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Personal Safety Online

Personal Safety Online Personal Safety Online is part of a larger resource for members of the writing community on personal and event safety concerns, both in-person and online. To see all the resources available, visit our Safety homepage. Personal Safety Online includes general safety considerations for maintaining an online presence, plus information on doxing, harassment campaigns, […]

THE INDIE FILES: Listen Up! Self-Producing Audiobooks

by Kim Fielding Until fairly recently, it was impractical for most self-published authors to produce audiobooks. Now, however, almost anyone can easily produce a high-quality one. This is good news, because audio constitutes a significant—and profitable—portion of the publishing market. According to IBISWorld, the audio market grew 8.1% between 2017 and 2022, and is now […]

LITERARY AGENTS

Page updated/links checked: 12/11/23 Introduction The Scammer: Dishonest Agents The Schmagent: Amateur, Marginal, and Incompetent Agents Telling Questionable From Reputable **A Special Warning: Fake Literary Agency Scams** Agents Who Are Also Publishers Additional Cautions One Last, Very Important Thing Resources Introduction Do you need a literary agent in order to find a publisher? If you’re […]

Activist SFF Isn’t Just About Good Intentions

by Vida Cruz Note: This article first appeared in The Bulletin #216 in October 2021. Quick: you hear of an injustice over the news. What do you do? Some of us march. Some of us donate to charities and NGOs and fundraising artists. And some of us write stories criticizing the injustice and the social […]

Author Advances: An Update for Your Expectations

by Alice Speilburg Nearly every summer, I bring on an intern for the agency, and each week we cover a different publishing topic, focusing on traditional publishing paths in the US. When we get to author payment structures—advances and royalties—I start with a theoretical explanation. An advance is intended to cover an author’s expenses while […]

Institutions Are the AIs Your Mother Warned You About

by Navarre Bartz   If you pick up a book or movie about Artificial Intelligence (AI), there’s a good chance you’ll find a story where robots or AI have subjugated humanity. The Terminator, the robots in The Matrix, and the Borg all strike fear into our hearts because they lack humanity. The cold, calculating logic […]

Member Application Supporting Document Requirements

Congratulations on making the sale! The SFWA Board of Directors periodically makes changes to the membership qualification criteria. Please review the latest membership qualification criteria here. Once you have read the rules, you will need to gather your supporting documents to complete your application. Because the publication process varies widely among professional authors, SFWA will […]

SF/F Magazines Wait Out The Great Pause—Part 2: Short- and Long-Term Prospects & the Post-COVID Landscape

by J. Scott Coatsworth This article continues J. Scott Coatsworth’s interviews and compilation of information examining how SF/F magazines are faring during the COVID-19 crisis. Amazing Stories, Analog, Asimov’s, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Clarkesworld, Escape Artists, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Fireside Magazine, Fiyah Lit Mag, and Strange Horizons responded to Coatsworth’s inquiries. Most of these responses […]

The Ultra-Novelist

by Hunter Liguore

When it comes to writing, especially the novel, we can never give up! We’re essentially running our own ‘ultra-marathon.’ Looking at a runner who will traverse 100 miles over 30 hours, we must see the significant amount of training that went into this. Considering the above scenario, this ultra-runner must’ve spent at least half to a full year of deliberate planning/training just for this one race.