Interview: Neil Clarke, Other Worlds and Other Countries; Publishing International Science Fiction

By Madeline Trice

Neil Clarke is the Editor-in-Chief of Clarkesworld Magazine, a monthly publication for science fiction and fantasy launched in 2006. Clarke has also done editing work for numerous other magazines and anthologies including Best Science Fiction of the Year, Upgraded, and Forever Magazine. Clarke has been a full time editor since 2017 and his work as an editor and art director of science fiction and fantasy has been recognized by the Science Fiction Writers Association (SFWA), the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists (ASFA), the Hugo Awards, and the Locus Awards. You can read more about Neil Clarke on his personal website and you can check out past issues of his magazine, learn how to support the publication, and even submit your own work at ClarkesworldMagazine.com.

(Trice) This summer you were the recipient of the 2024 Locus Award for Best Editor becoming the fourth person to win the award since 1989 and you also won your third consecutive Hugo award for Best Editor Short Form. What would you say sets you apart as an editor, and, as a leader in your field, what impact would you hope to have on science fiction and fantasy publishing?

​(Clarke) Thinking about it that way is more criticism than constructive. There are things that are important to me, like maintaining completely open submissions, including authors from all over the world and in translation, featuring new authors, believing that more than just the authors need to be paid, adopting new technologies or practices to make those things possible, and avoiding the ones that do harm. Not exactly unique, but I might be more stubbornly attached to some of them. I love the short form and think it can be healthier and do better. If I can move the needle on those things–and share some good stories in the process–then I’m happy with whatever impact I’m having.

(Trice) Publishing international science fiction has been a passion of yours for a long time. August of 2021 was the ten year anniversary of Clarkesworld magazine’s first translation, “The Fish of Lijiang” by Chen Qiufan, translated by Ken Liu. But, while many markets will hold contests or publish theme issues to spotlight the work of international authors or other under-represented demographics, you’ve been vocal in the past about not doing theme issues, why is that?

(Clarke) Themes are promotional/marketing in some way. They are designed to create spectacle, and when done properly, lasting change. Say you do a special issue on authors from Planet X. If you don't end up publishing more authors from Planet X in your non-theme issues over the next year or two, you've only done half the job. It can be a positive message (showcasing) and a negative one (are we otherwise not good enough?). If something is important, you make it part of who you are. Our work in translation is just that. Some people wanted a theme issue, but we didn't want something one-and-done. We treat translations like any other story and that is a sign of respect that has resonated and changed minds.


(Trice) You can make the change a part of who you are, but that change stops at the edge of your jurisdiction. You can make your publication more accessible to authors from Planet X, but if the people of Planet X are systemically disadvantaged from being able to reach the point of submitting to you in the first place, is not being part of the problem the same thing as helping?

(Clarke) Didn't say it was easy. A contest or theme issue would have that exact same problem. Thing is that these are big problems you can't solve with a single event. They take time and work. I see each story published as a victory that demonstrates a continued  interest in working with that community. Sustained effort is required for change.

Our readers are global and the authors represented in our pages should be too. We have strongly advocated for a more international approach to science fiction and are working against decades of history that made those communities feel unwanted by U.S. publishers. It was even worse with translations, which had developed a bad reputation (domestically) in terms of quality. Actually, see this editorial. 

​We had to demonstrate to readers that translations could be good and convince foreign authors they were welcome. No special issue would have made the level of change we needed to see happen, so we folded it in for the long haul. We're still not where I want to be, but we are so much further than I would have thought possible at the start. I regularly talk about it online because reminders, not just stories, are necessary. 

Submissions by Country 2022 (https://neil-clarke.com/submissions-by-country-2022/)

Not only is this the right thing to do, it's also good for the magazine and short fiction in general. We see regional spikes in readers when we feature someone from country X. We've seen people become fans of authors that they never would have known without this project. Other editors (some of whom looked at us sideways when we started down this path) are now working with some of those authors or asking for advice on seeking/publishing translations. It has opened unexpected doors.

Last year, we took a new step and held open submissions in another language (Spanish, which I do not speak). It was a pilot project for a model that should be portable to other languages and replicable by other magazines or anthologies. The progress is slow, but steady. It will take many years to undo all the historical damage done in this area.


(Trice) You’ve worked with authors from a number of countries, speaking a myriad of languages, but, in the editorial you sent, you mention that you’re actually monolingual. How are you able to work so closely with translators and authors despite the language barrier?

(Clarke) The number one question I get from authors from outside the US  is "Am I allowed to submit stories?" Fifty years of neglect (and sometimes hostility) from the industry caused that. As editor, I represent that industry. Being directly involved is not only an important learning experience for me, but a powerful symbol. I may not have directly made the mess, but I do feel some personal responsibility to help clean up what I can.

Before the Spanish project, we ran a grant-funded Korean SF project and had a long history of working with the Chinese science fiction community. Through those, I learned what I needed to have in the form of a support network and team. It’s a slightly different process when you can’t read the original source material, but when you have the right group alongside you, you can fall back on them and have conversations that fill the language gap. After you’ve selected the works, you need translators that not only understand the language, but the culture, science fiction, and how to write in this genre. We want to make sure the spirit of the story remains intact and sometimes that results in three-way conversations: editor, translator, and author. It’s a different editing process, but not radically different from working with English language works. You always need an open mind when editing.

(Trice) It’s heartbreaking that even with your long-standing history of working with foreign authors and translations that people still aren’t sure if they’re welcome. How can a new market even begin to overcome that precedent and introduce itself to those scenes? 

(Clarke) You can start by being public about your desire to see foreign authors in your magazine. Your guidelines, sure, but if they don't think they are welcome, they probably won't read those. I wrote editorials, talked about it at foreign Worldcons, posted on social media, wrote blog posts…but the thing that makes the biggest difference is putting your money where your mouth is. Publishing those works causes more authors to believe it is possible. An easy starting place for a magazine would be directly reaching out to foreign authors they'd like to work with someday. You could solicit work if you’re open to that method, but often an invitation to submit is a great start. "Hey, I love your work and we'd be honored if you would consider submitting stories to us." Reprints are another option. There are no shortcuts, but it does get easier over the years. The thing I remind people is if you aren't seeing the demographics you want in your slush pile, you have to go the extra mile to change it.​

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