"I fear that lucid dreaming may be a form of censorship. One must face horrors in dreams."
—from The Primal Screamer by Nick Blinko
Since the splendiferous Vylar Kaftan posted this on her blog, I guess it’s safe to boost the signal here, too. She—along with the divine Jennifer Pelland and the exquisite Charlie Jane Anders—will be reading works of transgressive short fiction at Wiscon 36. As I’ve been doing the posters for the Taboo readings since the very beginning, I thought I’d post a little retrospective. Enjoy!
(As it turns out, the poster for Taboo 2 and Taboo 1 were mostly the same. I guess I got lazy that year or something.)
Anyway, If you’re going to be in Madison, Wisconsin later this month, I strongly recommend you attend this reading. I can virtually guarantee that it’s going to be swell!
Mirrored from M.K. Hobson | Necrophilatelist. Please leave comments there.
Yes, I will be there. With bells (and a deep purple velvet gown ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=91.7)
glvalentine made me buy at Second Time Around right before ICFA) on. Not really doing much of anything but hanging out at the bar and chewing my (deep purple) nails and seeing the sights at the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress in the company of ellen_kushner and possibly lareinenoire (if she can take the time off from grading papers). But I will certainly be at the following events:
- Friday, 5:30-7:00pm: Book Signing.
- Friday, 9:00-11:00pm: Reception!
- Saturday, 6:30pm-10:00pm: The Nebula Reception, Banquet, and Awards. I enjoy these things so much more when I don't have, er, a dog in the fight? Skin in the game? A book nominated? Yes, that's it. I'm figuring I haven't a prayer, with so many wonderfully strong contenders in the line-up, but my nerves haven't quite got the memo. Still, win or lose, thanks to Genevieve, I have a great dress to do it in.
glvalentine made me buy at Second Time Around right before ICFA) on. Not really doing much of anything but hanging out at the bar and chewing my (deep purple) nails and seeing the sights at the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress in the company of ellen_kushner and possibly lareinenoire (if she can take the time off from grading papers). But I will certainly be at the following events:- Friday, 5:30-7:00pm: Book Signing.
- Friday, 9:00-11:00pm: Reception!
- Saturday, 6:30pm-10:00pm: The Nebula Reception, Banquet, and Awards. I enjoy these things so much more when I don't have, er, a dog in the fight? Skin in the game? A book nominated? Yes, that's it. I'm figuring I haven't a prayer, with so many wonderfully strong contenders in the line-up, but my nerves haven't quite got the memo. Still, win or lose, thanks to Genevieve, I have a great dress to do it in.
Tangent Online has reviewed Fantastic Stories of the Imagination. Reaction to my story was mixed, though come the end of the review the reviewer more or less acknowledges my piece might not be her thing, so it could be worse. On the plus side, "The whimsical language reads like Lewis Carroll and is rather a pleasure." I agonize over my prose all the time, as I never feel it's good enough. Lewis Carroll was a master of wordplay, so to read that I captured his voice and that the language is a pleasure really makes my day.
The reviewer was also pretty positive about the antho overall. The other review I've seen for this anthology was also positive, and to date it's been nothing but five stars on Amazon, so early feedback has been pretty darn good.
The reviewer was also pretty positive about the antho overall. The other review I've seen for this anthology was also positive, and to date it's been nothing but five stars on Amazon, so early feedback has been pretty darn good.
Just had a moment. Received an email titled "Submission: Superlative For Goodbye" and thought, eh, rejection, then thought, Superlative For ??? which story is that? Wait, what? That's not one of my titles, where? Who?? Then I clicked it open and saw it's a contract for my 100 word micro thing I sold to GRAND SCIENCE FICTION!
Ooohhhh. Click BEFORE panic.
They didn't say when it would be published but they said I could squee now :) This is relieved squeeing.
BTW, did you know the word "last" is a superlative?
Ooohhhh. Click BEFORE panic.
They didn't say when it would be published but they said I could squee now :) This is relieved squeeing.
BTW, did you know the word "last" is a superlative?
Sometimes you read something that just blows you away and you have to shout it to the roof tops. That is what this post is. It is me shouting as loud as I can, "Wool is amazing!"
What is Wool?
1) Wool started as short story self-published by author Hugh Howey in 2011 that was so popular readers clambered for more, and Howey happily complied. Wool rapidly began to develop a passionate following of fans eager for the next chapter in the saga and as of April 8th 2012 rates #1 in Amazon.com's Kindle Science Fiction & Fantasy Anthologies and High Tech. The Series now consists of six novellas:
- Wool (Jul 30, 2011)
- Wool 2 - Proper Gauge (Nov 30, 2011)
- Wool 3 - Casting off (Dec 11, 2011)
- Wool 4 - The Unraveling (Dec 26, 2011)
- Wool 5 - The Stranded (Jan 25, 2012)
- Wool 6 - First shift (Apr 14, 2012)
The first five books of the Wool series are available in an omnibus, which I just finished devouring in a non-stop read-fest. Both my husband and I found the beginning just a little slow, but still a good read. Once you get past the original short story though, the story arc really picks up and is very compelling.
2) Wool is an amazingly well-written story with a fast-paced, high tension plot and extremely well-developed characters. The Story of Wool takes place on a decimated Earth, ravaged by some yet-to-be-revealed catastrophe. Humanity clings to survival in the Silo, a subterranean city extending hundreds of stories beneath the surface. There is one paramount law within the Silo: never say you want to go outside, for if you do, you will get your wish.
Wool 6 is actually a prequel to the first five and I've just bought in on my Kindle.
I also had to buy Howey's YA book, Half Way Home, while I was at it because, of course, I love YA and now I love Hugh Howey.
And I love it when I find an new author I can ravenously devour, and Howey is especially sweet to consume because he is purely an indie writer. I know all my money is going to support him (not a publisher, not an agent, or a possibly out-dated publishing model), and he certainly has proven to me that good writers can exist and thrive outside the trappings of traditional publishing.
If there is one thing you read this year, make it Wool.
I posted this back in November when Giangregorio found my blog. This is the original post - http://marlowe1.livejournal.com/198
Open Casket Press has no such capacity for insight. As you might remember, I recently castigated Open Casket in this post and this followup. Basically, I was saying that I met him at Anthocon, tried talking to the owner for about 10 minutes before realizing that he was a complete idiot and then looked at his Web site and discovered that he was even stupider than I thought. This is the market that a writer needs to avoid if a writer has ANY aspirations to doing this as a living. He offers a "complimentary copy" for stories as long as they are above 4000 words and you don' t live outside the U.S. He also demands that you put your story into single spaced format with the margins just so, meaning that the whole Ctrl-A function eludes him but really meaning that he will take absolutely no responsibility for editing your story before it goes out into the world (I believe he actually said that he respects the writers too much to edit their stories at Anthocon) so any typo, any phrase that doesn't look right - there it goes out into the world in some shitty anthology that he churns out on a monthly basis it seems like.I still love the fact that he is threatening me with HIS WIFE. His wife is going to say things about my ancestry. Does she have a lot of off-color and offensive jokes about Hungarians?
He finally discovered my blog entries. Must have been easy considering that no one reviews his books except for the writers that he dupes into giving their stories to him. So this is his response:
TIM LIEDER
i saw those hateful things you said about me on the internet and for the life of me dont understand why you did this. i have found people are very brave on the internet. lets see you put your money where your mouth is. give me your phone number and i will call you or i can give you mine and if you have something to say to me, then call me and tell me what your problem is. instead of bitching on the internet, why didnt you come over to me and talk to me about anything you felt was an issue? but to go head and then slander me on the internet, why, i dont understand this mentality. hope you reply. also, i am posting this on the OCP FB page so everyone else out there can know how you act. And I DARE you to want to call me and discuss this like men.
The fact of the matter is that I wrote those entries precisely because I didn't know how much of an idiot he was when I met him. By the time I found his Web site, I couldn't called him a stupid asshole to his face since I was on a bus back to New York. But once I made those statements, I stand by them. I really have nothing to add to them. If you don't pay the writers and you don't even take the time to EDIT their stories, then you are a terrible market and no one should write with you. I'm supposed to call him and talk about this issue? Maybe I should call up my fundamentalist Christian aunt and explain why Jesus is bullshit while I'm at it. If he can't figure out what I'm saying after I've written it twice on my livejournal, then I really don't think that he's going to get it when I talk to him in person. I tried to explain and got:
Ok, my friend, I look forward to meeting you in person and (shaking) your hand. Are you gonna be at NeEcon in July? I will, and i will be looking for you. keep an eye out for me.
Oh and Tim, my wife cant wait to meet you too. She has a few "choice" words to say to you and about your ancestry.
ok, i'm done with you, youre not worth my time. See you in July asshole.
Ooh, a vague threat that doesn't even reach Nick Pacione levels of delusion. And he has a wife who thinks that "your mother is a whore" is going to leave me shaking. I wonder if I should go to NeCon. Apparently Joe Hill goes and I would love to meet him.
Anyhow I responded by saying that if I saw him at NeCon or Anthocon that I would make sure to inform anyone that he was talking to that he was a non-paying, non-editing market and they might as well stick their stories up on their blogs if they think that he's going to do anything for them. In fact, blog stories are going to get more "exposure" which is really the only thing that you are offered from this kind of market. As a bonus, you don't get stuck with a shitty book full of terrible stories.
I also mentioned that if he ever deemed to pay the writers or edit the stories that I would take him off the shit list of publishers I mock on a semi-regular basis. I'm not going to say that I would apologize to him because I stand by what I said.
His last salvo after banning me (because you always have to get the last word in and there's no way that you could ever see your press being mocked further in any forum after you ban someone on FB)
you are some piece of work, pal. i cant wait to meet you. be looking for you next year at anthocon.
Again, note the vague threat that doesn't really say that he's going to do anything. What's he gonna do? Sweat on me? Have his wife yell at me? Cry when I repeat everything I say here?
Obviously what he's not going to do is listen to any criticism. He is the ultimate in pathetic losers who think that they can make a go at publishing. He will not pay the writers. He will not edit the stories. Instead, he will put out book after book of bullshit bad writing and wonder why people avoid him at Cons when he's trying to get them to give him stories all the while saying choice things like "my books don't sell well" as if that is some accident of fate instead of the direct result of his neglect of putting any effort into actually putting out decent books.
Originally published at Vylar Kaftan. You can comment here or there.
I’ll be doing the fifth Taboo reading at WisCon, this year with Jennifer Pelland and Charlie Jane Anders. MK Hobson designed our poster again and I think it’s amazing!
My taboo this year is swearing. Come listen if you’d like to hear me drop an F-bomb every other sentence. Jen and Charlie have stories about kinky robot sex and voyeurism.
Open Casket Guy uses a veiled threat to put a woman in her place. As much as he has a history of making these kinds of threats (he's not Nicky but he's pretty vile), I do hope that she calls the police on him. Regardless, this should be publicized because whether he intended to come over and do her harm (highly unlikely) or make her think that he was coming over (most likely but still a form of assault), this is not behavior that should be tolerated in anyone.
I'm sure he makes a lovely dinner guest.
I'm sure he makes a lovely dinner guest.
I have read The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms.
This is what I would have said about it a week ago, before I gobbled it up in a single day over at the Info Booth at work where nothing much was happening except me giving directions to the penguins or the bathrooms:
"Oh, just stop telling me how good it is and raving and recommending already! GAH!"
(This does not reflect well on me. What is it? Jealousy? Inadequacy? Fear of being disappointed?)
But back to the ravers. Do you know what happens when too many people tell me how much I must do something? I avoid doing it. I avoid it sullenly, guiltily, with this creepy little backstabby rebellious feeling that hurts no one but myself. Some part of me says, "I do not WANT to like what you like, so leave me alone!"
This happened, ha ha, with the music of S.J. Tucker. EVERYBODY and their MAMA loved the Sooj Machine, and assured me it was JUST up your alley, Claire, no honestly, you'll ADORE her... So I, yes, I just... refused... to listen... to her. At all.
...And then was totally CONVERTED one day when there was this awesome music playing in a car I happened to be riding in and I was like, "Oh, this is pretty SWELL PANTS; who's this?" And was told, perhaps smugly, "This is S.J. Tucker," and it was ALL OVER FROM THERE.
But back to me avoiding the things that obviously I should be reading, because everyone tells me I ought, and everyone's USUALLY right, seeing as that "everyone" is usually comprised of my dearest friends and colleagues. And some part of me knows this. This part of me always listens. And bides. And plots. And the minute that ornery freak of "No Want To!" in my nature gets bored and wanders off, this impulsive, sunny-faced, voracious thing pounces and says, "NOW IT IS MINE AT LAST!"
So I've heard great things, over the last few years, about One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. I heard - and believed - how I would like it. And then I stubbornly refused to do anything about it. Why? Why do I do this to myself? Why, when it's SO BRILLIANT AND IT TASTES LIKE A NOVEL-SIZED VERSION OF THAT NERUDA POEM I LIKE AND... AND... SLURP!!!
Excuse me. I mean. It's just that...
I guess that's why I ask people to tell me WHY they like a book. Because if they tell me why, and I can see the glow in their eyes, and they talk about the characters as if they were dear friends, and the plot as if it were vital, as if it were happening, then I totally get into it. Then I want to read it. Some people hate that; they find it spoilery. But me, it just makes me hungry. It's when people just gush about its goodness and then assure me that I will fawn, that's when I go all weirdo.
Why I liked this book:
I guess I like heroines who go tough and with dignity into a situation so out of their control that staying alive isn't even an option. It's choosing how to make your sacrifice meaningful. How to make your death matter most. High stakes. In this way, Yeine Darr is a bit like Katniss Everdeen.
(If you hate The Hunger Games, forgive the comparison; it does not mean you'll hate this book. I thoroughly enjoyed both, in fact, which tells you about my taste. Though I didn't read The Hunger Games until a whole horde of 8th Grade Girls yelled at me for not doing so. Forces To Be Reckoned With. I wish I could yell at all of them to READ ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS, DANG IT! Perhaps I will get to do so in the future.)
It has these heart-deep observations that just SCORE ME. My favorite, for example, is this:
"Still... I could not help drinking in the view. It is important to appreciate beauty, even when it is evil."
There. Do you see? There. Right there. Think about it. This is a thought that preys on me. The appreciation of beauty, of power, of richness - even when it is evil. Even when it is poisonous. Because... Because we can't help it? Because we should take in what we can of it, while we can, because life is so brief? Because... what? I don't know. I have to think about it some more. It reminded me of that wonderful moment in the film Gladiator, when Juba says, seeing the Coliseum for the first time, "I didn't know men could build such things." And there was awe there, for the things we build, even when we build a place to go and die in.
So you've got a young woman - a mortal woman - facing a possible death sentence disguised as the highest honor in the world. You've got gods who are bound as slaves. You've got humans with more power than they can hold. And every road ends in death. So what's a girl to do?
You make allies. You make a plan. You seduce a VERY VERY SEXY AND DANGEROUS NIGHTLORD in very sexy ways and YUM!!! And you die well... Or not. I guess you'll have to read it and see.
***
To add to all this delicious Jemisin (I am now reading The Broken Kingdoms, which Amal says she likes better, and which I like very much, but not, I fear, better), I have discovered Kage Baker.
Kage Baker, Kage Baker, Kage Baker.
WHERE HAS SHE BEEN ALL MY LIFE???
It's like discovering Shirley Jackson and Ursula LeGuin and Lois McMaster Bujold and Neil Gaiman all rolled into one -- except NOT, because it's KAGE BAKER!!!
Gosh.
So I read EMPRESS OF MARS. Which... Yes. Everyone. Read it. You know everything I just said before I typed that? Disregard it. I am a hyprocrite. I am recommending this lavishly, like (insert favorite spreadable food here) over (insert favorite bread/cracker/cake) on your birthday. WITH MARTIAN DIAMONDS ON TOP! No, really. Seriously.
And when you're done with that, please read her book of short stories, "Mother Aegypt and Other Stories," but in PARTICULAR read "What the Tyger Told Her." Oh, and everything with Lord Ermenway. Oh, and "Nightmare Mountain." And the one about her father's eyes.
And then, since you're already in love with Lord Ermenway, the pretentious little demonspawned fop, go on and read Baker's novel ANVIL OF THE WORLD.
And then, yes, then you may come back here and THANK ME! I accept tributes of flowers and jewels. You're welcome.
***
This is what I would have said about it a week ago, before I gobbled it up in a single day over at the Info Booth at work where nothing much was happening except me giving directions to the penguins or the bathrooms:
"Oh, just stop telling me how good it is and raving and recommending already! GAH!"
(This does not reflect well on me. What is it? Jealousy? Inadequacy? Fear of being disappointed?)
But back to the ravers. Do you know what happens when too many people tell me how much I must do something? I avoid doing it. I avoid it sullenly, guiltily, with this creepy little backstabby rebellious feeling that hurts no one but myself. Some part of me says, "I do not WANT to like what you like, so leave me alone!"
This happened, ha ha, with the music of S.J. Tucker. EVERYBODY and their MAMA loved the Sooj Machine, and assured me it was JUST up your alley, Claire, no honestly, you'll ADORE her... So I, yes, I just... refused... to listen... to her. At all.
...And then was totally CONVERTED one day when there was this awesome music playing in a car I happened to be riding in and I was like, "Oh, this is pretty SWELL PANTS; who's this?" And was told, perhaps smugly, "This is S.J. Tucker," and it was ALL OVER FROM THERE.
But back to me avoiding the things that obviously I should be reading, because everyone tells me I ought, and everyone's USUALLY right, seeing as that "everyone" is usually comprised of my dearest friends and colleagues. And some part of me knows this. This part of me always listens. And bides. And plots. And the minute that ornery freak of "No Want To!" in my nature gets bored and wanders off, this impulsive, sunny-faced, voracious thing pounces and says, "NOW IT IS MINE AT LAST!"
So I've heard great things, over the last few years, about One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. I heard - and believed - how I would like it. And then I stubbornly refused to do anything about it. Why? Why do I do this to myself? Why, when it's SO BRILLIANT AND IT TASTES LIKE A NOVEL-SIZED VERSION OF THAT NERUDA POEM I LIKE AND... AND... SLURP!!!
Excuse me. I mean. It's just that...
I guess that's why I ask people to tell me WHY they like a book. Because if they tell me why, and I can see the glow in their eyes, and they talk about the characters as if they were dear friends, and the plot as if it were vital, as if it were happening, then I totally get into it. Then I want to read it. Some people hate that; they find it spoilery. But me, it just makes me hungry. It's when people just gush about its goodness and then assure me that I will fawn, that's when I go all weirdo.
Why I liked this book:
I guess I like heroines who go tough and with dignity into a situation so out of their control that staying alive isn't even an option. It's choosing how to make your sacrifice meaningful. How to make your death matter most. High stakes. In this way, Yeine Darr is a bit like Katniss Everdeen.
(If you hate The Hunger Games, forgive the comparison; it does not mean you'll hate this book. I thoroughly enjoyed both, in fact, which tells you about my taste. Though I didn't read The Hunger Games until a whole horde of 8th Grade Girls yelled at me for not doing so. Forces To Be Reckoned With. I wish I could yell at all of them to READ ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS, DANG IT! Perhaps I will get to do so in the future.)
It has these heart-deep observations that just SCORE ME. My favorite, for example, is this:
"Still... I could not help drinking in the view. It is important to appreciate beauty, even when it is evil."
There. Do you see? There. Right there. Think about it. This is a thought that preys on me. The appreciation of beauty, of power, of richness - even when it is evil. Even when it is poisonous. Because... Because we can't help it? Because we should take in what we can of it, while we can, because life is so brief? Because... what? I don't know. I have to think about it some more. It reminded me of that wonderful moment in the film Gladiator, when Juba says, seeing the Coliseum for the first time, "I didn't know men could build such things." And there was awe there, for the things we build, even when we build a place to go and die in.
So you've got a young woman - a mortal woman - facing a possible death sentence disguised as the highest honor in the world. You've got gods who are bound as slaves. You've got humans with more power than they can hold. And every road ends in death. So what's a girl to do?
You make allies. You make a plan. You seduce a VERY VERY SEXY AND DANGEROUS NIGHTLORD in very sexy ways and YUM!!! And you die well... Or not. I guess you'll have to read it and see.
***
To add to all this delicious Jemisin (I am now reading The Broken Kingdoms, which Amal says she likes better, and which I like very much, but not, I fear, better), I have discovered Kage Baker.
Kage Baker, Kage Baker, Kage Baker.
WHERE HAS SHE BEEN ALL MY LIFE???
It's like discovering Shirley Jackson and Ursula LeGuin and Lois McMaster Bujold and Neil Gaiman all rolled into one -- except NOT, because it's KAGE BAKER!!!
Gosh.
So I read EMPRESS OF MARS. Which... Yes. Everyone. Read it. You know everything I just said before I typed that? Disregard it. I am a hyprocrite. I am recommending this lavishly, like (insert favorite spreadable food here) over (insert favorite bread/cracker/cake) on your birthday. WITH MARTIAN DIAMONDS ON TOP! No, really. Seriously.
And when you're done with that, please read her book of short stories, "Mother Aegypt and Other Stories," but in PARTICULAR read "What the Tyger Told Her." Oh, and everything with Lord Ermenway. Oh, and "Nightmare Mountain." And the one about her father's eyes.
And then, since you're already in love with Lord Ermenway, the pretentious little demonspawned fop, go on and read Baker's novel ANVIL OF THE WORLD.
And then, yes, then you may come back here and THANK ME! I accept tributes of flowers and jewels. You're welcome.
***
Thank you for all the interest in seeing the found kitten currently staying at our house (oh, I hear you way in the back, yes you, the loud one insisting that the kitten will shortly become our kitten and it will indeed be staying permanently at our house).
May I present our found kitten pics, because everyone knows if no pics are uploaded, kittens don't exist. The real question is, if no cat pics/videos were uploaded, would there still be an Internet?
May I present our found kitten pics, because everyone knows if no pics are uploaded, kittens don't exist. The real question is, if no cat pics/videos were uploaded, would there still be an Internet?
- Location:Colehaus Kitten Hideout and Home for the Overly Cute
- Mood:
cheerful
The first volume of Shadow Unit is now available as a proper paper book with a gorgeous Kyle Cassidy cover.
It will be available through Amazon within a week, and will slowly filter its way through the rest of the online distribution system.
This volume contains the first half of Season 1. Volume 2 should be available in about a month, with other volumes to follow.
And of course, Shadow Unit in its entirety is available for free online, and as a modestly priced ebook through the usual sources.
The story began in 2007, and will end in 2013. It's not too late to discover one of the coolest collaborative serials in the genre internets!
It will be available through Amazon within a week, and will slowly filter its way through the rest of the online distribution system.
This volume contains the first half of Season 1. Volume 2 should be available in about a month, with other volumes to follow.And of course, Shadow Unit in its entirety is available for free online, and as a modestly priced ebook through the usual sources.
The story began in 2007, and will end in 2013. It's not too late to discover one of the coolest collaborative serials in the genre internets!
- Mood:
chipper - Music:All Things Considered
Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware
Over the past couple of days I've gotten several emails and Facebook posts alerting me to a blog post by writer Mandy DeGeit about her bad experience with a small publisher called Undead Press. When she received her author's copy of the anthology in which her story was published, she discovered, to her dismay, that not only was there a mistake in her title (an inappropriate apostrophe), but...
As egregiously unprofessional as Giangregorio's behavior is, however, that's not what I want to write about today. Today, I'm looking at editing clauses in publishing contracts, and how they can lead to the kind of situation in which Ms. DeGeit found herself. (I haven't seen an Undead Press contract, by the way, so I can't comment on it specifically.)
Editing clauses are one of those contract areas where there needs to be a balance between the publisher's interests and the writer's. A publisher needs a certain amount of latitude to edit a manuscript to prepare it for publication (assuming it's professional enough to do editing at all--you might be surprised how many small press contracts I see that don't include editing clauses). It also needs to have the right to final approval--it doesn't want to be forced to publish a manuscript that the author can't or won't revise to the publisher's satisfaction.
A writer, on the other hand, needs assurance that they will be a partner in the editing process, and that their work won't be changed in major ways without their permission.
Whether you're publishing an entire book or a story in an anthology, the editing clause of your contract should ensure that content editing (the kind of serious editing that focuses on plot, pace, structure, style, and content) includes your cooperation (ideally, the editor will provide revision suggestions and you will carry them out yourself), and that substantial alterations can't be made without your consent. For copy editing, on the other hand, the publisher usually has discretion--but you should have a chance to see and approve the copy edited manuscript before it goes to press.
Here's an example of an editing clause you don't want to see (this and other clauses quoted below are taken from actual contracts in my possession):
The next clause is more elaborate, but has the same effect (this language is fairly common, by the way; I've seen it in a number of contracts):
They changed my story without telling me.When she complained about, among other things, the gratuitous addition of sexual content, she received this delightfully professional response from the publisher, Anthony Giangregorio:
Let’s see: They turned a non-gendered character into a boy, they named the best friend, they created a memory for the main character about animal abuse. They added a suggestion of rape at the end…
on the contract, it clearly says publisher has the right to EDIT work. you signed it. are you saying you are a dishonest and immoral person and will now try to deny you signed the contract? well i have a copy right hereMs. DeGeit's bad experience with Mr. Giangregorio, unfortunately, doesn't seem to be an isolated incident. Similar complaints are appearing in her comments thread, and other writers have reported the same kinds of problems with Undead Press and other publishing ventures run by Giangregorio--who, among other exploits, has apparently published and sold several unauthorized sequels to George Romero's Dawn of the Dead.
and as for the story. the editor had a hard time with it, it was very rough and he did alot to make it readable. despite what you think, your writing has a long way to go before its worthy of being printed professionally.
we did what we had to do to make the story printable. you should be thankful, not complaining. ah, the ungrateful writer, gotta love it
As egregiously unprofessional as Giangregorio's behavior is, however, that's not what I want to write about today. Today, I'm looking at editing clauses in publishing contracts, and how they can lead to the kind of situation in which Ms. DeGeit found herself. (I haven't seen an Undead Press contract, by the way, so I can't comment on it specifically.)
Editing clauses are one of those contract areas where there needs to be a balance between the publisher's interests and the writer's. A publisher needs a certain amount of latitude to edit a manuscript to prepare it for publication (assuming it's professional enough to do editing at all--you might be surprised how many small press contracts I see that don't include editing clauses). It also needs to have the right to final approval--it doesn't want to be forced to publish a manuscript that the author can't or won't revise to the publisher's satisfaction.
A writer, on the other hand, needs assurance that they will be a partner in the editing process, and that their work won't be changed in major ways without their permission.
Whether you're publishing an entire book or a story in an anthology, the editing clause of your contract should ensure that content editing (the kind of serious editing that focuses on plot, pace, structure, style, and content) includes your cooperation (ideally, the editor will provide revision suggestions and you will carry them out yourself), and that substantial alterations can't be made without your consent. For copy editing, on the other hand, the publisher usually has discretion--but you should have a chance to see and approve the copy edited manuscript before it goes to press.
Here's an example of an editing clause you don't want to see (this and other clauses quoted below are taken from actual contracts in my possession):
Publisher shall have the right to edit and revise the Work for any and all uses contemplated under this Agreement.What's missing here? Any obligation on the publisher's part to seek your approval before making the edits and revisions. A clause like this allows the publisher to edit at will without consulting you or asking your permission. If you sign a contract with this kind of language, you are at the publisher's mercy, and shouldn't be surprised if the publisher takes advantage of it.
The next clause is more elaborate, but has the same effect (this language is fairly common, by the way; I've seen it in a number of contracts):
The Publisher shall be entitled to develop, alter, edit, and proof the content, usage, format, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling of the Work to conform to the Publisher's style, the subject matter, and intended audience previously agreed upon by the parties of this Agreement.
Mirrored from SFWA | Comment at SFWA
Cross-posted from nihilistic_kid
Remember the other day, when new writer Mandy DeGeit found her story substantially rewritten, with errors introduced, by a small press editor/publisher Anthony Giangregorio, who proceeded to act very unprofessionally when DeGeit complained about the added bestiality and outrageous introduced copy errors (e.g., the story is now called "She Make's Me Smile")?
Well, another writer, Alyn Day also came forward to describe a story she had placed with Giangregorio being substantially rewritten and retitled without her permission or even awareness.
And apparently, Giangregorio is upset enough about these revelations to invite himself over to Day's house. A Facebook screencap-you'll see that the conversation begins last year, and was updated 22 hours ago:
nihilistic_kidRemember the other day, when new writer Mandy DeGeit found her story substantially rewritten, with errors introduced, by a small press editor/publisher Anthony Giangregorio, who proceeded to act very unprofessionally when DeGeit complained about the added bestiality and outrageous introduced copy errors (e.g., the story is now called "She Make's Me Smile")?
Well, another writer, Alyn Day also came forward to describe a story she had placed with Giangregorio being substantially rewritten and retitled without her permission or even awareness.
And apparently, Giangregorio is upset enough about these revelations to invite himself over to Day's house. A Facebook screencap-you'll see that the conversation begins last year, and was updated 22 hours ago:
Remember the other day, when new writer Mandy DeGeit found her story substantially rewritten, with errors introduced, by a small press editor/publisher Anthony Giangregorio, who proceeded to act very unprofessionally when DeGeit complained about the added bestiality and outrageous introduced copy errors (e.g., the story is now called "She Make's Me Smile")?
Well, another writer, Alyn Day also came forward to describe a story she had placed with Giangregorio being substantially rewritten and retitled without her permission or even awareness.
And apparently, Giangregorio is upset enough about these revelations to invite himself over to Day's house. A Facebook screencap-you'll see that the conversation begins last year, and was updated 22 hours ago:
Is there a way to read this as something other than a threat against Day-especially as Giangregorio had previously told DeGeit that he would only communicate through lawyers? I tend to think not. Please spread the word.
Well, another writer, Alyn Day also came forward to describe a story she had placed with Giangregorio being substantially rewritten and retitled without her permission or even awareness.
And apparently, Giangregorio is upset enough about these revelations to invite himself over to Day's house. A Facebook screencap-you'll see that the conversation begins last year, and was updated 22 hours ago:
Is there a way to read this as something other than a threat against Day-especially as Giangregorio had previously told DeGeit that he would only communicate through lawyers? I tend to think not. Please spread the word.
John Scalzi has a good post comparing life to a video game, in which being a straight white male (SWM) is akin to playing a video game on the "Easy" setting. Being of color, queer, a woman, etc. is like playing on a harder setting. There are many many other variables of course, including class, which he touches on by writing "If you start with 25 points, and your dump stat is wealth, well, then you may be kind of screwed." I think this is both a factual and rhetorical error, and that class should be fully integrated into Difficulty as opposed to stats, to make the analogy more apt.
(For those who don't know, a "dump stat" is the stat where you only put the minimum of points. It's not like you're "dumping" extra points into that stat, but that you dump your lowest score into it.)
The error, I think, can be seen in the comments to the post—and all the usual disclaimers about reading the comments on any Internet posting apply here, double. Two of the recurring themes are as follows:
1. SWMs complaining that their low class/socio-economic status/wealth means that their lives aren't so privileged after all.
2. SWMs who appear to be better off who a) want to know why they should act against their own interests by critiquing their advantages regardless of the origins of those advantages, and b) like expressing their ownership of and stake in the system built by previous generations of SWMs, and distaste for all those awful black African Jewish lesbians in wheelchairs who want to take over.
So, we have a group that feels it doesn't have a stake in the system, and is feeling the harshness of competition, and a group pleased with the rules of the system as they stand scoffing at the activities of their social inferiors. Clearly, there's a significant break in SWMdom, and it's along class lines.
This plays out in the real world in several ways that demonstrate to me that class is fundamental and thus part of "difficulty setting" in Real Life: Dragons of the Murderdome, or whatever you want to call it. Back in the 1970s, Albert Szymanski studied income and race and found that, of course, black workers made less than white workers. However, he also found an interesting regional difference—white workers in the American south made less than black workers in the American north. While the white workers in the south made more than their black co-workers in the south, they were underpaid compared to both blacks and whites in the north.
So, while whites were better off in a region of greater racism and thus greater race privilege for being white, most of them would benefit along with black workers in a region with greater equality. White privilege was paying white workers an extra dollar to keep from having to pay both white workers an extra five dollars and black workers an extra three dollars. (Clearly, we've not yet gotten any numbers from a truly equal society with no race privilege.)
What explained the difference? The north had integrated labor unions; the south, thanks to segregation, had many fewer labor unions (and those that existed were less powerful). Basically, white workers did not benefit substantially from racial discrimination, not even relative to blacks in another area with less explicit racist laws and social policies. Greater benefits would have accrued had they fought against their privilege, and in solidarity with black workers. Victor Perlo has found similar dynamics existing even today, a generation after the end of Jim Crow laws.
Sure, plenty of SWMs did benefit—managers, the highest tier of (almost invariably white) workers, factory and mine owners, people who play the stock market, etc. And sure, there is an important "psychological wage" white workers are paid—at least we're not black!, but psychology is even easier to print and inflate than fiat money. And yes, poor whites are less likely to have to deal with police harassment and the like. But they both get it worse in an environment where police are allowed to run rampant as a tool of keeping neighborhoods segregated and the property of landowners and businesses safe. Basically, the greater the race discrimination, the higher the inequality among whites.
There are similar analyses that have been done as regards gender discrimination, discrimination against gays, etc. It's not a cookie-cutter sort of thing—queer issues often have to do with the "nature" of the family itself and the need to protect certain kinds of families and eliminate other forms of families, for example—but in general there are lots and lots of SWMs that don't benefit materially from racism, or sexism, or homophobia, or national chauvinism, etc.
Of course, many white people, regardless of their own class "stat", accept racist ideas. Their perceived interests and their actual interests are two different things. Some confusion emerges when SWMs for whom racism (or sexism, or anti-queer sentiment, etc.) is beneficial declare themselves spokespeople for all the poor put-upon SWMs are who are the outrageous victims of Affirmative Action, or too many black ladies with dreadlocks being cast as wisecracking judges on TV, or women who won't have sex with the "beta males." And when discussions of intersectionality and oppression take class as a secondary issue*, the rhetorical floor is ceded to people with a material and ideological interest in racism, etc. to recruit the rest of SWMdom. Low-SES/working class/poor SWMs end up siding with billionaires who make the correct-seeming noises about "liberal elites" and competition from blacks and women and gays.
But when class is fully integrated into an understanding of the difficulty setting of the Game of Life, I think the arguments get much clearer.
The question: "I'm a poor white guy; should I fight against systems of privilege?"
The answer: "Because you'll benefit from it. The more equal things are, the better off you are."
For rich white guys who ask the same question, well, they're clearly on the other side, so they don't need an answer.
*Class actually is complicated when it comes to intersectionality. Very few people believe that the best solution to sexism is the elimination of men, or that the best solution to racism is the elimination of whites. And yet, many people do believe that the best solution to class division is the elimination of the bourgeois class. And yet, when so many theorists of intersectionality are themselves bourgeois aspirants with privileges of their own to protect...
(For those who don't know, a "dump stat" is the stat where you only put the minimum of points. It's not like you're "dumping" extra points into that stat, but that you dump your lowest score into it.)
The error, I think, can be seen in the comments to the post—and all the usual disclaimers about reading the comments on any Internet posting apply here, double. Two of the recurring themes are as follows:
1. SWMs complaining that their low class/socio-economic status/wealth means that their lives aren't so privileged after all.
2. SWMs who appear to be better off who a) want to know why they should act against their own interests by critiquing their advantages regardless of the origins of those advantages, and b) like expressing their ownership of and stake in the system built by previous generations of SWMs, and distaste for all those awful black African Jewish lesbians in wheelchairs who want to take over.
So, we have a group that feels it doesn't have a stake in the system, and is feeling the harshness of competition, and a group pleased with the rules of the system as they stand scoffing at the activities of their social inferiors. Clearly, there's a significant break in SWMdom, and it's along class lines.
This plays out in the real world in several ways that demonstrate to me that class is fundamental and thus part of "difficulty setting" in Real Life: Dragons of the Murderdome, or whatever you want to call it. Back in the 1970s, Albert Szymanski studied income and race and found that, of course, black workers made less than white workers. However, he also found an interesting regional difference—white workers in the American south made less than black workers in the American north. While the white workers in the south made more than their black co-workers in the south, they were underpaid compared to both blacks and whites in the north.
So, while whites were better off in a region of greater racism and thus greater race privilege for being white, most of them would benefit along with black workers in a region with greater equality. White privilege was paying white workers an extra dollar to keep from having to pay both white workers an extra five dollars and black workers an extra three dollars. (Clearly, we've not yet gotten any numbers from a truly equal society with no race privilege.)
What explained the difference? The north had integrated labor unions; the south, thanks to segregation, had many fewer labor unions (and those that existed were less powerful). Basically, white workers did not benefit substantially from racial discrimination, not even relative to blacks in another area with less explicit racist laws and social policies. Greater benefits would have accrued had they fought against their privilege, and in solidarity with black workers. Victor Perlo has found similar dynamics existing even today, a generation after the end of Jim Crow laws.
Sure, plenty of SWMs did benefit—managers, the highest tier of (almost invariably white) workers, factory and mine owners, people who play the stock market, etc. And sure, there is an important "psychological wage" white workers are paid—at least we're not black!, but psychology is even easier to print and inflate than fiat money. And yes, poor whites are less likely to have to deal with police harassment and the like. But they both get it worse in an environment where police are allowed to run rampant as a tool of keeping neighborhoods segregated and the property of landowners and businesses safe. Basically, the greater the race discrimination, the higher the inequality among whites.
There are similar analyses that have been done as regards gender discrimination, discrimination against gays, etc. It's not a cookie-cutter sort of thing—queer issues often have to do with the "nature" of the family itself and the need to protect certain kinds of families and eliminate other forms of families, for example—but in general there are lots and lots of SWMs that don't benefit materially from racism, or sexism, or homophobia, or national chauvinism, etc.
Of course, many white people, regardless of their own class "stat", accept racist ideas. Their perceived interests and their actual interests are two different things. Some confusion emerges when SWMs for whom racism (or sexism, or anti-queer sentiment, etc.) is beneficial declare themselves spokespeople for all the poor put-upon SWMs are who are the outrageous victims of Affirmative Action, or too many black ladies with dreadlocks being cast as wisecracking judges on TV, or women who won't have sex with the "beta males." And when discussions of intersectionality and oppression take class as a secondary issue*, the rhetorical floor is ceded to people with a material and ideological interest in racism, etc. to recruit the rest of SWMdom. Low-SES/working class/poor SWMs end up siding with billionaires who make the correct-seeming noises about "liberal elites" and competition from blacks and women and gays.
But when class is fully integrated into an understanding of the difficulty setting of the Game of Life, I think the arguments get much clearer.
The question: "I'm a poor white guy; should I fight against systems of privilege?"
The answer: "Because you'll benefit from it. The more equal things are, the better off you are."
For rich white guys who ask the same question, well, they're clearly on the other side, so they don't need an answer.
*Class actually is complicated when it comes to intersectionality. Very few people believe that the best solution to sexism is the elimination of men, or that the best solution to racism is the elimination of whites. And yet, many people do believe that the best solution to class division is the elimination of the bourgeois class. And yet, when so many theorists of intersectionality are themselves bourgeois aspirants with privileges of their own to protect...
Last week we were approved to adopt a female orange and white kitten in early June from a fostering program working with a local humane society. We're really excited about this and have been kitten-proofing our home.
Technically, our place is already kitten-proof, particularly since adopting 1 year old Newton in early April. Not much work was necessary. We've had pets of all ages all our lives and are well versed in the routine.
There's this saying. You know it: When it rains, it pours.
( Warning: Kitten tale ahead. Make with the Clicky if you dare. )
I'm not saying she gets to call the shots here. I'm working on steering the conversations toward a faster acceptance that we're not going to give the kitten back. I'm prepared to fight to keep it. And if all goes well, in three weeks another kitten joins the family. Two kittens at once, to grow up together. How sweet is that going to be?
Technically, our place is already kitten-proof, particularly since adopting 1 year old Newton in early April. Not much work was necessary. We've had pets of all ages all our lives and are well versed in the routine.
There's this saying. You know it: When it rains, it pours.
( Warning: Kitten tale ahead. Make with the Clicky if you dare. )
I'm not saying she gets to call the shots here. I'm working on steering the conversations toward a faster acceptance that we're not going to give the kitten back. I'm prepared to fight to keep it. And if all goes well, in three weeks another kitten joins the family. Two kittens at once, to grow up together. How sweet is that going to be?
- Location:Colehaus Kitten Hideout and Home for the Overly Cute
- Mood: hopeful
Those among you who enjoyed Stone Telling's queer-themed issue will no doubt exult over the fact that you can now take those poems and hold them in your hands and clutch them to your bosom and display them on your shelf and pet them and keep them and call them George!
This is Stone Bird Press' first printed offering. Here's the description from Amazon:
Between this and The Moment of Change, I don't even know what to say. Speculative poetry has come so far and gone so deep since I became aware of it in 2005. I'm delighted and elated by this, and can't wait for my copy.
Also, both of these will be launching at Wiscon, so if any of you out there are lucky enough to be going this year (genderfloooooomp how I miss youuuu), be sure to findrose_lemberg and other members of the Secret Poetry Cabal for your copies!
This is Stone Bird Press' first printed offering. Here's the description from Amazon:
Here, We Cross collects twenty-two queer and genderfluid poems from the digital pages of Stone Telling magazine. This chapbook is a celebration of speculative poetry that is diverse and varied; here you will find poems with speakers or protagonists who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, genderqueer, trans*, asexual, and neutrois; speakers who struggle with the body and the society's imposed readings of that body. It is a painful book, a triumphant book, full of works that soar and breathe and live. Just like us.
Between this and The Moment of Change, I don't even know what to say. Speculative poetry has come so far and gone so deep since I became aware of it in 2005. I'm delighted and elated by this, and can't wait for my copy.
Also, both of these will be launching at Wiscon, so if any of you out there are lucky enough to be going this year (genderfloooooomp how I miss youuuu), be sure to find
rose_lemberg and other members of the Secret Poetry Cabal for your copies!- Location:Penryn
- Mood:
happy
- Music:quiet
I can't believe there have already been seven episodes this season. Maybe I shouldn't be surprised though--as with the books, this is going to be over before you know it. As always, there will be spoilers for the show and the books, so do make sure you're caught up before reading this post.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Book View Cafe is a consortium of writers, as I've mentioned before. The last four months, several people have worked really hard on completely redesigning the book store from scratch. This is what companies pay big bucks for, but since none of us have big bucks, it's all volunteer labor.
If you have the time, we'd appreciate it if you would try this link and poke around. There is a place for comments, if something is buggy, confusing, you think something would be better.
If you choose to buy a book, great! Let us know how that goes, but just poking around is a big help. Here is the comments link where the designers will actually see them. (I don't think any of them read my blog, so I am going to try to close comments here.)
Thanks!
If you have the time, we'd appreciate it if you would try this link and poke around. There is a place for comments, if something is buggy, confusing, you think something would be better.
If you choose to buy a book, great! Let us know how that goes, but just poking around is a big help. Here is the comments link where the designers will actually see them. (I don't think any of them read my blog, so I am going to try to close comments here.)
Thanks!
From Stone Telling Press, Here, We Cross, a collection of queer and genderfluid poems from issues 1 to 7 of the online speculative poetry magazine Stone Telling is now available. The chapbook looks just gorgeous, with a cover by Čiurlionis. Congratulations and kudos to Jennifer Smith and Rose Lemberg for putting it together!
Here, We Cross will premiere at Wiscon next week, along with feminist spec-poetry chapbook The Moment of Change. I really really really wish I could be there!
I'll be attending the Nebula Weekend in DC, starting in a number of hours that is much shorter than the number of hours actually required for me to prepare for it! Good times.
I'll be in and out (especially as I'm not staying on-site), but here's where you can find me for sure:
- Friday, 5:30-7:00pm: Book Signing. Does what it says on the tin, only more illegibly and with a pen that will probably run out of ink halfway through.
- Friday, 9:00-11:00pm: Reception! Jackets will be worn, Shirley Temples will be consumed.
- Saturday, 6:30pm-10:00pm: The Nebula Reception, Banquet, and Awards. (This will be an exciting evening, though right now it's looming largely as the cause of me cursing a blue streak at my carry-on, which can hold my regular clothing but is not prepared for a formal event and seems confused at what I'm asking it to carry.)
See you this weekend!
I'll be in and out (especially as I'm not staying on-site), but here's where you can find me for sure:
- Friday, 5:30-7:00pm: Book Signing. Does what it says on the tin, only more illegibly and with a pen that will probably run out of ink halfway through.
- Friday, 9:00-11:00pm: Reception! Jackets will be worn, Shirley Temples will be consumed.
- Saturday, 6:30pm-10:00pm: The Nebula Reception, Banquet, and Awards. (This will be an exciting evening, though right now it's looming largely as the cause of me cursing a blue streak at my carry-on, which can hold my regular clothing but is not prepared for a formal event and seems confused at what I'm asking it to carry.)
See you this weekend!
Q: What is the downside to a sunny spring day?
Not much else going on. Considering the week so far, and the rest of the week to come, this is a relief.
Not much else going on. Considering the week so far, and the rest of the week to come, this is a relief.
The fabulous chapbook collecting 22 queer and genderfluid poems from Stone Telling 1-7, edited by yours truly and made possible by the tireless work of Jennifer Smith, is here! At least, it is available to purchase through Amazon. I have not yet seen a copy myself, but it is available to order, as if by magic!!! (we are using a printer which is an Amazon affiliate).
AND YAY, the first Stone Bird Press title!!! This is an ongoing adventure, I am telling you.
“Here, We Cross” is a glorious little book. The poems are heartbreaking, true, tremendous, lyrical, powerful. Go grab a copy – it’s 10$.
Originally published at RoseLemberg.net. You can comment here or there.
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