Here’s an interesting link showcasing that great writers like Ray Bradbury still have to deal with rejection, even well after becoming household names. Bradbury was a poet at heart, not a scientist, and this anecdote hightlights that point. I hope one day his lost planetarium show sees the light of day.
Forbes also released a list of the highest-paid writers in the world. See if your favorite bestseller made the cut. I have to admit being surprised by a couple of entrants.
This morning the list of nominees was released for the World Fantasy Awards. Congrats to all those who were nominated. (List taken from Publishers Weekly.) Winners will be announced at the World Fantasy Convention later this year in Toronto, the first week of November.
Novel
• Those Across the River, Christopher Buehlman (Ace)
• 11/22/63, Stephen King (Scribner; Hodder & Stoughton as 11.22.63)
• A Dance with Dragons, George R.R. Martin (Bantam; Harper Voyager UK)
• Osama, Lavie Tidhar (PS Publishing)
• Among Others, Jo Walton (Tor)
Novella
• ”Near Zennor”, Elizabeth Hand (A Book of Horrors)
• ”A Small Price to Pay for Birdsong”, K.J. Parker (Subterranean Winter 2011)
• ”Alice Through the Plastic Sheet”, Robert Shearman (A Book of Horrors)
• ”Rose Street Attractors”, Lucius Shepard (Ghosts by Gaslight)
• Silently and Very Fast, Catherynne M. Valente (WSFA Press; Clarkesworld)
Short Fiction
• ”X for Demetrious”, Steve Duffy (Blood and Other Cravings)
• ”Younger Women”, Karen Joy Fowler (Subterranean Summer 2011)
• ”The Paper Menagerie”, Ken Liu (F&SF 3-4/11)
• ”A Journey of Only Two Paces”, Tim Powers (The Bible Repairman and Other Stories)
• ”The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees”, E. Lily Yu (Clarkesworld 4/11)
Anthology
• Blood and Other Cravings, Ellen Datlow, ed. (Tor)
• A Book of Horrors, Stephen Jones, ed. (Jo Fletcher Books)
• The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities, Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, eds. (Harper Voyager US)
• The Weird, Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, eds. (Corvus; Tor, published May 2012)
• Gutshot, Conrad Williams, ed. (PS Publishing)
Collection
• Bluegrass Symphony, Lisa L. Hannett (Ticonderoga)
• Two Worlds and In Between, Caitlín R. Kiernan (Subterranean Press)
• After the Apocalypse, Maureen F. McHugh (Small Beer)
• Mrs Midnight and Other Stories, Reggie Oliver (Tartarus)
• The Bible Repairman and Other Stories, Tim Powers (Tachyon)
Artist
• John Coulthart
• Julie Dillon
• Jon Foster
• Kathleen Jennings
• John Picacio
Special Award Professional
• John Joseph Adams, for editing – anthology and magazine
• Jo Fletcher, for editing – Jo Fletcher Books
• Eric Lane, for publishing in translation – Dedalus books
• Brett Alexander Savory & Sandra Kasturi, for ChiZine Publications
• Jeff VanderMeer & S.J. Chambers, for The Steampunk Bible
Special Award Non-Professional
• Kate Baker, Neil Clarke, Cheryl Morgan & Sean Wallace, for Clarkesworld
• Cat Rambo, for Fantasy
• Raymond Russell & Rosalie Parker, for Tartarus Press
• Charles Tan, for Bibliophile Stalker blog
• Mark Valentine, for Wormwood
Forbes recently conducted a comprehensive three-part interview with Smashwords founder Mark Coker that makes for an interesting read.
I’ll also bring your attention to Marmaduke Explained, which I’ve enjoyed for some time now. It’s so simple, a daily deconstruction of a one-panel comic strip. Way funnier than Marmaduke itself.
New Doctor Who trailer for the first half of Series 7 came out today. It starts airing later this month, and it looks epic.
Here’s an in-depth article The Atlantic Wire published earlier this month about YA author R.L. Stine.
I’m part of that Goosebumps generation the reporter spoke about. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the first book in that series being published. I remember going to the bookstore to pick up each month’s new title. Those books had a unique smell; I don’t know if it came from the type of paper used or what, but that scent can instantly transport me to the now-shuttered Borders Books in Fairlawn, Ohio.
This was before the recent boom (and subsequent crash — stay tuned) in young adult fiction, the lean days before Harry Potter. Back then there wasn’t a lot in the way of YA books, especially good speculative fiction. Alvin Schwartz had his Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Bruce Coville put out a line of great anthos in his Book Of series, and the Monsters Series published by Crestwood House was superb. Beyond that, there wasn’t much that held my interest.
Except R.L. Stine. I devoured those books and went back for more. Some of the best were the earlier, darker ones like Night of the Living Dummy, The Haunted Mask or The Scarecrow Walks At Midnight. Admittedly, many of the books explored plots (a ventriloquist doll that comes to life, Halloween masks that become part of you, evil scarecrows) that are well-trod. But those aren’t really horror cliches when you’re under the age of ten.
As the series went on, the books became more cartoonish and less suspenseful. I kept buying them, however, because I wanted the full set. By the time the original Goosebumps series ended, I had moved on to Stephen King; still I have those books, boxed up and tucked away in the closet for some future generation to enjoy.
Earlier this month I listed my favorite books about writing. One of them, Writing Movies for Fun andProfit, just came out in paperback. The authors, Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant, appeared this week on Attack of the Show to promote the book. Any fans of Reno 911 know these men are funny, and their book is truly hilarious. This embedded interview is from last year. Click here to see this week’s newer interview.
Here’s an article from The Atlantic, “Writers in Hollywood,” written by Raymond Chandler and originally published in 1945. Almost seventy years later, it’s amazing to see how much of it still rings true.
Hollywood long ago ran out of ideas. Look at next year’s slate of theater releases if you need any convincing. How many are sequels? Or remakes? Reboots? American translations of foreign film? And television isn’t much better, sadly, particularly network TV.
With the advent of the digital revolution, the long-standing definition of what a book is seems to be shifting. No longer is it just printed pages glued, bound and set on a bookshelf. It can be an e-book as well, yes, but even that is being experimented with.
Take Medallion Press and their new TREE books, which stands for Timed Reading Experience E-book. Think of those choose-your-own-adventure books you read when you were a kid. Except you don’t choose which direction the story goes, so much as the book decides for you based on your reading habits. Does anyone else think that sounds unnecessarily complicated and vaguely creepy? You don’t read the book; the book reads you.
In a writing capacity, every book becomes choose your own adventure. Each novel is a collection of decisions, major and minor, numbering into the thousands. The biggest are foundational: Who is the protagonist? Where and when is the story set? What obstacles prevent the main character from achieving his or her goal? The smallest (though still significant) usually involve syntax or word choice.
When I sit down to plot a book — I always plot first, never write from the seat of my pants — these are the questions I ask myself. Then chapter by chapter, scene by scene, I mentally work my way through all the options at my disposal. Some will work, many are boring and most lead to dead ends. Each has repercussions, ripple effects that will affect the rest of the story. By the time I’m ready to write the rough draft, I’ve already worked out all the worst kinks. Before I’m able to tell someone else the story, I must be able to tell myself. Every one of my books started in my head as multiple choice. It’s the author’s job to decide which options make the story most suspenseful or dramatic, so that the final product is the best of all possible outcomes.
How about a printed book published with disappearing ink instead? This sounds downright asinine. After two months, the letters begin to fade until all you’re left with is a blank book to use as a journal. I figure if you bought a book, it should be yours forever. This strikes me as a promotional gimmick, as I can’t see this catching on in any meaningful way.
Good interview posted this morning with author Jonathan Maberry. Mark Coker, founder of Smashwords, asks an array of questions about publishing’s current tribulations.
And a lengthy (albeit low quality) Q&A with Joss Whedon from the San Diego Comic Con:
Anyone who follows this blog knows that I always try to do something special for Friday the 13th. Today’s no exception, as I wanted this to be my official announcement that Blackstone is now available. The ebook has been on sale since the beginning of June (see sidebar), but the print version just went online this week. It takes up to six weeks for a new title to make it through all distribution channels, so it’ll be a short time before it pops up at third-party retailers. Until then you can snag a copy from Amazon, or direct from me at THE SHOP.
Authors rely on word-of-mouth to sell books, so I ask you to please share this news with friends, relatives or strangers on the street. Like on Facebook, tweet, link, blog: whatever your preferred mode of Spreading the Word happens to be. I’m most grateful for your help and support. Send the uninitiated to www.jaredsandman.com or my author pages at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
In related news, this morning my shipment of Blackstone preorders arrived. For those who ordered earlier, rest assured they will be signed and boxed tonight then shipped tomorrow. Expect your copy in the mail sometime next week.
And if you haven’t heard about the new book:
WELCOME TO BLACKSTONE
Designed by a madman, built with inmate labor and home to the nation’s worst criminals, Blackstone Penitentiary was considered the Alcatraz of the Midwest. Over a one-hundred-year history, it amassed the more odious distinction of being the most haunted location in America.
PAROLE WILL BE GRANTED
No longer in operation and left abandoned, it awaits renovation for inclusion to the National Register of Historic Places. Spearheading the ambitious restoration project is Anthony Creighton, a caretaker seeking to unlock the reformatory’s long-buried secrets. He enlists four strangers to help in that mission, individuals who possess extraordinary psychic abilities. Along with a skeptical scientist, the group embarks on the first full-scale paranormal investigation of the notorious prison. Their goal: to confirm the existence of life after death.
TO ANYONE WHO SURVIVES THE NIGHT
Six guests. Ten thousand ghosts. And all of them fighting to escape.
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