Monthly Archives: March 2013
SFWA Responds to Random House
Posted on March 8, 2013 1 Comment
Yesterday, Random House sent a letter to SFWA regarding RH’s imprint, Hydra, which SFWA had declared ineligible as a qualifying market for membership because it did not pay advances, and otherwise had objectionable contract points. Today, SFWA has responded to Random House regarding Hydra. The letter is here, for your perusal. It’s worth the read. […]
Random House’s Letter re: Hydra
Posted on March 7, 2013 41 Comments
For those of you who would like to see it, it’s here. For those of you who want to know my personal response, it’s at the bottom of this entry. Update: SFWA responds.
Raptors at the Fences
Posted on March 7, 2013 30 Comments
I am about to head off to my daughter’s orthodontist appointment, so let me briefly address a question that I’m seeing a lot in the wake of me writing about Random House’s Alibi/Hydra imprints and their genuinely awful boilerplate contracts. The question is, more or less: Is this where traditional publishers are going with their contracts? […]
The Big Idea: Deb Coates
Posted on March 7, 2013 15 Comments
If you don’t have one Big Idea, is enough to have several standard-sized ideas, and then let them build? It’s the question Deborah Coates asks and answers today, in reference to her latest novel Deep Down. Let’s find out what happens. DEBORAH COATES: I’m not sure I’m the sort of person who has Big Ideas. […]
A Contract From Alibi
Posted on March 6, 2013 217 Comments
So, don’t ask me how, but I have in my hands (from what I consider a reputable source) a contract from Alibi, which is the sibling imprint of Hydra, the Random House imprint that I thumped on roundly in the previous entry. You will recall that I thumped on Hydra because its contractual terms were […]
Note to SF/F Writers: Random House’s Hydra Imprint Has Appallingly Bad Contract Terms
Posted on March 6, 2013 176 Comments
Random House recently started Hydra, an electronic-only imprint for science fiction stories and short novels. But, as noted by Writer Beware here, the terms in a Hydra deal sheet shown to them are pretty damn awful: * No advance. * The author is charged “set-up costs” for editing, artwork, sale, marketing, publicity — i.e., all […]
Winter’s (Hopefully) Last Fling
Posted on March 6, 2013 49 Comments
Last night’s winter storm looks to have dropped about half a foot of snow around here, more or less, but the high for today is going to be slightly above freezing, reaching fifty degrees by Saturday. So this isn’t going to last, and given the time of year, this seems likely to be the last […]
In Which I and Other Writers Talk About Writing Whilst At Sea
Posted on March 5, 2013 10 Comments
While I was on the JoCo Cruise Crazy 3 Cruise, I took part on a panel about writing — which was a surprise to me, actually, since I showed up to watch the panel and then Bill Corbett, who moderated the panel, said “Oh, good, you got the note that we wanted you on the […]
The Big Idea: Karen Healey
Posted on March 5, 2013 17 Comments
I like a good night’s sleep — but what do you do when your sleep lasts much longer than a night? What happens when you fall asleep in one world and wake up in another one entirely? Author Karen Healey dreams up just such a situation in When We Wake, and the choices she makes […]
The Human Division, Episode 8: The Sound of Rebellion is Now Live
Posted on March 5, 2013 22 Comments
What, Tuesday again? Then it’s time for a new episode of The Human Division, this one titled “The Sound of Rebellion.” Here’s the description: The Colonial Defense Forces usually protect humanity from alien attack, but now the stability of the Colonial Union has been threatened, and Lieutenant Heather Lee and her squad are called to […]
SFWA Members: Your Election Ballots Should Be Arriving
Posted on March 4, 2013 1 Comment
Two neat things that arrived in the mail today: One, the French language version of Redshirts, which looks nifty; and the ballot for the SFWA election, which was aesthetically functional at best but probably more important in the grand scheme of things. I’m keeping the book; the ballot, on the other hand, is going out […]
Creative Brain Firing Up
Posted on March 4, 2013 52 Comments
While the first two months of 2013 were not exactly empty of purpose for me — I worked on the video game and next-gen comic I’m part of the creative team for, did SFWA business, edited a book, debuted the episodes of The Human Division and managed a spontaneous fundraiser that generated roughly $70k in […]
In Previous Eras, a Schism Like This Would Involve the Death of Millions
Posted on March 3, 2013 297 Comments
My wife and I have a disagreement about a line in the song “The Rainbow Connection.” The line is: “Why are there so many songs about rainbows, and what’s on the other side?” I am of the opinion the line is two independent ideas, i.e., Kermit asks why there are so many songs about rainbows; […]
Today I am Working on My Doing Nothing Skills
Posted on March 2, 2013 19 Comments
Which is why you won’t see much of me here today. See you tomorrow!
Upcoming Travel Notes, 3/1/13
Posted on March 1, 2013 39 Comments
People on Twitter and elsewhere have been noting that I am scheduled to show up in their town for things. Well, it’s true: Between March and June I have some travel planned. Here are the public events I am tentatively scheduled to be at. March 16 -17: Engadget Expand, San Francisco. April 20 -21: Los Angeles […]
The Big Idea: Alaya Dawn Johnson
Posted on March 1, 2013 17 Comments
Writers know that sometimes there is the writing you are supposed to be doing, and then there’s the writing you want to be doing. Prudence dictates doing the former over the latter. But sometimes, as Alaya Dawn Johnson found in writing The Summer Prince, there might be something to telling prudence to take a hike. […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying