Why Playboy ?

every time I hear someone talk about stories ending up in hardcore sex mags I think of Vonnegut's alter ego Kilgore Trout. All of his stories were in mags that boasted "wide open beavers."

It would have been hilarious for Guts to be in mag like that.

I thought that it was great that a story in Playboy was all about horrible things that happen to people when they are jacking off.

I think that Chuck probably did this on purpose, but I don't know whether he wrote the stroy after getting the assignment from the magazine, or if he already had it written.

Guts is from an upcoming book. He didn't write it specifically for Playboy.

I think it was written a long time ago, saw a TV special on Chuck, several months ago, probably even longer, about a book tour he was doing, and he was reading that story. Could it be as long a year ago ?

And PLAYBOY is as mainstream as Rolling Stone, over here.
Nobody even looks up when you're buying the damn rag.

It would have ruled to see it in a more controversial mag.

Playboy is also one of the best-paying periodicals for short fiction. Let's face it - tghere just aren't that many magazines that print short fiction that can also meet Chuck's asking price.

Well sheet. I still think it's beautifully ironic.

The whole thing makes me gassy. The good kind of gassy.

Wonder how many people - unfamiliar with Chuck's work - were just getting thier groove going,
read the story out of curiousity,
and then,
Wham!
Limp.

Personally, I haven't chokled it since.

[QUOTE=Tuffy the Dump Truck]Playboy is also one of the best-paying periodicals for short fiction. Let's face it - tghere just aren't that many magazines that print short fiction that can also meet Chuck's asking price.[/QUOTE]

Asking price ? What would that be, you think ?

Playboy was the best place for it, its a masturbation story, sticking it in that rag is like saying to all the geeks spunking all over photoshopped babes that they are no better than someone throwing their ass up against a swimming pull duct to get off. To me placing it in Playboy was a haha/fuck you.

[QUOTE=DeathCabForYou]Asking price ? What would that be, you think ?[/QUOTE]No idea. I'm sure it's considerable.

Apparently, a 6-month option for film rights of his books right now is two mil, iirc. If you figure an option going for anywhere from 10 to 20 percent (standard), "Go" price to start preproduction would be 10 to 20 million (assuming I'm doing the math correctly - it's awfully early on a Sunday morning for me....) That's a nice piece of change even after his agent and manager (assuming he has a manager as well) get their cuts. Nowhere near that, of course, is what he would get for first-run short fiction rights, but it can be used as some sort of an indicator. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say somewhere in low five-digits from Playboy. I could easily be way off-base on that figure though, so don't take it as gospel or anything.

[QUOTE=Tuffy the Dump Truck]No idea. I'm sure it's considerable.

Apparently, a 6-month option for film rights of his books right now is two mil, iirc. If you figure an option going for anywhere from 10 to 20 percent (standard), "Go" price to start preproduction would be 10 to 20 million (assuming I'm doing the math correctly - it's awfully early on a Sunday morning for me....) That's a nice piece of change even after his agent and manager (assuming he has a manager as well) get their cuts. Nowhere near that, of course, is what he would get for first-run short fiction rights, but it can be used as some sort of an indicator. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say somewhere in low five-digits from Playboy. I could easily be way off-base on that figure though, so don't take it as gospel or anything.[/QUOTE]

Where'd you get those numbers from?
I read David Benihoff got a mill for 25th hours, and unlike chuck, he wrote the screenplay. let's not forget, fight club didnt do so hot at the box office

[QUOTE=Lazlosdead]Where'd you get those numbers from? They were posted on this site with a referring link - i can't find it now. Two mil for an option [b]is[b] rather on the high end.

[QUOTE=Tuffy the Dump Truck]They were posted on this site with a referring link - i can't find it now. Two mil for an option [b]is[/b] rather on the high end. not an unheard-of number eitherHe did or will get a seperate payment for that, as wellAmerican box, no, I've a feeling the overseas were somewhat better, not to mention DVD/video sales and rentals - and the movie cover trade paperback - all of which could be included in the purchase of rights. And previous performance by a hot property (i.e., Chuck) don't nessarily reflect current asking prices.[/QUOTE]

So how much does Stephen King get to get one of his books optioned?

I don't know. More than Chuck.

I"m not going to look this up for myself.. it goes against the Cult rules.

if i remember correctly, while chuck was here in eugene to read guts a while back, he sad he got either 100 or 300 times the cash for guts than he got for an advance on fight club.

he says he was offered what the publishers call "kiss off" money; they didn't really want to publishe fight club, so they lowballed him, thinking he would just say: fuck off.

but he took it.

he said he was offered 5K for fight club.

do the math.

This isn't the first time Chuck has been associated with Playboy. I'm pretty sure they've been reviewing his recent books. And I read somewhere that part of Choke was in a Playboy (figures.) way back when it first came out.

i spelled "publish" the "britishe" way.

but yeah, chuck has a long history w/ playboy.

but only for the articles......

*groan*

for the british:

*groane*

Jerk off rag, jerk off story.

[QUOTE=NineInchNads]I thought that it was great that a story in Playboy was all about horrible things that happen to people when they are jacking off.

I think that Chuck probably did this on purpose, but I don't know whether he wrote the stroy after getting the assignment from the magazine, or if he already had it written.[/QUOTE]
Playboy has a circulation of well over 1 million. That's very good marketing for a new book, that's "why Playboy?".

[QUOTE=wellookatme]In fact, I bet Chuck chose playboy because he himself is a big fan of the mag. After reading a few of his books, he sure seems to know his porn.[/QUOTE]
Yeah... except Chuck is gay.

I don't give a fuck how crappy the odds are, I'm going to send a short story to Playboy. Between the massive circulation and the typical payout ($5000 according to their website), why not? Plus, many lit mags use college kids as part of their reading staff and don't accept submissions over the summer, so there aren't so many places to submit to for the next few months. Playboy is ready year round and supposedly they send their rejections faster than most (8 weeks or less), so at least I won't have to wait too long.

As for Chuck, I imagine his reasons had little to do with the payout, but a lot to do with the circulation.

[QUOTE=DeathCabForYou]Wasn't there a better mag around to publish this story.
Playboy ... p-lease.

[B]He should have it published in some hardcore gay sexmag ... and make everybody buy that ... that would be funny[/B][/QUOTE]

Hilarious!!

03-01-2004, 04:40 AM

[QUOTE=DeathCabForYou]Wasn't there a better mag around to publish this story.
Playboy ... p-lease.

He should have it published in some hardcore gay sexmag ... and make everybody buy that ... that would be funny [/QUOTE]

06-03-2005, 04:04 PM
[QUOTE=Minuet]Hilarious!![/QUOTE]

Now that's stairway wit if ever I saw it... over a year later...

I agree, though, it is hilarious

... but it's also funny these guys never even posted in the double digits, either.. HA!

`shove a bastard in it, you crap!`

now 3 days later, punkmeister. want a sucker?

[QUOTE=jase]I don't give a fuck how crappy the odds are, I'm going to send a short story to Playboy. Between the massive circulation and the typical payout ($5000 according to their website), why not? Plus, many lit mags use college kids as part of their reading staff and don't accept submissions over the summer, so there aren't so many places to submit to for the next few months. Playboy is ready year round and supposedly they send their rejections faster than most (8 weeks or less), so at least I won't have to wait too long.

As for Chuck, I imagine his reasons had little to do with the payout, but a lot to do with the circulation.[/QUOTE]
I did, got turned down. Woo hoo!

[QUOTE=Minuet]Hilarious!![/QUOTE]
No one even [I]claims[/I] to read the articles in gay sex mags.

[QUOTE=Parkaboy]I did, got turned down. Woo hoo![/QUOTE]

When I get my rejection letter, I'll start a thread for sharing them. I haven't tried my scanner yet. It'll be a good excuse to use it.

[QUOTE=jase]When I get my rejection letter, I'll start a thread for sharing them. I haven't tried my scanner yet. It'll be a good excuse to use it.[/QUOTE]
I don't have a scanner, but I do have many rejection letters.

[QUOTE=jase]I don't give a fuck how crappy the odds are, I'm going to send a short story to Playboy. Between the massive circulation and the typical payout ($5000 according to their website), why not? Plus, many lit mags use college kids as part of their reading staff and don't accept submissions over the summer, so there aren't so many places to submit to for the next few months. Playboy is ready year round and supposedly they send their rejections faster than most (8 weeks or less), so at least I won't have to wait too long.

As for Chuck, I imagine his reasons had little to do with the payout, but a lot to do with the circulation.[/QUOTE]

I've wondered what the chances are of getting unagented fiction in Playboy. They have their college fiction contest (if they're still doing that) once a year, and if you're a full time student, that would be one way in. Of course you're going to be up against every creative writing major and every aspiring author of a different major, because the prize money is generally what Playboy is paying as a going rate. Back when I was a full time student, it was $3000. Still good scratch.

If I ever get one of my shorts up to submission snuff, I'd send it there, but with the knowledge that they can basically pick anyone they want because they're one of the only magazines outside the lit mags to publish short stories anymore. It's Hef being a holdover: when it was launched, Playboy was intended as a men's version of Cosmopolitan, Red Book, etc. And those mags all published at least one short story an issue. It was part of what Vonnegut describes as a 'crazy seller's market' for short fiction that was basically murdered by television.

Just as Hef has continued hiring jazz musicians to play at his parties, he's insisted on keeping the short ficiton as an element of the magazine. I've seen some stinkers in there, but I've also seen John Updike, Arthur C.Clarke, Vonnegut, Mario Puzo, Amy Hempel, Chuck (twice), Annie Proulx (post Pulitzer at that), and so on. Which isn't to say they never publish an unknown, they have, but I've always wondered if the unknown didn't have an agent trying to market a collection or novel for them already.

I know Chuck's sales to Playboy were facilitated by his agent.

I think Good Housekeeping still publishes short stories, keep meaning to check into that. And of course there's the New Yorker and Atlantic as long as you're going to submit to the majors.

And why not? Miranda July is a performance artist of NO commercial success, but she got an amazing short story published in the Paris Review, based on NO literary track record. As long as you're going to put your heart and soul into your writing, you might as well expose it to the abuses of the marketplace.

Final inspirational note, though not quite related to the magazine market. I heard an interview with Tom Perrotta, and I don' t know if his writing is worth a damn or not because I haven't gotten around to him, but he wrote his first novel long hand and sent it to a Big Six slushpile. About a year later, he got word they wanted to publish his book. No agent, no cleanly typed manuscript, he did EVERYTHING wrong from the standpoint of literary career advice, but he apparently had a story someone thought could make money. And it did. I don't think I'd endorse that approach (and I've heard rumors that slushpiles have gone out of fashion at the big publishers for fear of anthrax manuscripts, though more likely because it fits with the war on mid-list writers).