Category Archives: Publishing

Discussions about the business of publishing.

Realms of Fantasy-A Personal Eulogy

Posted on by

Magazines are born and die. This is a fact in and out of the field. I found myself making a list of just the print magazines I have known that are no longer here. In no particular order:

Galaxy
If
Omni
Twilight Zone Magazine
Amazing SF
Fantastic Stories
Adventures of Sword & Sorcery
Cosmos
American Fantasy Magazine
SF Age
Tomorrow: SF
Quantum SF
Odyssey
3SF
Pirate Writings
Aboriginal
Pulphouse
Century
Argosy
Fantasy Book
Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Fantasy Magazine
Alchemy
Troll
Dragon
Unearth
Shayol
Galileo

I’m sure I’m missing a few (dozen), and that’s just the print list. Online/electronic hasn’t been immune either (Sci-Fi.Com, Aeon, Future Orbits, etc). That’s reality. I know it and you guys know it. Some of these paid well, some hardly paid at all. Some had more prestige and influence than their circulations would suggest, but one and all they’re gone now and every one was a loss in its own right. Now we can add Realms of Fantasy (RoF)to that very long list. Continue reading →

The Heavenly Fox, Reviewed

Posted on by

Charles de Lint, writing in the November/December F&SF really liked The Heavenly Fox. 

Quote:

“I’m not sure how much of this book is based on actual Chinese fox mythology. I just know it’s a delight from start to finish: fresh, with a charming cast of characters, and the kind of prose that is both immediate and timeless.

In other words, Parks has delivered another winner that I can shelve in the keepers section of my library—right alongside my Thomas Burnett Swann books like The Goat without Horns and Moondust.”

It’s not every day I’m compared to Thomas Burnett Swann, who I confess was an early influence. You can read the full review here at Books to Look For.

The Company We Keep

Posted on by

In the last several months I’ve heard more than one established pro say something along the lines of “I’m sure glad that I broke in when I did. It’s a lot harder now.”

Whether you accept that premise or not depends mostly on how you define your terms. If you’re working strictly at novel length, that’s one thing. If you consider “breaking in” the process of making your first few decent short fiction sales and going from wannabe to neopro, then the statement is absurd on the face of it. It’s not easy to sell to a top-notch market starting out, and the fact that some people manage doesn’t change that. It wasn’t easy 10-20 years ago and it’s not any easier now, and if it was much if any easier back in the true pulp era I’d be amazed.

If, otoh, you define “breaking in” as establishing yourself and becoming a recognized name in the sf/f field, that’s a different kettle of herring. Over the past twenty years or so that’s gotten quite a bit harder. There are a lot of reasons for that: competition from other media, a fragmented readership, et many ceteras. Whatever the reason(s), I think it’s quite arguable that establishing yourself in the sf/f field is harder now than it’s ever been.

So why do new writers insist on making it harder than it has to be? Continue reading →

Ghost Trouble: The Casefiles of Eli Mothersbaugh

Posted on by

Pardon the commercial interruption, but I believe that some of you out there might actually want to know this. After several months delay, I’ve finally assembled the complete (and  I do mean complete) collection of the Eli Mothersbaugh Ghost Hunter series in ebook (Nook and Kindle) edition. This includes all seven of the Eli Mothersbaugh stories previously published plus five stories written especially for this edition. And by “especially written” I mean just that. The intent all along was to include these stories as originals in a collection of the Eli Mothersbaugh series, and that’s what I’m doing. I won’t guarantee that there will never be another new EM story after this, but in my mind the series arc is complete, and right now I can’t see writing any more of them. I consider this the definitive edition. Continue reading →

“Now the Monkey on My Back Has a New Act”

Posted on by

We’ve all heard the old chestnut “Be careful what you wish for, because you might get it.”

Expectations. In my personal opinion, expectations can kill a career as dead as Ordering to the Net, only quicker. It’s perfectly normal that you start selling stories and think “Now what?” Ok, so you’ve sold a story? Have you qualified for Active in SFWA? Ok, that’s three stories, good. The first two weren’t flukes, that’s nice to know. So. Have you sold a collection? Ok, now you’ve sold a collection? Marvelous! Have you sold a novel? Won a Nebula or Hugo? Been nominated for any darn thing? Sold a Movie Option? Done… well, you get the idea. My friend and mentor Parke Godwin once described this as the “Now the Monkey on My Back Has a New Act” syndrome. This is perfectly normal. What’s not normal is when the monkey, so to speak, thinks the show’s over.

We tend to forget that the sole purpose of a goal is to be a target, but once you hit the mark, its job is done. A goal in its pure essence is a direction, not a destination. One you reach a goal you don’t clear a plot of land on the site, build a split-level with a pool in the back yard and move in. That way lies stagnation. If you don’t want to stagnate, you have to look for the next goal or retire. Those are your choices. Pick one. Continue reading →