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Things to Ask Your Agent
by Eva Scalzo
There are things you want to be sure you’re asking beginning on that first call, when you’re trying to see if an agent will be a good fit for you
In Memoriam: Mike Resnick
Author and editor Mike Resnick (b.1942) died on January 9 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Resnick began publishing science fiction in 1965 and over his career won five Hugo Awards, one Nebula Award, and more than 30 other awards….
Vernor Vinge Wins 2020 Robert A. Heinlein Award
Vernor S. Vinge, a four-time Hugo Award-winning science fiction author and retired mathematics and computer science professor, is the 2020 winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Award.
SFWA Market Report For January
Welcome to the January edition of the SFWA Market Report.
2020 Nebula Conference Panels, a Sneak Peek!
Looking forward to the 2020 Nebula Conference? We are, too! To whet your appetite, our programming team has prepared a sample of panels you can look forward to in May. Though these items are neither comprehensive nor final, they represent…
Filtering Feedback: Strategies for Overcoming the Revision Doldrums
by Ian Muneshwar
We’ve all been there. The dreaded-but-anticipated moment when your beta readers return your manuscript draft, and you sift through their comments in search of their praise, reactions, and criticisms.
Seven Ways to Grow Your Resilience as a Writer
by Alex Woolf
No one enjoys being rejected. Writers, who are often a touch more sensitive than the average bear, may feel the sting even more acutely. Which is unfortunate, as the daily work of the writer involves rejection on an…
Lois McMaster Bujold Named SFWA Damon Knight Grand Master
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA, Inc.) is pleased to announce that Lois McMaster Bujold has been named the 36th Damon Knight Grand Master for her contributions to the literature of Science Fiction and Fantasy.
SFWA Market Report For December
Welcome to the December edition of the SFWA Market Report.
Writing The Other Rechristens Financial Aid Program to Vonda N. McIntyre Sentient Squid Scholarship
News from Writing the Other:
Nisi Shawl and K. Tempest Bradford, administrators of Writing the Other online classes, are pleased to announce that their scholarship program, launched in 2016, is now retitled the Vonda N. McIntyre Sentient Squid Scholarship. This name…
Old Women in SF—the List
by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley
When we think about women in speculative fiction, it seems to be fantasy figures that quickly come to mind: Lady Olenna, the Queen of Thorns, Professor McGonnagal and Sir Terry Pratchett’s wonderful witches. When it comes to…
Defining Roles: Agents & Editors
by Alice Speilburg
At the pre-publication stage, as you’re drafting queries and sending off sample pages, an editor at a publishing house and a literary agent seem to serve the same purpose: to legitimize your claim as a professional author, and…
New Life and Old Deadlines
by Noah K. Sturdevant
So you went and had a kid (or another one). Congratulations! Now you’re in the special club, where you may need to write to support your little bundle of joy, but don’t have any time to do…
SFWA Statement from the President on Chizine
SFWA is monitoring the ongoing situation with small press publisher ChiZine. In light of documented financial and contractual misconduct, as well as other troubling business practices, SFWA is placing an advisory warning on ChiZine.
Age Is Just a Number
by Jeff Reynolds
When I was eight, I wrote my first short story. It was bad, as the writing of an eight-year-old tends to be, full of tropes and endless misspellings. It long ago disappeared into the trash bin of my…
SFWA Market Report For November
Welcome to the November edition of the SFWA Market Report. Please note: Inclusion of any market in the report below does not indicate an official endorsement by SFWA.
Watch Something Different Tonight!
by Sarah Kozloff
We’re supposed to read widely, exposing ourselves to new genres to spark our imagination. By the same token, shouldn’t we expand our viewing experiences?
SFWA Contracts Committee Advisory on No-advance Contracts
Recently, SFWA’s Contracts Committee was made aware of a situation in which a well-liked publisher canceled the publication of a number of books it had contracted to publish. The publisher said the decision was made because of “unexpected changes” at…
Odyssey Writing Workshops Online Courses
News from The Odyssey Writing Workshops Charitable Trust: Odyssey has been a pioneer and innovator in holding live online classes since 2010. Live class meetings allow a virtual “physical college classroom” experience, in which students can participate in discussions, ask questions,…
The Other Final Frontier: Writing Ocean Settings
by Victoria Zelvin
Space is often called the final frontier for humanity, but we have explored more of space than we have our own oceans. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more than eighty percent of the ocean is…
A Change in the Director-at-Large at SFWA
James Beamon has agreed to serve the remainder of Andy Duncan’s term as Director-at-Large.
The Art of Story as Worldbuilding
by Nathan Nance,
So you’re writing SFF, and you’ve got spaceships to design. Engine systems to map. A haunted forest to populate. A talking badger to draw. If you’re not a rocket scientist writing hard sci-fi, how are you supposed to…
What Makes You Think Your Idea’s Even Worth Stealing?
by Dan Brotzel
Genuine idea theft and plagiarism are complete no-nos, of course. But I’m amazed how protective writers of stories, articles and posts can be about ideas that aren’t really worth stealing. Here are a few thoughts on ideation and…
Star Trek Will Save the World!
by Filip Wiltgren
Climate crisis, economic imparity, obesity, totalitarianism, re-nuclearization. The list is long, but there is a solution right around the corner.
It’s called the Holodeck.