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Lois Gresh is the New York Times Best-Selling Author of 15 pop science books and 4 SFF novels. Her books are in 18 countries.
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“A richly told tale”–Robin Hobb “… reinvigorates the epic fantasy”–Library Journal
Nebula Awards Weekend
The Forty-Seventh Nebula Awards Weekend will be held Thursday through Sunday, May 17 to May 20, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia, near Reagan National Airport.
We honor Connie Willis as our Grand Master!
To register, click on “Registration” in the menu to the immediate left. Then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Register” button.
Tours, workshops and panels are available for registered attendees (the number of people who can be accommodated on the tours and workshops is limited.) Active and Associate SFWA members may nominate works, until February 15th, for the awards to be presented at the May 19th Nebula Awards Weekend Banquet. Hour long interviews and readings will be recorded by Jim Freund for his Hour of the Wolf radio show broadcast on WBAI (99.5FM) in New York City.
Jon Williams is our Toastmaster (he will also conduct a half-day Writers Workshop on Friday morning.) Mike Fincke is our Keynote Speaker.
The Mass Autographing Session on Friday, May 18th will be followed by a reception to honor the nominees and other honorees.
You don’t have to be a nominee, a member of SFWA, or even a writer to participate in the weekend. Registration for the 2012 Nebula Awards Weekend is open now. The cost for the Nebula Awards Banquet is $75.00 per person. The cost to register is $50.00 for a SFWA Member and $60.00 for a non-SFWA Member until February 29, 2012. Rates for registration will be higher as the date of the event draws closer.
Results from the 2010 Nebula Awards (presented 2011).
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Archive for October, 2010
Wholesale vs. Agency: Sales Models in Conflict
Monday, October 11th, 2010
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware
One of the big publishing headlines this month(here, for instance) was that e-books from some popular authors were selling on Amazon for higher prices than the hardcover versions. For instance, the hardcover of Ken Follet's Fall of Giants was priced at $19.39, while the digital version cost $19.99. James Patterson's and Howard Roughan's Don’t Blink was going for $14.00 in hardcover, and $14.99 in digital.
Predictably, Kindle-maniacs flipped out, slamming the books with one-star reviews and angry comments. "The publisher expects more for the Kindle electronic version than the hardback. It is unfortunate the publishing industry continues to live in the past...Take advantage of your customers and feel their wrath," wrote one commenter. "It is ridiculous that the publisher is charging more for the Kindle version than the hardcover," wrote another. "The price for this eBook is outrageous (more than the hardcover edition!) Send a message to the publisher that we consumers will not be bilked out of our money to satisfy their greed," wrote a third.
I won't argue that $19.99 or even $14.99 is too much to pay for an e-book--especially since, if you use an e-book reader such as the Kindle, you are buying a license, not a book. And I do believe that consumer pressure will ultimately force prices down (though many consumers who demand low-priced e-books don't seem to grasp that publishers have fixed costs that must be recouped across all versions of a book, even the versions that are cheaper to produce). But it's wrong to punish authors by giving one-star reviews, or claiming that publishers and authors are in cahoots. Authors have no control over the prices at which their books are sold.
Tags: ebooks, Kindle, Writer Beware
Posted in Publishing Technologies, SFWA Blog, Writer Beware | 1 Comment »
Quick Updates for 2010-10-10
Sunday, October 10th, 2010
- At NYCC @torbooks is giving away I Am Not A Serial Killer by SFWA member @johncleaver at 11:00 at booth #2328 Stop on by. #NYCC #
- Interview with SFWA member @gailcarriger at @GreatGeekManual: The Gothic Imagination http://ow.ly/2QFBP #
Tags: twitter
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Song of the Sword: Book 1 of The Shards of Excalibur
Saturday, October 9th, 2010
A modern teenage girl inherits the power of The Lady of the Lake and must find Excalibur’s scattered shards before Merlin.
Tags: edward willett, Willett
Posted in Featured Book | Comments Off
Quick Updates for 2010-10-09
Saturday, October 9th, 2010
Member News
- Welcome to SFWA’s newest Associate member David Sklar. Read his qualifying story “Over My Shoulder” at Strange Horizons.
- Details for SFWA members Kami Garcia‘s and Margaret Stohl‘s Beautiful Darkness Tour.
- An interview with SFWA member Catherine M. Petrini is up at Deanna’s Tidbits.
- SFWA member Cherie Priest‘s novel BONESHAKER has been nominated for one of the first-ever Airship Awards.
- SFWA member David Levine‘s story “Finding Joan” can now be read for free on Daily Science Fiction’s website.
- SFWA member Allan Cole offers THE SILVER BULLET SANCTION, a New episode of My Hollywood Misadventures at his website.
Tags: Allan Cole, Catherine M. Petrini, Cherie Priest, David Levine, David Sklar, Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl, twitter
Posted in News, SFWA Blog | Comments Off
Commerce Department Seeks Comment on Protecting Copyrighted Works on the Internet
Friday, October 8th, 2010
If you are an author, regardless of where you stand on copyright, please take time to read and respond to the U.S. Commerce Department’s inquiry about the relationship between copyright and the internet. Making sure that your voice is heard is an important part of determining the future and ultimately having a say in something that will affect your career.
Their press release is below.
The U.S. Commerce Department’s Internet Policy Task Force today issued a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) seeking comment from all interested stakeholders on the protection of copyrighted works online and the relationship between copyright law and innovation in the Internet economy.
Considering the vital importance of the Internet in today’s society, the Department of Commerce has made it a top priority to ensure that the Internet remains open for innovation. The initiative on Copyright Policy, Creativity and Innovation in the Internet economy seeks to identify policies that will:
- Generate benefits for rights holders of creative works accessible online and make recommendations with respect to those who infringe on those rights;
- Enable the robust and free flow of information to facilitate innovation and growth of the Internet economy; and
- Ensure transparency and due process in cooperative efforts to build confidence in the Internet as a means of distributing copyrighted works.
The comments gathered through this NOI will be used by the Internet Policy Task Force in preparing a report that will contribute to the administration’s domestic policy and international engagement in the area of online copyright protection.Interested parties are encouraged to submit comments by e-mail to copyright-noi-2010@ntia.doc.gov. Comments filed in response to this NOI will be made available to the public on the Internet Policy Task Force website at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/internetpolicytaskforce.
For more details on the NOI, visit: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-24863.pdf.
Posted in News, SFWA Blog | Comments Off
Quick Updates for 2010-10-08
Friday, October 8th, 2010
- Welcome to SFWA's newest Associate member David Sklar. Read his qualifying story @strangehorizons http://is.gd/fPRpb #
- SFWA member @cmpriest will be reading at the Cedar Hills Powell's at 7pm tonight. #
- Details for SFWA members @kamigarcia's and @mstohl's Beautiful Darkness Tour http://su.pr/1rowxT #BeautifulDarknessTour #
- An interview with SFWA member @petrini1. http://deannajewel.blogspot.com/ #
- SFWA member @ixtumea will be at the Foothill Ranch library fundraiser this Saturday. http://web.ocpl.org/events/?id=5788 #
- SFWA members, I'll be largely offline today so don't count on me spotting your news. Tell me about it & I'll post it. http://is.gd/fPWS0 #
- SFWA member @cmpriest's novel BONESHAKER has been nominated for one of the 1st-ever Airship Awards. http://tinyurl.com/27dfguu #
Tags: twitter
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Quick Updates for 2010-10-07
Thursday, October 7th, 2010
Member News
- SFWA member Kalayna Price‘s new urban fantasy GRAVE WITCH is out now.
- SFWA member Shiloh Walker has a Contest & Giveaway for The First Book of Grimm. Details here.
- SFWA member Marjorie Liu will be at NYCC. Two panels (novels, X-Men), two signings, both on Friday.
- Interview with SFWA member Dan Wells about his latest book, Mr. Monster at Apex Book Company.
- SFWA member Tom Crosshill‘s “Express to Paris by Dragon First Class” is at Intergalactic Medicine Show. Click the link in left menu for a free audio version of the story.
- Interview with editor & SFWA member John Joseph Adams at Redstone SF.
- SFWA member David Levine‘s story “Floaters” is published on Drabblecast.
- Welcome to SFWA’s newest Associate member Tim Myers with a sale to Realms of Fantasy (April, 1999) http://www.timmyersstorysong.com/.
- SFWA member Paul Jessup has flash fiction up at Innsmouth Free Press.
- Original fiction from SFWA members Harry Connolly and Stacia Kane on Suvudu.com.
- SFWA members Sarah Beth Durst and Cinda Williams Chima will be at Books of Wonder today (10/7) at 6pm.
- SFWA member Stephanie Draven discusses The Seven Deadly Sins of Paranormal Romance on the Dirty Sexy Books blog.
- Win WILD CARDS 1 – with new stories by SFWA members David Levine, Carrie Vaughn, and Michael Cassutt – from Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist!
- SFWA members Kevin J. Anderson, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Brandon Sanderson teach a new SUPERSTARS WRITING SEMINAR in Salt Lake City, January 13-15.
- University of Toronto is teaching SFWA member Robert J. Sawyer’s WAKE in a science-fiction course this fall.
- A hearty thank you to Marc Steuben who’s been moderating the Quick Updates at sfwa.org for the past year. The new moderator is Keffy R.M. Kehrli.
Industry News
- Electric Velocipede: Submission Problems with Gmail.
- Gmail also appears to be dumping autoresponses to Strange Horizons submissions.
Tags: Brandon Sanderson, Carrie Vaughn, Cinda Williams Chima, Dan Wells, David Levine, Harry Connolly, John Joseph Adams, Kalayna Price, keffy r.m. kehrli, Kevin J. Anderson, Marc Steuben, Marjorie Liu, Michael Cassutt, Paul Jessup, Robert J. Sawyer, Sarah Beth Durst, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Shiloh Walker, Stacia Kane, Stephanie Draven, Tim Myers, Tom Crosshill, twitter
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Quick Updates for 2010-10-06
Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
- An outing with Ellen Datlow and whiskey, despite an ill husband. http://bit.ly/cx3HVW #
- Happy release day SFWA member @Kalayna Price for her new urban fantasy GRAVE WITCH http://3.ly/rKuu #
- SFWA member @shilohwalker has a Contest & Giveaway for The First Book of Grimm. Details: http://bit.ly/awbRkG #
- SFWA member @Marjorie Liu will be at NYCC. Two panels (novels, X-Men), two signings, both on Friday: http://shar.es/0eNt9 #
- @shilohwalker Happy to boost the signal. Feel free to DM anytime you want us to do that. in reply to shilohwalker #
- Interview with SFWA member Dan Wells (@johncleaver) about his latest book, Mr. Monster. http://is.gd/fMnR7 #
- SFWA members Cat Velente & Seanan McGuire are reading at tonight's #NYRSF http://bit.ly/b4DCPU #
- SFWA member @tcrosshill's "Express to Paris by Dragon First Class" is at IGMS. Free audio. Click link in left menu http://is.gd/fMC8X #
- Interview with editor & SFWA member John Joseph Adams at @RedstoneSF http://is.gd/fLe1y #
Tags: twitter
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Barnes & Noble Launches PubIt! Self-Publishing Service
Tuesday, October 5th, 2010
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware
This week, Barnes & Noble announced the launch of PubIt!, a free self-publishing service for its Nook e-reading device. With PubIt!, B&N joins Amazon and Apple in offering direct-to-device self-publishing (though Apple allows this only if you have a Mac; if you don't, you must use an Apple-approved aggregator like Smashwords).
Like Apple, B&N uses the EPUB open ebook standard (Amazon, by contrast, imposes a proprietary format). There's a free tool to convert your manuscript, and an ISBN is not required (Amazon also doesn't require an ISBN, but Apple does.) You must own your electronic rights, which means you can't simultaneously publish elsewhere unless those agreements are nonexclusive. Unlike other devices, the Nook allows users to lend and share ebooks, and all books from PubIt (I refuse to keep typing in that stupid exclamation point) will be lendable.
Books can be priced anywhere from $.99 to $199.99. If you stick between $2.99 and $9.99, you'll receive a 65% royalty--slightly more than Apple's 60%, slightly less than the 70% option Amazon offers to US self-publishers (but with fewer conditions). Books priced higher or lower receive 40%. Like Amazon and Apple, B&N imposes some restrictions: if you sell your ebook via other retailers, your PubIt price can't be higher, and it also can't exceed the price for a print version, if there is one.
Titles uploaded to PubIt become available for sale within 24 to 72 hours.
What's the advantage of using PubIt, rather than making your ebook available at Barnes & Noble via an ebook distributor? Better pay. B&N pays royalties on your book's retail price, while distributors pay on net (retail less whatever discount B&N demands).
Tags: Writer Beware
Posted in SFWA Blog, Writer Beware | 1 Comment »
Quick Updates for 2010-10-05
Tuesday, October 5th, 2010
Member News
- SFWA member Rachel Caine will be an Author Guest of Honor at MileHiCon, coming up Oct. 22-24.
- Interview with Sarah Beth Durst is up on Preternatura.
Industry News
- Escape Pod announces higher pay rates. Rates increase to $.05/word for new stories, and $.03/word for reprints, starting Oct. 1.
Resources
- Guest Blog Post: How Deliberate Practice Can Make You an Excellent Writer
Tags: Rachel Caine, Sarah Beth Durst, twitter
Posted in News, SFWA Blog | Comments Off