Two fascinating surveys appeared this week. They look at opposite ends of the writing business, but dovetail in interesting ways. (This is going to be a long post, so please bear with me.)The Writers' Workshop Survey of Professional Authors
In March, the Writers' Workshop, a UK-based writers' consultancy, launched a survey of traditionally published authors. The aim: to discover how authors feel about their publishers in a time of rapid change, where "it has become possible – arguably for the first time in history – for authors to detach themselves from publishers."
The survey results were posted this week, and they make for interesting reading. Authors are generally happy with a number of aspects of the traditional publishing process--notably, the editing they receive.
Around 75% of authors rated their editorial input as having been good or (more commonly) excellent. Just 14% disagreed...Marketing, however, was a different story. A majority of authors felt they weren't adequately consulted on their publishers' marketing plans, that their skills and strengths weren't adequately utilized, and that they had little input or control (ah yes--I know the feeling). About half the respondents felt that communication by the publisher was poor, and nearly half said that their publishers never sought feedback from them.
Similarly – and again contrary to many stories about declining standards – authors rate their publishers extremely highly on copy-editing, proof-reading, page design and so forth. More than 80% of authors regarded their publishers as being good-to-excellent in these areas...
On the matters of cover design and jacket copy, authors remained broadly positive. About three-fifths of authors were highly satisfied with the way these things turned out. The remainder were, on the whole, ‘somewhat’ satisfied.
And while there is much grumbling in the writing community about the lack of publisher loyalty, with publishers no longer willing to stick with writers over several books while they build an audience, authors are just as fickle. 40% of survey respondents said they'd move to another house if given the chance. 22% weren't sure.Mirrored from SFWA | Comment at SFWA
I spent a decent chunk of the day hanging out with the inestimable Howard Tayler, who created a truly impressive steampunk caricature of me. (When I get home, I shall scan and post this, but at the moment it is my badge art.) Howard is his own self hanging out in the Aegis room, which is basically a camp for combat geeks. Inside the Con hotel, these cats have a rappelling tower, weapons training with actual pointy objects, a bunch of Nerf weapons, and a Victorian encampment. They are pretty much a real life incarnation of the Black Briar group in J.A. Pitt's Black Blade Blues [ Powells | BN ]. The Aegis group helped me make a notable entrance to opening ceremonies.
Also spent a lot more time partying with The League of S.T.E.A.M. and a whole bunch of other folks, including briefly running across the few people besides Howard that I actually knew before I turned up here. Specifically, Gail Carriger, G.D. Falksen (who has an important planet named after him in the Sunspin universe) and Evelyn Kriete (who is responsible for me being invited to this convention). I caught the last part of the The Men That Will Not be Blamed for Nothing concert.
I even got a bit more work done on Going to Extremes.
Today I have lunch with Howard, a High Tea to host, and a plan to hear some more excellent performances. A bit more programming tomorrow.
Interestingly, I am way off my normal schedule here, even my normal convention schedule. I'm not sure what clock I'm living on, but it's neither Jay time nor Con time. I'm just going with the flow. Which it turns out is remarkably difficult for me to do. I feel twitchy about not being up at 5 am exercising (hard to do when you're going to bed at 2 am) and why I'm not writing more.
But I'm here to have fun, which I am decidedly doing; and to see and be seen, which I am decidedly doing.
Is this what time off feels like?
Playground equipment, 2006. © 2006, 2012, Joseph E. Lake, Jr.
The current photo series is from my 'favorites' file, hence the dates jumping about
This work by Joseph E. Lake, Jr. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
The Nebula Awards 2012: A Look Back And A Look Forward — James Patrick Kelly and John Kessel in HuffPo.
Calvin and Hobbes on unfettered creativity as a writer — Hahaha.
War of the Worlds: The True Story — A new indie flick coming out that looks pretty cool.
Star Wars Turns 35: How Time Covered the Film Phenomenon
Red Planet Becomes Blue In New Mars Image
Astronauts enter world’s first private supply ship
Impacts Spreading Life through the Cosmos?
Colonel Sanders resembles Confucius — Chicken, anyone?
?otd: Charles Darwin: Man or monkey?
5/26/2012
Writing time yesterday: 0.5 hours (Going to Extremes proposal)
Body movement: 30 minute stationary bike ride
Hours slept: 7.0 (solid)
Weight: n/a
Currently reading: Shattering the Ley by Benjamin Tate; Of Blood and Honey by Stina Leicht
David Nicholas forwarded this fascinating article –
http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arx
-- that makes a broad definition of "autocatalytic set" which elaborates into an explanation for life, the universe, and everything. It turns out that the chicken crossed the road in order to lay an egg so that another chicken could cross another road. And so on, to the Apollo Program and beyond.
Joe
I have a bunch of social things this weekend, but I’m still hoping to write at least one more chapter for the week, another 3000 words. I just finished typing up the latest chapter. I have almost 30,000 words in 10 chapters.
I need to think about the next chapter, where it’s going, what it’s doing. It may finally be time to start plotting some.
I got back the edits for ZQ. I want to do those Monday, and start pushing the book out, so it’ll be available the first week of June.
I have a short story to write for the workshop I’m taking in June. Great idea, great character, great voice already nagging at me about it.
And—I think that’s it. Time to go get changed and ready for a night out.
Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so here or there.http://fantasticon.dk/fantasticon2012/
Friday 17:00-17:20, Kultursalen
Opening ceremony
Everybody
Friday 17:30-19:00, Cafeen
Videnskabcafeen: The dead, the undead and the vampire romance
Ellen Datlow, Stig W. Jørgensen, Steen Langstrup, Gert Balling (m)
Saturday 12:00-12:50, Kultursalen
Stories we haven’t seen: The good short story
Ellen Datlow, Knud Larn, Henrik Harksen, H.H. Løyche, Ralan Conley (m)
Saturday 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m., Heerupsalen
interview Ellen Datlow
Ellen Datlow, Ahn Lars Pedersen (i)
Saturday 15:00-15:50, Kultursalen
Genres – Necessary distinction or annoying restriction?
Ellen Datlow, Alastair Reynolds, Anne-Marie Vedsø Olesen, Stig W. Jørgensen (m)
Saturday 20:15-??, Festsalen
The banquet
Sunday 13:00-13:50, Heerupsalen
The fairy tale in modern fiction
Ellen Datlow, Nicolas Barbano, Lars Ahn Pedersen (m)
Sunday 17:00-17:50, Heerupsalen
The last panel – final remarks before the convention (end the world?) ends.
Ellen Datlow, Alastair Reynolds, Klaus Æ. Mogensen (m)
SFWA is looking to convene a Norton jury for the 2013 award.
The Norton Award is presented to young adult or middle grade science fiction and fantasy novels. The membership at large votes to place several works on the ballot which the Norton jury can augment with additional selections.
Interested volunteers should contact the office of the vice president at vp@sfwa.org.
Please include your name and email address as well as a sentence or two about the following:
1) Your experience (if any) as a reader or writer of young adult and/or middle grade fiction.
2) Your interest in serving as a juror for this award.
Volunteer applications should be sent by Friday, June 8.
Volunteers must be active SFWA members. Feel free to repost.
Mirrored from SFWA | Comment at SFWA
We went to see Dark Shadows last night, and came away unsmitten. I like Johnny Depp in any role, but this one is so thin and trite he couldn't rescue it. It's a bunch of vampire clichés rattling around in a shapeless container. A few good sight gags and groaner lines . . . the teenaged girl asks Barnabas Collins, "Are you stoned, or what?" He replies, "They tried stoning me once. It did not work."
and this exchange . . . .
Angelique Bouchard: What if I made you love me?
Barnabas Collins: With what, a spell?
Angelique Bouchard: [strips to her brassiere] With this!
Barnabas Collins: I must admit, they have not aged a day...
That's a high point. They should put this monster back in the box and bury it.
Joe
So I posted up the first chapter of Kudzu, A Novel.
This thing was spawned out of a conversation on facebook a while back about satellite graveyards, and the fact that a story needed to be told about them. And, as one gentleman stated, "what might be living in them." It's a story about invasive species and genetic modification. It's also a story about loss, and survival in the face of loss.
Kudzu, a Novel will be updated every Friday, with lush illustrations by Linda Saboe.
And now, I'm off to Balticon.
Profile
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1)
jimvanpelt- jimvanpelt
- Web Site
Page Summary
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif?v=92.1)
sfwa :: sfwa_admin : Two Surveys [+0] - jaylake : [conventions] World Steam Expo, Day One [+4]
- jaylake : [photos] Your Saturday moment of zen [+0]
- jaylake : [links] Link salad will not be blamed for nothing [+4]
- joe_haldeman : 43 [+0]
- lrcutter : Moving along [+2]
- ellen_datlow : My schedule at Fantasticon in Copenhagen June 1-3rd [+0]
- sfwa :: sfwa_admin : SFWA Seeks Volunteers for the Norton Award Jury [+0]
- joe_haldeman : fangs for the mammaries . . . [+4]
- brni : (for some value of 'today') [+0]
