Had a FABULOUS time at Norwescon. My fellow panelists were great, and it was terrific seeing everyone, including (but not restricted to): Alma Alexander, Michael Alexander and his lovely wife Sheila, K.C. Ball, Nathan Crowder, Janet Freeman Davis, Caren Gussoff, Mary Robinette Kowal, Nancy Kress, Nick Mamatas, Mary Rosenblum, Michael Swanwick, Stephanie Weippart, whose surname I think I have misspelled, and Duane Wilkins. Particularly loved the Beneath Ceaseless Skies reading, which featured so much very good stuff that it was alarming.
Your prose needs a good editor. The below is your opening on a story posted at Clarkesworld:
I glance in the glass wall’s reflection. [Why give a plural possessive to an inanimate object? And, are you really glancing in the Wall’s reflection, or are you glancing at your own reflection?]
I glance at my reflection in the glass wall. It faces me twenty feet away as I walk up the stairs [;] marble slab steps, showing grainy pink underneath my red sneakers. My fingers clutch the [again] chrome railing. I’m feeling shaky, that internal quiver where your body announces that it may not be up to this.
What any competent writer needs is a good editor. Unfortunately, you will probably not get to where you want to go by publishing in semi-pro zines; they don’t have the resources to make your work better””tighter””more publishers friendly.
Fellow writers might help, but nothing takes the place of a good editor.
Good luck with your secondary career. Or, if you would like to take a flyer””I can be bought! A penny a word and then perhaps your work might be expanded into professional magazines. Content counts for about half of what an editor considers.
Best-
Mike
P.S. Comma after the word “that” is never a good idea, and placing two “that’s” in the same sentence is a no-no. That said, that’s a shame.
Hi Mike, good luck with the editing career! I’d suggest that if you really want to use the web to drum up business, you might want to rethink your approach, which comes off more like an attempt to troll than a genuine effort to be helpful and thus ends up looking less than professional. You might also want to acquaint yourself with the list of what’s considered pro and what’s not when dealing with SF writers – I’ve found the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America site very helpful and I often point people new to the field at that site.: http://www.sfwa.org I hope that’s helpful!
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"(On the writing F&SF workshop) Wanted to crow and say thanks: the first story I wrote after taking your class was my very first sale. Coincidence? nah….thanks so much."
~K. Richardson
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Recent Writing News (January 2014)
How do you make your Internet presence something that sells books rather than just a succession of pictures of your cats? I've still got slots in this Sunday's class, Building an Online Presence for Writers." Come find out best practices for blogging, privacy, social media, SEO, and more, as well as free online resources for writers. $99 for new students, $89 for former students. Drop me a comment or e-mail to save a slot in the class.So I have a story coming out next month in Clarkesworld Magazine, “Tortoiseshell Cats are Not Refundable.” I’m very pleased to appear again in Clarkesworld (past stories are I’ll Gnaw Your Bones, the Manticore Said, Whose Face This Is, I Do Not Know, The Mermaids Singing Each to Each, and Worm Within) and it’s a story that I like because it’s got some humor and some seriousness all blended together in a way that I think is less of a downer than some past stories have been.
I have seen the cover for the March issue of Asimov’s, which contains my novelette, “All the Pretty Little Mermaids,” and which even features an illustration drawn from the story, although I don’t know the artist yet. Hurray! That’s the second time I’ve appeared in Asimov’s, and I’m very excited about it. I also have a non-fiction piece appearing in the March Analog, an interview with Bud Webster about his new book, Past Masters and Other Bookish Natterings.
Other stories that should see print in 2014 are: Memphis Barbecue, a southern steampunk story (AIRSHIPS AND AUTOMATONS); dark fantasy story A Brooch of Bone, A Hint of Tooth (BY FAERIE LIGHT); Summer Night in Durham, which involves a tattoo artist, a vampire, and a parking lot confrontation (STAMPS, VAMPS, and TRAMPS); and Hoofsore and Weary, a fantasy story set in a new part of Tabat’s world, the Rose Kingdom (SHATTERED SHIELDS).
7 Ways to Spread The Word Everywhere of Neither Here Nor There!
Announcing my new collection, Neither Here Nor There. If you’re familiar with earlier collection, Near + Far, this is the same double-sided format, with secondary world fantasy stories on one side and fantasy set in our own world on the other, including an original story, “The Wizards of West Seattle,” that will appeal to fellow Seattleites.
I’ll make B&N, Kobo, Powell’s, etc links available when I have them as well.
But here’s some other, better ways that you can help spread the word:
1. Request it through your library. Most will even let you do this online. The information you need is publisher: Hydra House and ISBN: 978-0989082877
2. Request it at your local bookstore. It’s available through Ingram, a major book distributor, so they should be able to get it.
3. Write an Amazon, GoodReads or other booksite review. Amazon reviews are great! So are other book selling/reviewing sites such as Goodreads, LibraryThing, and Shelfari!
4. Blog about the book. Any mention of the book, particularly one that explains why you liked it, is awesome. Or come blog for me! I’m looking for guest posts about writing, F&SF, or related subjects. Mail me if you’re interested; the offer has no expiration date, since this is something I’m planning on doing on a regular basis.
5. Share news of it on social networks. Sharing links on Facebook and other social networks is great. Just favoriting, plusing or liking posts helps give them a little Google juice. Even going to the Facebook page and clicking “Like” helps. I’ve attached a couple of images that can be used as social media icons and/or backgrounds.
6. Share news of it on mailing lists and other groups. Pass the news along to your fellows on writing, literary, or SF-related discussion boards, BBSes, mailing lists, and other forums
7. Let me know if I’ve overlooked something! Many of you are writers and creative types who also often have something to promote. Please feel free to send me your notices, and if you like the idea of this post, feel free to use what you can from it.
Thanks for reading through all this, and thank you very much for your support in the past. I’m pleased with how lovely this collection looks, and very happy that it’s out in time for holiday shopping!
3 Responses
Dear Cat,
Your prose needs a good editor. The below is your opening on a story posted at Clarkesworld:
I glance in the glass wall’s reflection. [Why give a plural possessive to an inanimate object? And, are you really glancing in the Wall’s reflection, or are you glancing at your own reflection?]
I glance at my reflection in the glass wall. It faces me twenty feet away as I walk up the stairs [;] marble slab steps, showing grainy pink underneath my red sneakers. My fingers clutch the [again] chrome railing. I’m feeling shaky, that internal quiver where your body announces that it may not be up to this.
What any competent writer needs is a good editor. Unfortunately, you will probably not get to where you want to go by publishing in semi-pro zines; they don’t have the resources to make your work better””tighter””more publishers friendly.
Fellow writers might help, but nothing takes the place of a good editor.
Good luck with your secondary career. Or, if you would like to take a flyer””I can be bought! A penny a word and then perhaps your work might be expanded into professional magazines. Content counts for about half of what an editor considers.
Best-
Mike
P.S. Comma after the word “that” is never a good idea, and placing two “that’s” in the same sentence is a no-no. That said, that’s a shame.
Hi Mike, good luck with the editing career! I’d suggest that if you really want to use the web to drum up business, you might want to rethink your approach, which comes off more like an attempt to troll than a genuine effort to be helpful and thus ends up looking less than professional. You might also want to acquaint yourself with the list of what’s considered pro and what’s not when dealing with SF writers – I’ve found the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America site very helpful and I often point people new to the field at that site.: http://www.sfwa.org I hope that’s helpful!