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Nebula Awards Interview: Vylar Kaftan
Vylar Kaftan writes speculative fiction of all genres, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, and slipstream. She was nominated for a 2010 Nebula Award for her short story “I’m Alive, I Love You, I’ll See You in Reno.”
Guest Post: Clarion West Writers Worshop
What are the secrets to Clarion West’s success? How did it get to be one of the world’s premiere training grounds for authors of speculative fiction? Most likely that’s happened because of you. Here’s how.
In Memoriam: Ardath Mayhar
Ardath Mayhar (1930-2012) died on February 1. Mayhar began writing science fiction in 1979, although she had been publishing poetry since 1949.
Quick Updates for 2012-02-13
Member News for Eugie Foster, Ferrett Steinmetz, and Greg Bossert.
Publisher’s Desk: Display or Misplay?
If a display site is free, you lose nothing by signing up (as long as you’re careful about any contacts you receive). But if you have to pay a fee, you might want to think twice before pulling out your…
Guest Post: Five Simple Tricks
You don’t have to be a fanatic to use Twitter; it doesn’t have to take over your life. Just get an account, use your real name, start following some people, and post some things. You don’t have to do it…
Worldcon Participants, Tuesday Funk Wants You!
Tuesday Funk, Chicago’s eclectic monthly reading series where good writing and good beer mix, is looking for five writers to fill out a special program of speculative fiction readings on the evening of Tuesday, September 4th, 2012.
Fantasy on the Bayou Conference
The Futuristic, Fantasy & Paranormal chapter of Romance Writers of America is having it’s first conference March 2-4, 2012 in New Orleans, LA. The keynote speaker is Maggie Shayne.
Quick Updates for 2012-02-04
Member news for Matthew Johnson, Eugie Foster, Laura Anne Gilman, Keffy R. M. Kehrli, and Delia Sherman.
Review: The Late American Novel
In THE LATE AMERICAN NOVEL: WRITERS ON THE FUTURE OF BOOKS, editors Jeff Martin and C. Max Magee have collected a number of new writers* talking about the future of books, and although the word has been interpreted quite differently…
The Author’s Guild on Amazon: Publishing’s Ecosystem on the Brink
On Tuesday, the Authors Guild posted the following article on its blog. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in the ways in which the book business is changing, and how we reached the point where a single retailer has the…
Quick Updates for 2012-02-01
Resources and Member News for Stephanie Draven, Elizabeth Bear, Tony Pi, Eugie Foster, D. Walters Grintalis, and J. F. Lewis.
A Small Meditation on Art, Commerce and Impermanence
I’m going to touch on something that I’ve discussed briefly before but which I think is worth reheating into its own post. Here are the best selling books in the US from 1912, which is (for those of you for…
Report to SFWA members regarding Dorchester Publishing
Dear SFWA members: As many of you are aware, on December 10, 2010, the board of SFWA voted unanimously to place Dorchester Publishing Co, inc, on probation following an inquiry after we became aware of several instances in which Dorchester…
Guest Post: So You Have a Writer Friend…Don’t Panic
One of the first published novelists I got to know told me that it was really awkward to be friends with a writer whose stuff you don’t like.
Guest Post: One Author’s First Month in KDP Select
Last December, I blogged about Amazon’s KDP Select program, which allows KDP authors to participate in Amazon’s Kindle Owners’ Lending Library and be paid per borrow from a fund established by Amazon.
Two weeks ago, Amazon issued a press release chart…
Delmont-Ross Writing Contest: The Saga of a Fake Literary Competition
A little while back, I stumbled on a news story about Mitchell Gross, a Georgia man who was recently indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of wire fraud and money laundering for allegedly luring a woman into investing…
Guest Post: Things I Know?
Buying into a personal mythology of hierarchical status can harm your career. It’s one thing to expect respect for your work and experience. It’s quite another to expect demonstrations of your status or to make pronouncements like “I will not…
The Fine Print of iBooks Author
Yesterday, with great fanfare, Apple rolled out two new applications: iBooks 2, with new features aimed at students; and iBooks Author, which allows individuals to create iPad-optimized ebooks.
Guest Post: Long Sentences
We do need, not more, but a deeper relationship with what we have. Not knowledge, or not just knowledge, but understanding. That’s what writers give us.
Digital Rights Showdown: HarperCollins v. Open Road
One of the effects of the phenomenal growth of ebooks over the past few years has been to bring new value to the backlist–both for publishers who hold the contracts for backlist books, and authors who want the freedom to…
SFWA Names Connie Willis Recipient of the 2011 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award
SFWA is proud to announce author Connie Willis as the 2011 recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award for her contributions to the literature of Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Guest Post: Trailers and Tribulations
With the rapid rise of eBooks, the membrane between the printed word and the digital world is getting thinner every day.
Guest Post: 25 Reasons Readers Will
Keep Reading Your Story
A good story should always be raising questions — not asking them directly, but instead forcing the reader to ask them. “Wait, what’s that weird symbol they keep seeing on the walls? What was that sound? Something’s up with that…