Archive for 2013

Blacksnow Zero

To free the U.S. from its crushing debt, a group of rogue American generals are planning a ruthless attack on China. FBI Agent Erica Blake tries to stop it.

SFWA Response to Hydra Letter

Thank you for your letter regarding Random House and Hydra, and your interest in speaking with us.

Unfortunately, there is very little to discuss. SFWA has determined to its own satisfaction that Hydra does not meet our minimum standards for a qualifying market, as its contract does not offer an advance.

SFWA De-Lists Hydra; Random House Responds

Following on my post last week about unattractive deal terms at Random House’s new digital-only imprint, Hydra, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America has determined that Hydra will not be a qualifying market for SFWA membership.

Random House Imprint Hydra Not A Qualifying Market

SFWA has determined that works published by Random House’s electronic imprint Hydra can not be use as credentials for SFWA membership, and that Hydra is not an approved market. Hydra fails to pay authors an advance against royalties, as SFWA requires, and has contract terms that are onerous and unconscionable.

The DMCA Takedown Notice Demystified

Many writers have heard of the “DMCA takedown notice” but not everyone understands what it is. In this post, I’ll try to explain the basics and give you some ideas about how to use the tool to protect your rights and how to respond if you’re on the receiving end of one that you consider to be without merit.

Law Firm Investigates Author Solutions Inc.

The New York law firm of Giskan Solotaroff Anderson & Stewart LLP has opened an investigation of Author Solutions Inc. (ASI), alleging deceptive practices.

Authors using Author Solutions have complained of deceptive practices, including enticing authors to purchase promotional services that are not provided or are worthless, failing to pay royalties, and spamming authors and publishing blogs/sites with promotional material.

Call for Norton Jury Volunteers

Now that the 2013 nomination process has been completed, SFWA is looking for a Norton jury for the 2014 award.

The Norton Award is presented to young adult or middle grade science fiction and fantasy novels, collections, or anthologies. The Norton jury is charged with reading widely in the field over the course of the year.

SFWA site under malware attack

We are aware of the new malware warning. This is the same problem that we have been fighting for the last several weeks but it is the first to occur while we are with the new security service. Our hope is that they will be able to use this attack to spot the back door […]