.

In my early teen years I had a subscription to the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery pulp magazine. I remember eagerly waiting by the mailbox on those days I could expect my latest issue to arrive. It was like Ralphie waiting for the Annie Oakley decoder ring from Ovaltine; only I got to do it 12 times a year instead of once.

I always liked the darker side of fiction and began a life long infatuation with dark short pieces after reading William Faulkner’s A Rose for Miss Emily. This is why I chose the Hitchcock publication. The stories were dark mysteries that had a very real air about them.

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, I was getting the Asimov publication through the mail, and I have thought about picking the subscription back up because of the quality instilled in each issue. There was always at least one story submitted by a heavy hitter in the sci-fi/fantasy genre along with stories from first time in print authors. There were two story arcs in the Asimov digest that really appealed to me; one was eventually made into the film starring Kevin Costner, The Postman.

Long live the short story, and long live the pulps; even if they are gasping.

Laurie Powers has graciously accepted an invitation to fill the guest slot for this week’s  EWNN Blog Talk Radio episode. Tune in, call in, or join the chatroom Sunday, August 22, 2010 at 6:30 EST (-5 GMT).

EWNN: Thirty minutes that goes so quick you won’t have time to feel guilty about the pleasure.

© 2010, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.

Years ago I started writing Flash Fiction for just the sheer enjoyment of writing, and now it has turned into a full blown addiction. I can't quit the horse, man! Another dirty little secret about me is my ability to write all kinds of web content. SEO content, articles, blog posts, manifests; you name it, I'll write it. Looking for some help? My gun hangs at r.alex.crabtree@gmail.com

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Tags: digests, Fiction, pulp fiction, pulp magazines, serials, westerns

This entry was posted on August 18, 2010 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Featured, Writing Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.