BOUNDARY to be in Science Fiction Book Club!

[seawasp]

Eric and I have been notified that Boundary will be in the Science Fiction Book Club magazine as a featured item. This weekend I'll be writing a draft of the blurb which will go with the book. This is fun -- my first hardcover and my first SFBC appearance!

In other exciting writing news, I just received my first "Advance Reader's Copy" -- of Boundary, naturally. ARCs are produced generally as trade paperbacks; this looks SO COOL!

Comments

[sub-musashi.livejournal.com]

Congrats, dude, that's awesome. Must be nice to know you'll be read by tens (hundreds?) of thousands of people.

By the way, did you publish short stories before trying to sell your novels, or did you jump right in? My wife is finishing up her first novel and isn't sure whether the short story route is still necessary.

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

I'm not convinced the short story route is much easier than heaving manuscripts through the transoms of publishing companies. There are not all that many SF magazines left and the general long-term trend for their sales numbers is down. This means a new short story author is competing for a very limited number of slots and if they do get in, their story will only be seen by a few people[1]. And then, if they do get a novel sale on the basis of their shorts, they may find the skills that worked at 20,000 words don't apply at 200,000 words.

You can also use the web, but while I can think of people whose careers started that way, they are the exception.

If it's any consolation, while the market for short stories in F&SF is dire, the market for all other kinds of short stories is even worse, for reasons that go back to the 1950s.


1: For example, have you ever heard of Howard Waldrop? He's one of the best F&SF writers around and has been for ages but he sticks most to the short lengths. At times, at least part of his sustanance has come from a hunter-gather life style.

The Web...

[seawasp]

You can also use the web, but while I can think of people whose careers started that way, they are the exception.

I sorta fit that category, in my own wierd way.

Re: The Web...

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

So do I, actually. I am the first person ever to get the job I have who did not have prior experience in the publishing industry and I am fairly sure it was my various online stunt reviews that did it for me.

Short stories are not my forte.

[seawasp]

In general, the sections of Digital Knight represent the shortest material I can write, and they're too long for most "short" venues. Short stories also don't pay worth crap compared to books, so for someone interested in actually making useful spare change out of their writing short stories are generally not the way most people go.

The SFBC is good for exposure, although I don't think it's nearly as large as you imply... and the number who will order Boundary will of necessity be a lot smaller. A few thousand would be very good, though.

Think of it as a filter

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

Disclaimer: I work for the SFBC but I do not speak for them or represent them in any way.

The market for F&SF skews strongly towards the F end of the scale (1), around two to one. SF may account for perhaps 2% of the books sold last year.

The SFBC offers as many SF novels as fantasy. I don't know what the relative sales are and probably would attract the attention of the Bookspan Orbiting Laser if I did know and shared but I have good reason to suspect Joe Average SFBC Customer is looking for SF. There are fewer eyeballs involved but they are biased towards SF.


1: It would be very rude of me to speculate why this is but I will say it is not surprising, any more than the general tone of post-Imperial British SF was.

[shana.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

But I'm not joining the SFBC to buy a copy of that edition.

[You write the draft of the blurb, then Eric gets his licks?]

(re ARC) Now you have something to wave around and taunt people with. :)

Yes...

[seawasp]

.... and so will you, whenever you visit. (Kathy was sick yesterday and so I don't think she's been able to decide whether you should come up the next weekend or not)

[meril.livejournal.com]

w00t! This is good news for you. ...any nifty marketing of it is good news :)

[callahanshappy.livejournal.com]

Nice!

[cateagle.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!! I'm already setting cash aside for Boundary and talking it up. Now I'll have more to push it with.

Kewl!

[seawasp]

"Pushing" is good. I need lots of pushers. :)

Congratulations!

[bigbananaslug.livejournal.com]

Congratulations, Rykk, it couldn't happen to a better book. I am anxiously awaiting the real copy of Boundary, since I've loved the book ever since Eric sent me a draft...great job, both of you.

Bananaslug.

Re: Congratulations!

[seawasp]

Thanks! Now I just have to finish the sequelae.

WooHoo

[argonel.livejournal.com]

So does that mean I got the ARC before you did because I bought the eARC? That just doesn't seem fair, even though electrons are much faster to publish than dead trees.

But Seriously I enjoyed Digital knight and Boundary, keep up the good work.

Re: WooHoo

[seawasp]

Well, the eARC was the final draft of the book, so no, you didn't, since that was basically the same electronic file that Eric and I turned in. :)

This one has the editing done and kewl cover and all that.

You enjoyed DK and Boundary -- what about Diamonds Are Forever? :)

Re: WooHoo

[argonel.livejournal.com]

Diamonds are forever was a pretty good story too. :)

Your first book...

[(Anonymous)]

Congrats! SFBC material? Sounds like a must-buy. To your success to date & beyond.

-Dragonkat- <dragonkat2flame@yahoo.com>

Re: Your first book...

[seawasp]

Well, not my FIRST book. My first hardcover. Digital Knight was the first one.

Excellent!

[murbin.livejournal.com]

That is way cool and well deserved!

[(Anonymous)]

How do I get my signed copy? I mean you blew up my home town :
)

Mark Grey

[shana.livejournal.com]

Well, at least he did while you were out of town...

Exactly!

[seawasp]

Characters have no gratitude. I keep them alive, minimize the pain and suffering they go through... well, relative to what I *COULD* put them through... and even give them special things to do, and all they do is whinge.

Mr. Grey...

[seawasp]

... the very minute you can cross into this dimension I will hand you one. I would request you ask Verne to send along just a few minor artifacts so that I can be set up in luxurious comfort for the rest of my life, thereby able to write adventures... which all turn out well... reliably rather than at the whim of my current work schedule.

Your avatar in THIS reality just has to either drop by the house or wait until the 22nd, when I'll be doing a reading and signing at Flights of Fantasy. I'll even give you a free copy. :)

Good Book

[(Anonymous)]

Congratulations I just finished reading Boundry and enjoyed it!

Re: Good Book

[seawasp]

Thanks very much. I hope I can keep the next two as much fun to read. :)

[origamilady.livejournal.com]

Ditto on the congratulations:). I can't wait til your next comes out *rubs hands together gleefully*. Im glad that things are working out for you this way:) must be a really cool feeling to see your name on an actual book. At any rate -I just got my MarCon newsletter and Eric Flint was listed as coming, any chance you might be as well?

Alas, I don't think so...

[seawasp]

... I will be seeing Eric (and Terry Brooks) at I-Con, but that's going to pretty much be it until Albacon, unless another convention shows up Really Close To Home.

a little late

[fairhopeman.livejournal.com]

I just finished 'Boundary' and was very pleased with your work, overall.
I am curious to know if you (and Mr. Flint, perhaps) plan on a sequel. I can visualize this story going further.
Thank you for your time,

Alan.

Re: a little late

[seawasp]

Thanks very much!

Well, if you read forward -- WAY forward -- in the journal, you'd know you have excellent timing.

After a long period of waiting, Threshold, the sequel to Boundary, will be published in June 2010. I'll be starting work on Portal, which follows Threshold.

My next solo novel, Grand Central Arena, will be released April 27th, 2010.

Re: a little late

[fairhopeman.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the prompt response. I await "Threshold" with bated breath. Good luck on all your other endeavors.
Alan

(BTW, I purchased "Boundary" through SFBC. I have been a member almost since their inception and generally speaking they offer quality reading. Their trend toward fantasy is disheartening as I am hardcore SF; I hope you continue your association with them as I will continue reading your work.)

Re: a little late

[seawasp]

It's not *quite* that simple with regard to the SFBC. As you obviously know, the SFBC doesn't offer every science-fiction and fantasy novel out there; they pick and choose. And so it's up to them which books they offer. They have a number of readers to whom they send candidate novels and who then offer their recommendations. I of course would love to have them continue to offer any book I write as a selection, but it's their call, not mine.

Insofar as my writing, I cover the gamut; Grand Central Arena is a sort of modern version of Golden Age space opera, my salute to Doc Smith and all of the other Gold-to-Silver Age authors who influenced me as a kid. Boundary and Threshold are hard SF (or, at least, as hard SF as I can handle writing). Digital Knight is urban fantasy. I just completed two more novels I'll be submitting, both of which are fantasy (although of different types).

Unfortunately, while there are hardcore science fiction fans still out there, they're outnumbered by more than 10:1 by fantasy fans, and the SFBC would be economically stupid not to make sure they offered a lot to the fantasy side (these days, "SF" is often used to mean "Speculative Fiction" which includes science fiction, fantasy, and supernatural horror).

Thanks for reading!