Output, Appearances, Plans, Resolutions, 2015 Edition
Posted on January 1, 2015 Posted by John Scalzi 39 Comments
Plans! Dreams! Physical manifestions, in text and flesh! For 2015, here’s what I got so far.
Output:
These are confirmed, i.e., have solid publication plans/dates.
- If all goes well, sometime very soon, the videogame Midnight Star (which I did the worldbuilding for) will be available worldwide on iOS, with other platforms to follow.
- Immediately prior to Midnight Star, the prequel graphic novel Midnight Rises, which I wrote, will likewise be available, also on iOS, with other platforms following.
- The End of All Things, the new novel in the Old Man’s War universe, and the immediate followup to The Human Division, will be out mid-year, first in digital serial version and then in hardcover.
These are unconfirmed, i.e., scheduled to be written this year but no solid publication plans/dates.
- A novella, which will have its initial release on Audible as an audio presentation. Depending on when it’s done, for the second half of 2015 or first half of 2016.
- A different novella for Subterranean Press. No release date yet.
- A short story I’m co-writing with a friend, in part to see what co-writing with someone is like. It’s already claimed but I don’t know the release date.
- And, you know. I’ll probably write a science fiction novel in there, too, and it will probably come out in 2016.
These are things I’m thinking of doing/may or may not do, depending on various events falling one way or another.
- I may (co-)write a script, either for one of the shows based on my books currently under development, or just for the practice.
- Likewise, if one or more of the shows under development gets greenlit, I may be busy with executive producer duties.
- A YA novel (I’ve been thinking about this one for a while now)
- A non-fiction book, either humorous or on film. Or maybe a writing book. It’s been eight years since Coffee Shop came out. Hmmmm.
Things I won’t be doing:
- Interpretive dance.
- A musical.
- An album of classic metal songs, performed on ukulele.
Appearances:
As always, you can visit my Scheduled Appearances page for details. At the moment, confirmed events include Dearborn, MI, Greenville, OH, Perth and Melbourne in Australia, and Charlotte, North Carolina. It’s likely I will add Chicago and Spokane to the schedule (for Nebula Weekend and WorldCon, respectively), possibly Los Angeles (for the LA Times Book Festival) and there are a few other dates I’m mulling, but nothing else is confirmed at the moment. When they are, of course, I will let people know.
Oh, yeah: I’ll also be on a boat the first week of February.
General Resolutions:
- Schedule my time better. This is becoming increasingly important as I travel more and have more things I’d like to do.
- Exercise more. I’m getting older and I want this body to actually last.
- Write a little more here on Whatever; last year it wasn’t precisely neglected, but I at least noticed that all my travel and other events had an effect on it.
- Read more things that are not the Internet. Rumor is, I have many friends who write. Perhaps they have books I would enjoy reading.
- Indeed, do more things that don’t involve the Internet; it does feel like it sucks away a lot of my time these days.
- Family and friends: Be there for them and with them.
- Did I mention scheduling my time better? Yes, that.
So, those are the plans for 2015 at the moment. I have a whole year to see how much of it actually gets done. Looking forward to it.
Hey John!
Quick question on Midnight Star — now that the iPhone 6+ is out, will it be released to the phone as well or only iPad?
Looking forward to it either way!
Have a great year and good luck with the resolutions!
~Mike
I’ve never understood why so many devs rush to put things out on iOS before Android when the Android market is so much bigger. Go for the smaller audience? Really?
sbradfor:
You know what I find really boring at this point? Discussions on why developers develop for one platform before another. So let’s not have that discussion here, please.
mbeard890:
I believe it’ll work on iPhone 6. Not 100% sure.
I think the bullet point about the novella probably has a typo in the dates.
Mike:
Fixed.
That last item under things you won’t be doing was awfully specific. Any chance of an album of classic metal songs on the kazoo?
I’m a little sad that you won’t be doing an album of classic metal songs performed on ukulele. I think it would be absolutely FABULOUS!
Ah well. Maybe next year?
(Co-writing… one of my favorite things to do! I hope you’re enjoying your experience and look forward to the resulting story.)
How do you plan to ruin masculinity this year?
I find just my existing does the trick for some fellows.
“101 Uses For a Spare Goat” ?
I’m willing to settle for an EP of classic metal on ukulele, as long as it includes “One.”
Mere words cannot express my deep disappointment at the lack of prospects for “Old Man’s War – The Musical” I envisioned a ukulele overture leading into some marvelous Basso-profundo exploration of mans inhumanity to space beings.
“I may (co-)write a script, either for one of the shows based on my books currently under development, or just for the practice.”
I keep hoping that someday you’ll write a rom-com for the big screen. (SF rom-com by preference, but whatever.)
Rom-com is all about the patter, and you’re awesome at patter. (Also, at capturing the general amusement value of humans interacting.)
Hell, if I could afford it, I’d shell out good money to *commission* a rom-com from you, letting you keep all rights so your agent could shop it around.
Looks like you’ll be busy this year! Don’t worry about not doing the ukulele covers. There’s always next year!
i find myself hoping at least one of the local book stores will take advantage of you being in town for Swancon to host a signing (I can’t afford a Swancon membership at this stage – and really, unless the Lotto ticket my brother gave me for Christmas pays off in aces, I’m not likely to be able to afford it by April, either). Ah, the joys of life on a low income.
Perth in April is comfortable (early April is generally sunny these days, with temperatures in the mid-twenties Celsius), although there’s the occasional reminder from Summer that she hasn’t gone far away (particularly in the first week or so). Lots of glare. Bring sunglasses.
[Incidentally: the nice warm sunny early April days I’m talking about? Actual evidence of climate change. My birthday is in early April, and as a child I remember it always being dull and grey and rainy, and being the time of year I first started needing to wear a jumper (sweater) on a regular basis. These days, my birthday is short-sleeves weather.]
No Classic Metal with uke? Very disappointing.
I wondered about the Goat book, too. Don’t you have a contract with Subterranean Press?
Executive Producer…now that’s promising…
Did you write a post of your plans for 2014 a year ago? I should look but I’m feeling lazy tonight. How did your plans for 2014 turn out to your reality in 2014?
Follow up – found that post for 2014. Interesting… still, what are your thoughts on what you planned versus what happened?
seriously John, anyone with even a smidgeon of common sense knows that classic metal covers should be done on banjo. I mean really…. /font-shaking_head_in_disbelief>
Digital Atheist: If a banjo isn’t easily available, bluegrass will just have to do.
I notice that there’s something missing from the list, though, that’s a much greater source of concern: No entry for “Convincing offspring to put off world domination for another year.” I think we’re all in trouble.
Another vote for an update on the spare goat book– I need to know what to do with all these extra goats I bought in anticipation!
pssst…fighting crime? Unless you already fought it all, then, good work!
@Jaws A banjo is very handy… like maybe 20 feet away from me although I’ve been rather lax the last couple of years… sigh. just trying to tease John into something a bit less ho-hum than a uke… lol
Come on, John. You mean to tell me that if we manage to crowd fund a ridiculous amount of cash for one of your favorite charities, that you would NOT do an interpretive dance entitled, “Rage of the Dudebros?”
Think of the possibilities!
Thanks, judgezed, now I have a mental image of John doing a lot of Michael-Jacksonesque crotch grabbing.
Jaws–I dunno, things might be better off with Athena in charge. If nothing else, she would probably have the good sense to forbid her father from following judgezed’s suggestion.
I was all bummed out about the interpretive dance, but I think judgezed nailed it right there.
Also very happy to have even a tentative date for “The End of All Things” and news of more Audible goodies. Thank you. Writing may be necessary, it may even be fun, but it’s also work. Thanks for working to make us happy.
If you do come back to the LA Times Festival of Books, I’ll be glad to act once more as your Author Escort.
I suspect that many people will make it their new years resolution goal to see if they can engineer a scenario in which John Scalzi must do interpretive dance.
as far as exercise… telling you pick up p90x3. its only 30 minutes. really good exercise routine. It was better for me than going to the gym. if you go through two rounds of it (will take 6 months), by june you will be sporting something close to a 6 pack. so if someone calls you a mangina again, post a picture of your abs and go ‘mangina this fatboy’.
You won’t even consider doing a one-off single release of a ukulele cover of Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper”? It worked for this guy on the harp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_vbdxwI5Ck (which sounds like the in-store entertainment at the world’s most METAL Nordstrom \m/)
Greetings and best for this 2015. Daniel
Please…not a YA book. I know the YA market is quite lucrative these days, but “Zoe’s Story” is the single thing of yours that I’ve disliked. I know you write for money, but please don’t make money the ONLY reason you write something.
I’d much prefer another book written in the “Lock In” world.
Dear judgezed: please take my money.
And here I was holding out for the joy of you writing the book of a Musical. Don’t you want a Tony to put next to your Hugo?
I made flaily hands at the new OMW book, and a soft noise of disappointed amusement at the lack of ukelele metal covers. Hope your 2015 is fun and full of the right kind of excitement. :)
Will “The End of All Things” be serialized in audio as well?
I really, really loved the communal experience of following “The Human Division” episode by episode, watching people react at the same time as I did. My actual *reading* is normally too sporadic to get that experience, but I can usually be sure to get through 30 to 90 minutes of audio within a day or two of release, for this kind of thing.
I got Lock In for Xmas and devoured it, John. Great book! :-)
Re. iPad or iPhone, the…Irish?…iTunes page for the app shows the game will work on iPhone & iPad, and be optimized for iPhone 5/6/6+. I had trouble digging up any info other than “for iOS” elsewhere, in fact.
https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/midnight-star/id694850851?mt=8
Anyway, I look forward to the graphic novel and possibly the game (I’m not really a handheld or computer gamer, but I’m intrigued).