Publishing Taught Me Archives

Archive for the ‘Publishing Taught Me’ Category

The Ballad of the Slush Reader What I’ve Learned (And What I Want to Know) about Reading Slush

by Nelly Geraldine García-Rosas Introduction – In Which I Rant a Little First, let me get this off my chest; I don’t believe that reading slush can make anyone a better writer. I say this because anytime a magazine opens applications to add first readers to its team, several folk come out encouraging emerging writers […]

Culture: Moving Beyond Set Dressing

by Kanishk Tantia This essay is the fifth of eight in the Publishing Taught Me: A SFWA Anthology Project. The first story I ever wrote was unabashedly my own: written with unfiltered childlike enthusiasm, completed within a single draft and, to my eyes, perfect upon completion. Two donkeys killed each other because one was purple […]

Yes, We Need Diverse Books, But We Also Need Diverse Reviewers–Still*

by Erika Hardison This essay is the fourth of eight in the Publishing Taught Me: A SFWA Anthology Project. Ever since Black YA Fantasy author L.L. McKinney set Twitter (now known as X) ablaze with her hashtag #PublishingPaidMe in 2021, the traditional publishing industry has been scrambling to give the appearance that they are truly […]

Working with Your Career’s “Track Changes”: Advice from One BIPOC Editor

by Diana M. Pho This essay is the third of eight in the Publishing Taught Me: A SFWA Anthology Project. Introduction The role of an editor in book publishing is shrouded in mystery. Perhaps it’s because our job faces dualistic scrutiny by writers. Editors are creative guides but also gatekeepers preventing you from getting published. […]

SFWA Publishing Taught Me Anthology Announces Full Roster of Contributors!

We are pleased to announce that our online anthology Publishing Taught Me now has a full roster of contributors! In addition to currently published essays by Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki and James Beamon (which are available here–https://www.sfwa.org/sfwa-publications/publishing-taught-me-a-sfwa-anthology-project/), we have essays upcoming from Diana Pho, Erika Hardison, Kanishk Tantia, Nelly Garcia-Rosas, Yoon Ha Lee, and Emily Jiang. Their essays […]

Take Editing Humor Seriously. Please.

by James Beamon This essay is the second of eight in the Publishing Taught Me: A SFWA Anthology Project. I take my humor seriously. You have to, as a humorist, and even more as an editor looking for funny stories. The bulk of my editing experience has been scrutinizing speculative short fiction for the Unidentified […]

Inside the Fiction Editor’s Mind: Does the Writer’s Identity Matter?

By Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki This essay is the first of eight in the Publishing Taught Me: A SFWA Anthology Project So, does the writer’s identity matter? The short answer is, well, yes. But the question people mean to ask when they ask if the writer’s identity matters is: should the writer’s identity matter? Whether […]

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 […]

Publishing Taught Me Launches with an Intern Search

We are delighted to announce that SFWA has received a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) to support a new program we’re launching: Publishing Taught Me. This program will be shepherded by Nisi Shawl, an accomplished and multiple award-winning author, editor, instructor, and Kate Wilhelm Solstice Award recipient. It will take place […]