Sillybean

I think the tale of Elizabeth Bear’s novel sale is going into Writing & Publishing 101.

Again at Absolute Write, an interview with Victoria Strauss:

Q: Why must writers never trust agents or publishers who ask for money up front (reading fee, evaluation fee, representation fee, etc.)?

A: The basis of both the author-agent and the author-publisher relationship is a shared financial interest in the author’s success. An agent who makes money [...]

Via Making Light, we learn that the Department of the Treasury has placed a ban on editing services related to manuscripts from Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, and Cuba.

Jim Macdonald:

So how do they get around the Bill of Rights?

Answer: This isn’t a law, it’s a regulation. And Congress isn’t doing it, it’s an agency.

Don’t you [...]

[updated September 5, 2008. Stars indicate recently added links.]

This is primarily for SF/F novels, although most of the links will be of interest to just about any writer.

On Agents

Career planning: before you look for an agent…
Everything you wanted to know about literary agents…
Agent first, then sale? Other way ‘round?
Do you need an agent?
At [...]

Now I remember why I hate submitting short fiction.

Voices in My Head (to editors): Didja get it? Didja get it? Huh? Huh?

Me (to voices): Oh, hush up. It’s probably still on the mail truck.

ViMH: But… it might be there.

Me: Zip it.

ViMH: Will they like it? It’s pretty silly, and we’re rusty at this whole [...]

Over at the Rumor Mill, SFWA has announced that it’s changing the rules on which publications are categorized as professional. Writers might wish to weigh in on the discussion.

Cory Doctorow discovers Making Book.

Go read Scott’s new story at Ideomancer. Do not pass go, etc., etc….

Six SF/F agents answer questions from SF Crowsnest. The questions themselves are fairly standard, but what’s fascinating is the opportunity to compare answers side-by-side.

Judging books by their covers: book reviews based solely on the dust jackets. Lovely stuff.

See you Monday!

SF Site’s review of Black Gate #5 actually mentions my story briefly. I have been remiss about scouring the web in search of reviews of my short story. (Maybe because I wrote & sold it so long ago that it’s hard to get hyper about it now… maybe because I never thought anyone would bother [...]

The latest issue of Black Gate is out, and OH MY GOD! They illustrated my little baby story!

Excuse me while I have a fit in the corner over there….

Update: Just saw my first review, of sorts. Peadar Guiln says in the BG newsgroup, ”So far I’ve only had time to read ”The [...]

Black Gate is finally publishing the story they bought from me two years ago.

Yikes. I’d better finish something else, eh?

I really thought they’d forgotten all about it.

Mafia has taken over the New York publishing scene, apparently in much the same way that Thing has become the late-night game of choice during writing workshops. Too funny. (via Boing Boing)

I’ve been scribbling more notes at work. I brought home seven little slips of paper yesterday and began typing them up. Some of them dealt with the web company I’m working on (more on that later) but there was a tiny little scene of about 160 words in there.

This morning I woke up and had [...]