Exoplanet Uplink #2
Hello and welcome to the Exoplanet Uplink! It looks like our signal strength is nominal, so let's get into it...
Launch Countdown
We are at T-minus 27 days until our first submission window opens on September 1st. We'll remain open through September 15th and then select stories for our first two issues. Issue 1 will arrive in December, while Issue 2 will touch down in February.
Interested in sending us something? Today is an excellent day to start writing! We have all the details you need.
Crew Quarters
Any time you see "we" from Exoplanet, it's really just me right now. Sometimes "we" just fits better. I'm also looking ahead to when it's not just me. In October, I plan to recruit some first readers to join this intrepid crew for our second submission window in January.
I don't know yet how many readers we'll need. I'll attempt to calculate Exoplanet's "Goldilocks zone" based on various signals like how many submissions we receive in September, traction on social media, and newsletter subscribers. The last thing I want to do is bring on too few readers and have everyone burn up on re-entry. Reading for Exoplanet should only take a few hours each week and last 6-8 weeks for each submission window. I expect more submissions in January than September, so I'll plan accordingly to make sure Exoplanet has sufficient staff.
If someone you know might be interested in joining our crew, please encourage them to subscribe to the Exoplanet Uplink for all the latest inside information on this project. Hopefully, it will help them decide whether to consider climbing aboard in October.
Telemetry Update
The Exoplanet Uplink has 19 subscribers, an almost 100% increase from last week. Thanks for tuning in, everyone!
Exoplanet has 224 followers on Bluesky. Will you be the next one?
Exoplanet has an audience of four on Patreon so far, including one at the Member tier. Discussions are underway on our Discord server.
Captain's Log
Exoplanet continues to gain traction in the writing community, thanks to a new listing on the Submission Grinder, an announcement on Horror Tree, and a post in the Speculative Markets group on Facebook. We also got some visitors from the Codex forums, so word is getting out. All of that is encouraging.
Thank you so much for reading! If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reply to this email. Or you can reach me on Bluesky or Discord if you prefer. And please forward this to anyone who might be interested in Exoplanet. The more, the merrier on our intrepid voyage.
Onward,
Patrick
—end transmission—