Paul L. Payne

Paul Lawrence Payne was an American science-fiction writer and editor, born in Alcoa, Tennessee, on September 5, 1921, and he died in Knoxville on February 28, 1992. Reliable reference sources describe him as both a fiction writer and a magazine editor, with work connected to the mid-20th-century pulp scene.

He is especially remembered for his association with Planet Stories. Reference sources list him as editor of the magazine from Fall 1946 to Spring 1950, and also note that he worked on other Fiction House pulp titles, including Action Stories, Jungle Stories, and Wings. That editorial work likely had as much impact as his own fiction, since it placed him in the middle of a busy and influential period for popular science fiction.

As a writer, Payne published stories such as The Cructars Are Coming and As It Was, and bibliographic sources also connect him with nonfiction and critical writing, including The Vizigraph in Planet Stories. His surviving reputation is that of a capable, behind-the-scenes figure in classic pulp SF: not one of the biggest household names, but an important contributor to the magazines that helped define the genre for many readers.