The Zine Spotlight will be focused on a different sort of e-zine this issue. Instead of the simplistic format I usually favor, I will be looking at a "high gloss" site.

Ideomancer is a paying site (yes, they do exist) for science fiction, fantasy, flashfiction and slipstream. Back issues also feature a related, non-fiction article, book or movie reviews and information about the authors. The site gives you the option to download the current and back issues in a PDF file; which allows for off-line reading. A feature I found very useful. It did take two tries before the download would work properly and I had to shut a few extra windows I had open. My computer isn't the fastest ever made, but it's close so this may affect other readers as well.

The downloads do not include submission information but that is easily located on the site itself. The menu bars across the top and on the left are tastefully done in varying shades of green. This does make the words a bit harder to see, but moving the cursor over the links changes the background to a gold and the print to black. The stories themselves are set in an easy to read black font on a white background.

Submissions guidelines are clear and concise. Rights, length of archive and pay rates are all covered. The only thing I found to be confusing was the mention of the Ideomancer Unbound anthology. The way it was printed in bold led me to believe there would be a hyperlink under the name but there wasn't. The directions instruct the reader to: "Read Ideomancer Unbound guidelines". The link is under the word guidelines, or in the side menu under 'anthology'.

The site includes a variety of rich color pictures. These, along with some of the code intensive layouts do slow the download time. This may not be an issue for those with broadband access, but much of the world does not have that option. (Yours truly included.) Should this affect whether or not you submit to the site? That depends on how much you think the slower download time will affect the number of viewers. Part of this depends on how well the site is marketed. If a viewer wants to read the zine, they will wait for it to download.

While Ideomancer does pay professional rates for flash fiction, their rates for longer works is below the professional minimum at only $20 per story.

Overall the site is easy to navigate, enjoyable to read and very artistically displayed. Well worth the visit for the fans and writers of speculative fiction.

The problems on the site were minimal and it earns a * * * * 1/2 stars rating.

Visit Ideomancer at at http://www.ideomancer.com