The SFWA Romance Steering Committee (RSC) formed in Fall 2021. We’re pleased to introduce this new committee, its purpose, and how it can serve our membership and the SFF community! SFWA is powered through the work of dozens of committees, and we’re glad to count the RSC among their ranks. The RSC will offer meaningful […]
Herbert W. Franke (May 14, 1927–July 16, 2022) was an author, artist, and physicist born in Austria. Franke moved from Vienna to Munich after earning his doctorate in theoretical physics. Throughout the 1950s, he published primarily nonfiction, including works on speleology and computer graphics. During this time he also began creating early computer-assisted pieces of […]
Eric Flint (February 6, 1947–July 17, 2022) was an author, editor, publisher, and a member of SFWA. He won the fourth quarter Writers of the Future contest in 1993 and published his first novel, Mother of Demons, in 1997. In 2000, his bestselling alternate history novel 1632 was released by Baen Books. Over the years, […]
by Jamie Lackey Everyone agrees that reviews are important for book sales and visibility, but getting reviews can be an uphill battle. Most casual readers don’t bother leaving reviews, and it’s hard to get the attention of new readers who do. That’s where NetGalley comes in. They connect librarians, booksellers, educators, reviewers, and bloggers with […]
by Chelsea Mueller There’s significant power in fighting and kissing scenes. When done well, they’re often reader favorites. Look at how readers talk about stories with excellent fights or swoonworthy sex, and you’ll see them call out these scenes specifically. In books that bring violence and romance to the page well, readers may even praise […]
Welcome to the July edition of the SFWA Market Report. Please note: Inclusion of any market in the report below does not indicate an official endorsement by SFWA. The markets included on this list all pay at least $0.08/word in at least one length-category of fiction. New Markets Alternate History (Flame Tree Publishing) Gargantua (Upcoming) Hidden […]
By Chesley Oxendine As a Native American—Lumbee Cheraw, specifically, and hailing from Robeson County, North Carolina—storytelling has always been important to me. I grew up around stories, immersed in tales of my forebears and parables that serve as the groundwork for our traditions. I pin my fascination with science fiction and fantasy (SFF) squarely on […]
By Anessa Kemna Science fiction and fantasy should be the perfect places for disability representation. Writers make the rules in their worlds. But it’s difficult to find disabled characters and even harder to find quality representation in the SFF genres. It’s difficult in mainstream fiction too, but a genre built on imagination should have higher […]
by Michael Edelson I’m old enough to remember widespread use of the term “vanity press,” and although that is thankfully a thing of the past, the stigma attached to self-publishing still persists. But the reality is that the publishing industry is changing, and independent publishing is gaining an ever-increasing market share. [1–3] As early as […]
by R. K. Thorne Worldbuilding is a fun aspect of writing fantasy and science fiction. It is so tempting to get lost in drawing maps, hoarding pictures, plotting lineages, or researching how that awesome weapon system could actually work. Our efforts often focus on geography, history, and politics. But part of worldbuilding should be envisioning […]
The third installment of the World Fantasy Award winning, Locus, British Fantasy award nominated, Year’s Best African Speculative Fiction series. With works from Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopkinson, P Djeli Clark, Tobias Buckell, Wole Talabi, and others
