Old Man’s War Release Date — An Update

Posted on September 16, 2003    Posted by John Scalzi

Okay, my fiction agent chatted with Tor and got the new release date for Old Man’s War, which is

(drum roll)

November 2004.

Yes, 14 months from now and 23 months from when the book was initially acquired. That’s publishing for you.

Again, let me stress I’m not in the slightest nonplussed about this; the book arrives when the book arrives, and anyway, I’ve already been paid, so I don’t know what else to say about that.

But it does mean that I still won’t have a SF book published when Noreascon rolls around next September. That’s two Worldcons at which I would show up with nothing for, and I just can’t have that. People would think me a fraud. So I’ll definitely be attempting some short fiction between now and next September. Be afraid. Be very afraid.

It also means that Android’s Dream (or whatever I end up calling it) won’t be out for at least another two years. Wild, considering I’m supposed to have it done by the end of this month. That’s a lot of “hurry up and wait.” But I’d much rather have it this way than all the time in the world to finish it and no publisher. I’m just silly that way.

I should note that as a contrast to the long gestation of Old Man’s War, there’s Book of the Dumb, for which I signed the contract in April, wrote largely between June and August, and which will be out next month. But I’ll also note this is also somewhat quick for the publishing world. It’s interesting to be an author experiencing both ends of the publishing time scale.