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Transparency in Slush: The Wizard Behind the Curtain

By AJ Cunder As writers, we’ve all been there: Submittable, Moksha, a proprietary submission system, or even just a submission email. The cover letter’s been written, the story uploaded, and we’re waiting to hit that mysterious Submit button, wondering what happens after our work is sent into cyberspace. When I first started slush reading for […]

Writing Eyebrows: How to Orchestrate Emotion in Your Story

by Hunter Liguore Creating new characters takes a careful eye. When an idea comes, we might rely on familiar images to fashion characters that aren’t truly our own, but rather influenced through media images or by people we’ve encountered or known well. What is often missed in the early drafting of characters is the up-close […]

Announcing the SFWA Romance Committee!

The SFWA Romance Steering Committee (RSC) formed in Fall 2021. We’re pleased to introduce this new committee, its purpose, and how it can serve our membership and the SFF community! SFWA is powered through the work of dozens of committees, and we’re glad to count the RSC among their ranks. The RSC will offer meaningful […]

In Memoriam – Herbert W. Franke

Herbert W. Franke (May 14, 1927–July 16, 2022) was an author, artist, and physicist born in Austria. Franke moved from Vienna to Munich after earning his doctorate in theoretical physics. Throughout the 1950s, he published primarily nonfiction, including works on speleology and computer graphics. During this time he also began creating early computer-assisted pieces of […]

In Memoriam – Eric Flint

Eric Flint (February 6, 1947–July 17, 2022) was an author, editor, publisher, and a member of SFWA. He won the fourth quarter Writers of the Future contest in 1993 and published his first novel, Mother of Demons, in 1997. In 2000, his bestselling alternate history novel 1632 was released by Baen Books. Over the years, […]

The INDIE FILES: SFWA’s NetGalley Program and You

By Jamie Lackey Everyone agrees that reviews are important for book sales and visibility, but getting reviews can be an uphill battle. Most casual readers don’t bother leaving reviews, and it’s hard to get the attention of new readers who do. That’s where NetGalley comes in. They connect librarians, booksellers, educators, reviewers, and bloggers with […]

ROMANCING SFF: 5 Ways Fighting and Kissing Scenes Are the Same

By Chelsea Mueller There’s significant power in fighting and kissing scenes. When done well, they’re often reader favorites. Look at how readers talk about stories with excellent fights or swoonworthy sex, and you’ll see them call out these scenes specifically. In books that bring violence and romance to the page well, readers may even praise […]

SFWA’s Week 4 Events at the Clarion West Write-A-Thon

This week, SFWA has partnered with Clarion West for Week 4 of their annual summer Write-A-Thon! The Write-A-Thon takes place over the same six weeks as their intensive workshop for emerging writers. Anyone is welcome to register to take part in the Write-A-Thon, and if you haven’t yet, please visit their website to do so: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/clarionwestwriteathon/. […]

The 2022–2023 SFWA Board

Effective July 1, 2022, the SFWA Board of Directors is made up of the following members: President Jeffe Kennedy Vice President John Murphy Secretary Jasmine Gower Chief Financial Officer Erin Hartshorn Directors-at-Large Monica Valentinelli, Jordan Kurella, Remy Nakamura, Christine Taylor-Butler, and José Pablo Iriarte. Please join us in giving our thanks to the Directors and […]

SFWA Market Report – July 2022

Welcome to the July edition of the SFWA Market Report. Please note: Inclusion of any market in the report below does not indicate an official endorsement by SFWA. The markets included on this list all pay at least $0.08/word in at least one length-category of fiction. New Markets Alternate History (Flame Tree Publishing) Gargantua (Upcoming) Hidden […]