Archive for the ‘The SFWA Blog’ Category

How to Make Your Next SFF Work’s Currency

by John Dale Beety What do your characters spend? Currency, the forms of money used in a setting, can add rich and suggestive detail to your worldbuilding. Here are eight key questions to answer when creating fictional currency. Does Your Setting Need Currency? Not necessarily! The word “money” shows up only twice in Andy Weir’s […]

Jim Hosek Named the 2024 Service to SFWA Award Recipient

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is pleased to announce that the 2024 Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA Award will be presented to James Hosek at the 59th Annual SFWA Nebula Awards® for his outstanding work on behalf of the organization. The Service to SFWA Award recognizes a volunteer of SFWA who best […]

Using Poetry to Enhance Your Writing

By Holly Henderson Poetry can be one of the shortest forms of fiction, but it has the ability to make an outsized impact on the reader. This is especially true when poetry is combined with fantasy and science fiction—both forms aspire to express common concepts in uncommon ways. From classics like The Lord of the […]

SFWA Market Report – February 2024

Welcome to the February edition of the SFWA Market Report. Please note: Inclusion of any venue in this report does not indicate an official endorsement by SFWA. Those markets included on this list pay at least $0.08/word USD in at least one category of fiction. This compilation is not exhaustive of all publication opportunities that pay […]

Publishing Taught Me Accepting Pitches for Four Essays

Publishing Taught Me, the SFWA online anthology project supported by a grant from the NEA, is seeking pitches for four essays to be included in the anthology. We are looking for contributions addressing the experiences of BIPOC authors, editors, and other science fiction, fantasy, and horror publishing industry participants, so firsthand knowledge of them will […]

Sourcing Art on a Budget

By Austin Conrad Editor’s Note: This is the second in a two-part series from Austin Conrad on acquiring illustrations for tabletop games. Part 1 focused on working directly with an artist, while Part 2 presents additional resources. High-quality art plays an important role in creating the well-presented products expected by most consumers of tabletop games, […]

In Memoriam: Howard Waldrop

Howard Waldrop (15 September 1946 – 14 January 2024), was a prolific short fiction author known for revealing tragic consequences through a voice of humor and for stand-alone alternate histories based on a desired setting rather than on a turning point of note. His short stories were published from 1972 to 2023, and his tragic […]

SAFETY DISPATCH: Don’t Get Hooked by Phishing and Scams

by the SFWA Safety Committee Listen, so there’s this prince in Nigeria who really needs— Hey, wait, where are you going??? I’m joking, of course. If there’s one scam we all know, it’s the classic Nigerian Prince swindle, a modern iteration of the even more classic Spanish Prisoner scam that dates back to the 19th […]

In Memoriam: Tom Purdom

Tom Purdom (19 April 1936 – 14 January 2024), was a science fiction writer, a charter member of SFWA, and held two roles within the organization. He served as the Vice President from 1971-1972 and was the first SFWA Eastern Regional director from 1976-1978. Published in 1957, he wrote five science-fiction novels from 1964 to […]