Book Authors’ Bill of Rights
This document has been endorsed by the Romance Writers of America (RWA), Novelists, Inc., Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of […]
Contracts and Copyrights, Information Center
Information Center
Agent Etiquette, Information Center, The Business of Writing, The SFWA Blog
Exclusives and Literary Agents
First off, definition: an exclusive means just what it sounds like. You are giving an agent the opportunity to consider your work exclusively and you are agreeing that you will not submit to another agent until you’ve heard “yea” or “nay” from that agent. Sometimes exclusives are open-ended, sometimes there’s a time period attached.
Information Center, Networking and Self-Promotion, The Business of Writing, The SFWA Blog
Get Personal with your Marketing Efforts
The words “online marketing” are fairly generic, since there are quite a few components involved with this business practice. Marketers (like myself) often utilize web analytics, social media, blogging, natural and paid search, online advertising, etc. For authors, online marketing may be a little more targeted to our writing and publishing efforts via social media and blogging platforms.
The SFWA Blog, Writing Technique
Research Tool: Google News Timeline
If you are writing fiction that’s set at any point in the real world’s history, the subject of research can take up countless hours of time. The nitty details can tie up you up while writing anything from alternate history to urban fantasy. Sometimes though, you just need to know a quick date to set the background of your story.
Check out the Google News Timeline, as a quick place to start your search.
Publishing Technologies, The SFWA Blog
Article Recommendation: Bits of Destruction
With the publishing industry shifting so rapidly now, it’s always interesting to see what people think the new paradigm will be. Bernard Lunn takes a look at it in a two part article at ReadWriteWeb. As with any set of predictions it’s just guesswork, but guesses worth reading.
Information Center, Networking and Self-Promotion, The Business of Writing, The SFWA Blog
Networking 201: How to “work a room”
When attending a social function–whether it’s a small gathering at someone’s home, or a political fundraiser, or a room party at a convention–you are being gifted with the opportunity to meet, mingle, and make contact with a wide variety of people. What I intend to do here is give some pointers on how to get the most out of any social gathering, whether you’re there for business or for pleasure.
Information Center, Networking and Self-Promotion, News, The Business of Writing, The SFWA Blog
How to Network at a Convention
So here it is. You’re a fairly “new” writer, or at least new to the convention scene, and you desperately want to make some industry contacts in the hopes that it will make it easier to get an agent/sell your work/quit your day job and hire a cabana boy/any of the above. You decide to go to a convention, perhaps picking one of the “big” ones such as WorldCon, or World Fantasy, because you’ve heard that editors and agents are absolutely spilling out the doors.
Here are some guidelines/rules/suggestions to go by:
Archived Sample Contracts, Contracts and Copyrights, Information Center, The Business of Writing, The SFWA Blog
Amazon Kindle Contract Review and Annotation (2009)
This .pdf document is an annotation of the Amazon Kindle contract as it was posted on Amazon’s Web site (downloaded in February, 2008).
The SFWA Blog, Where to Submit Short Stories
Apex Magazine newest SFWA qualifying market!
Today the board of directors of SFWA unanimously voted to add Apex Magazine to the list of SFWA qualifying markets. When Apex moved online in June of 2008, one of editor Jason Sizemore’s reasons was to be able to pay his authors SFWA pro-rates and to get them a wider audience.
Building a Career, The Business of Writing
Jump-Starting a Stalled (Or Dead) Career
Has your writing career stalled (or died) in mid-stream? John Betancourt offers some timely advice on how to jump back into the publishing boat.