Planetside Full Archives

By J.D. Harlock Four years ago, I started writing speculative fiction professionally to modest success. I owe my entire career in the field to the inspiration I drew from Middle Eastern history, mythology, and literature. My personal favorites from my…

by the SFWA Safety Committee Have you ever considered writing under a pen name? Some authors use pseudonyms to separate works under different genres, reboot their careers after a dry spell, or replace the names of multiple authors on the…

by John Wilker In my previous post on going Wide for the Win, I gave an overview of an author’s options when self-publishing wide, which means offering your books beyond Amazon. In this article, we’ll delve into how you can…

by Jeremy Zentner Spaceships have been iconic in science fiction ever since Jules Verne wrote From the Earth to the Moon. There are many features for writers to consider when designing their craft, including microgravity, faster-than-light (FTL) capabilities, journey time,…

(Kind of like the Star Trek Experience—lots of diversity that some accept, some fight, and others never see) by Elle Ire Continuing Mission Our exploration of the experiences of various members within the LGBTQ+ spec fic community continues in Part…

by Anthony W. Eichenlaub Genre: A marketing construct. Its only purpose is to get books into the hands of people who will enjoy them. There are other definitions, of course. People debate endlessly about the essential nature of cyberpunk or…

By Austin Conrad Writing in the genre of tabletop games has a lot of similarities to fiction writing when it comes to character, plot, and setting. However, the needs of interactive fiction require the adventure game writer to adapt how…

By Rachael K. Jones Work-for-hire writing jobs are common in novel-length work, especially in the world of tie-in fiction, but rarer in short fiction. If you’re primarily a short fiction author, you might be caught off-guard if approached with this…

By Holly Henderson As much as science fiction and fantasy writers love wandering the vast worlds that exist in our imaginations, the journey there can be difficult when we have the weight of daily life to carry with us. Forge…

by Scott King Writing book descriptions sucks, but it doesn’t have to be hard. If you can write a whole dang novel, you have it in you to write a quick, simple description for a back cover, a pitch, or…

By Ursula Whitcher My first fictional love was tabletop role-playing games, from Dungeons & Dragons and ’90s classics like Vampire: The Masquerade to indie hits such as Visigoths vs. Mall Goths. After all that gaming, I thought I knew how…

By Gareth L. Powell In 2020, I had the privilege of cowriting a science fiction novella called Light Chaser with Peter F. Hamilton, author of more than twenty novels, including The Reality Dysfunction, Pandora’s Star, and Salvation.  If I had…

by the SFWA Safety Committee As social media becomes increasingly fractured, more authors are turning toward newsletters as a reliable form of direct marketing. Mailing lists are an invaluable way to keep in touch with readers who actively want to…

by Jeremy Zentner Space operas often incorporate creative monarchy systems as part of their planet-spanning worldbuilding. And why not? Readers love a good monarchy! But there’s no reason not to be as creative with your royalty structure as you are…

(Kind of like the Star Trek Experience—lots of diversity that some accept, some fight, and others never see) by Elle Ire   Continuing Mission Our exploration of the experiences of various members within the LGBTQ+ spec fic community continues in…

By Karawynn Long Note: This post does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and advice is intended for general informational purposes only. You’ve written a piece of short fiction, submitted it, and gotten…

by the SFWA Safety Committee Small events can be some of the most rewarding experiences for an author. Signings, readings, classes, and panels offer an opportunity to connect directly with readers. They also offer some unique challenges when planning for…

By Randee Dawn Dr. Erin Macdonald Whatever you think a science advisor for Star Trek TV shows should look like, Dr. Erin Macdonald isn’t that. She’s actually far geekier and far cooler than you might expect….

by Jelena Dunato When my publisher prepared the marketing strategy for my upcoming novel Dark Woods, Deep Water, one of the obvious labels proposed besides “fantasy” and “dark” was “Slavic.” It’s clear why—I’m Croatian; I’ve written a book featuring Morana,…

By Holly Henderson Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes, in its author’s words, explains how to write a kissing book. But that’s not all it does. Hayes gives the recipe for adding romance to any plot, and the expansive worlds…

by William C. Tracy Congrats! You’re an indie author! You’ve written a book, (hopefully) had critiques and edited it, put it all together, and thrown it up on Amazon. Time to watch the money roll in, right? Well, not exactly….

(Kind of like the Star Trek Experience—lots of diversity that some accept, some fight, and others never see) by Elle Ire Blog Series Mission To boldly explore the experiences of a variety of LGBTQ+ speculative fiction writers with regard to…

by Corrine Kumar One of the biggest challenges writers face is finding time to write amidst a busy life. For many years, my strategy to overcome this was to sacrifice other parts of my life that I enjoyed. But, as…

by Ryan Breadinc If you’re not artistically inclined and want to write solely for graphic novels, going into the comic industry can feel daunting. However, collaboration can not only be an invaluable asset but a joy to participate in when…