Huge thanks to Nathan Toronto, EIC of Bullet Points, for taking time to answer my questions! I came across the magazine last year and quickly became a fan.
Bullet Points is a speculative military fiction magazine whose mission is to broaden understanding of the military experience and give opportunities to reflect on war and warfare. Stories capture the complexity, tragedy, and hope of warfare and violence in human and nonhuman society, with reviews, reprints, and original stories every three months.
The magazine frequently features stories by some of my favorite SF authors. I hope you’ll check it out!
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Myna: First, tell us about Bullet Points. What do you publish?
Nathan: Bullet Points is dedicated to publishing short fiction that is both military and speculative, and that teaches us something about war. This magazine exists, first, because of the dearth of outlets for short military science fiction and, second, because too many civilians do not understand war or the military experience.
Myna: What makes Bullet Points unique?
Nathan: If Bullet Points can be a means to generate greater appreciation among science fiction fans for the horrors, hope, and dynamics of war, then it will have accomplished its purpose. As a data scientist, I approach the magazine less as a pipeline of content and more as a database of speculative military fiction that I find meaningful. The website is a database portal to help readers find speculative military fiction that, I hope, will resonate with them as much as it does with me. I also want to publish classics along with powerful original stories, so I’m open to suggestions, especially if they come with a lead for how to contact copyright holders of those classic stories. I’d especially like to get “Ender’s Game,” by Orson Scott Card, “Superiority,” by Arthur C. Clarke, and “His Truth Goes Marching On,” by Jerry Pournelle.
The online magazine is organized around collections, not just issues. For example, there are collections for stories by female authors, stories by veterans, classic stories, and reviews. There’s something here for everyone, even newcomers to the subgenre.
I also send print issues to subscribers in the United States. I love creating beautiful books with powerful content. Print issues don’t really make much money, but the print reading experience is just so enjoyable. This truly is a labor of love, as it is with most small magazines.
Myna: What are your goals for the magazine?
Nathan: I lay out the three goals for 2025 in the annual report: (1) hit 100 active subscribers, (2) find a local perfect binding option, and (3) appear in twelve shows or events. Since online interviews count as “shows or events,” you’ve already gotten me one-twelfth of the way toward my third goal! As for the other 2025 goals, I’d like to get from 32 to 100 active subscribers, which will allow Bullet Points to double author payments, which are really low now. Finding a way to have books perfect-bound locally would save about $1.50 per unit, which would allow the magazine to publish eight more stories per year.
Over the longer term, my objective is to create a sustainable market for short speculative military fiction. To me, this means passing on as much money as possible to authors while maintaining quality. I have taught military officers about war and warfare for years in my professional life, so I have a sense for when stories “get it” and when they don’t. Ultimately, I believe Bullet Points can be a means for helping readers change the way they think about war.
Myna: Tell us about your balance of free vs subscription-only content.
Nathan: With the release of Volume 8, there are 103 total stories in the database. Sixty-one of these are open-access. Bullet Points is committed to preserving open access to stories published in the last year, stories by female authors, classics, and reviews. This means that about two-thirds of stories will always be open. The good news is that when Bullet Points hits 200 subscribers, all stories will become open-access. Let’s build this together!
Myna: What are you looking for in your slush pile? Are there any specific writing styles you especially like, or any subject matter you love?
Nathan: Before I started editing a magazine, I didn’t realize how much the slush pile is about what the editor doesn’t like. I received 147 stories in 2024 and accepted 27. Character-driven stories that made me feel like I learned something new about war or warfare were the most likely to be chosen. I love being surprised, but not shocked. It was really hard to slog through narrative- or dialogue-heavy stories, and it was surprising how many stories I received that lacked either a speculative or a military element. I give more details in the annual report about what “speculative” and “military” mean, but far and away the most important element I’m looking for is thoughtfulness about war.
Myna: Do you edit the stories you accept? Is the writer part of the process?
Nathan: I edit every story to some extent, mostly for house style or to make minimal content changes for the online magazine, which has a PG-13 rating. The author role is sacred and author ownership doesn’t end simply because I purchase nonexclusive rights to a story, so I work hard to make sure that authors know what is going on and are on board with any changes. Sometimes I have to make stylistic changes at the proofing stage, especially when I’m pressed for time, but I never make substantial changes without an author’s say-so. Occasionally, upon initial acceptance, I’ll ask authors to make revisions, but I’ll never do this for a story that requires substantial changes. I accept stories I love.
Myna: How did Bullet Points evolve? What led you to start the publication?
Nathan: For years I submitted my work to traditional science fiction outlets. I was starting to develop a bit of an inferiority complex, but I still believed in my writing. I know I’m not that bad of an author. I looked high and low but couldn’t find an outlet for my short military science fiction, so I started asking around for stories and published the first annual anthology in 2021, with only seven stories. Over time, the pipeline grew and 2024 was the first year with quarterly issues. I feel like authors and readers are inspired by the mission of Bullet Points, which is to build appreciation for the military experience through short speculative fiction.
Myna: Do you also write? If so, tell us about your own writing. Where can we read your work?
Nathan: I do! I write both research and fiction. My website is designed around the nine big questions that drive my work; I see my research and my fiction as part of the same effort: to build a more peaceful, prosperous world by understanding war and warfare better.
Your readers might find interest in my novels, which are set in a post-post-apocalyptic society where women rule but which is grappling with conflicts over men’s rights and control over resources on the moon. The novels deal with complex themes like the meaning of love, gender, the role of violence in society, and the place of military officers in politics. Despite these big themes, I like to think readers will appreciate how the action really moves in these novels. The first novel is called Rise of Ahrik and the second is Revenge of the Emerald Moon. I’ve finished drafting the final novel in the trilogy, Redemption of the White Planet, so it’s coming soon!
Myna: If your magazine had a theme song, what would it be?
Nathan: Gustav Holst’s “Mars, Bringer of War,” from The Planets. It has five beats per measure and it creeps into your ear and settles in your brain. Yes, I’m a card-carrying member of the nerd club. If I ever start a Bullet Points podcast, I’ll work “Mars, Bringer of War” into the intro and outro music.
Myna: Do you have any non-writing hobbies? Any pets? Show us a picture!
Nathan: I’m a certified soccer referee (nothing fancy, just recreation level), which is a hobby that I get paid for! Don’t worry, they don’t pay me enough to make it feel not like a hobby. There are rumblings of us getting a dog in the near future, which will be a significant step up from a fish and turtle. I promise a picture when we adopt!
Myna: What’s next for you?
Nathan: Over the long term, I’m going to keep publishing Bullet Points. In the near term, I’m going to shop my third novel to agents and publishers before I decide whether to self-publish or not. After the Emerald Moon trilogy, I’ll be working on a series of short stories about a time-traveling, female James Bond-type character. Maybe those will turn into novels, maybe not. Who knows?
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Nathan W. Toronto is working his dream job managing evidence on security cooperation. When he’s not lost in data, he spends as much time as he can writing fiction. He has lived in ten countries and visited some two dozen others, developing a firm belief that Mexican food is the best, at least for lunch and dinner. His breakfast belief is just as unequivocal: no Sunday is complete without waffles in the morning.
Nathan’s website is here.
Find Bullet Points on Bluesky @bulletpoints, and on Mastodon @toronto.
Subscribe to Bullet Points.
Myna Chang 