The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Science Fiction

The Soldiers? Tale is the story of modern wars as told by the men who did the actual fighting. Hynes examines the journals, memoirs, and letters of men who fought in the two World Wars and in Vietnam, and also the wars fought against the weak and helpless in concentration camps, prisoner-of-war camps, and bombed cities. Interweaving his own reflections on war with brilliantly chosen passages from soldiers? accounts, he offers vivid answers to the question we all ask of men who have fought: What was it like? In these powerful pages the experiences of modern war, which seem unimaginable to those who weren't there, become comprehensible and real. The wide range of writers examined includes both famous literary memoirists like Robert Graves, Tim O?Brien, and Elie Wiesel, and unknown soldiers who wrote only their war stories. Using these testimonies, Hynes considers each war in terms of its special circumstances and its effects on men who fought. His understanding of the psychology of warfare--and of each war's role in history--gives this study its intellectual authority; the voices of the men who were there, and wrote about what they saw and felt, give it its powerful dramatic impact. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Science Fiction Copyright Contents at a Glance Contents Foreword Introduction Part 1 Becoming a SF Writer Chapter 1 Success at Last! The Winnah! The Golden Age of Science Fiction The Modern Publishing World Chapter 2 First Steps on the Road Reading—the Classics Writing—the Well-Told Yarn Myths and Legends Your Cast of Characters Writing as a Daily Activity Off and Running Chapter 3 The Varieties of Science Fiction Speculative Fiction Hard SF: The Radical Core “Soft” or Sociological SF Space Opera The SF Mainstream Cyberpunk Time Travel and Alternate History The Varieties of Fantasy Chapter 4 Fans and Conventions Slide Rules and Spock Ears: The Fans I’m Your Biggest Fan! Pros and Con(ventions) Chapter 5 Writer’s Workshops Filling the Void Between Your Mom and Your Editor Workshopping for Complete Idiots It’s Your Workshop Other Kinds of Workshops Part 2 Secrets of the Sci-Fi Masters Chapter 6 Where Do You Get Your Ideas? Story Sparks From Idea to Outline Innovation in SF Know Thy Subject An Idea Library A Mind-Expanding Reading List Chapter 7 The Writing Project Finding Time to Write Is Impossible Daydreaming Outlining Different in Kind: Short Story and Novel Projects Harnessing the Draft Horse On Second Thoughts: Revision The Phases of a Writing Project Chapter 8 The Short Story We’re Not in The New Yorker Anymore, Toto Beginnings, Middles, and Endings A Short-Story Cookbook The Dreaded Rewrite Chapter 9 The SF Novel Not What-If but How-Then: How Novels Differ from Short Stories Worldbuilding Novel Structure 101 Tips to Keep You Going Chapter 10 Science Friction: Struggles with the Subject Do I Have to Be a Rocket Scientist? Suspension of Disbelief Internal and External Consistency Making Your Ideas Accessible Science Is the Variable, Storytelling the Constant Chapter 11 Character in SF Barbarians and Women in Brass Bikinis What Makes a “Good” SF Character? Creating Vivid Characters in Science Fiction and Fantasy Strategies for Success The Denizens of SF: A Survey Part 3 Publishing Your Work Chapter 12 Mechanics Looking Like a Pro A Word About Word Counts Short Stories Novels Proof and Research Choosing Your Market Chapter 13 Submit! Cover It! Mail It! Electronic Submission God, I Hate Waiting! You Hate Me! You Really, Really Hate Me! Chapter 14 Short-Story Markets The Bigs Bigger Than the Bigs Small (Press) but Powerful Canadians and Other Aliens Contests and Anthologies Chapter 15 Publishing Your Novel The State of the Industry Publishing Myths and Legends How Not to Approach a Publisher Winning Strategies for Selling Your Novel Where to Sell Chapter 16 The Work-for- Hire Novel Book Packagers and Media Tie-In Publishing Getting a Foot in the Door Star Wars and Star Trek Novels In the Realm of the Gamers The Dilemma of Quick Publishing Credentials Writing a Work-for-Hire Novel Chapter 17 Anatomy of a Sale Coping with Rejection Sale! But Wait, There’s a Catch Published at Last Resale Part 4 Marketing and Self-Promotion Chapter 18 Self-Promotion 101 Strategy Synergy Seemliness Promotion in Person Chapter 19 Advanced Self-Promotion Printed Matter Press Releases Interviews and Reviews Professional Promotion Chapter 20 Using the Internet to Promote Yourself www.Your-Name-Here.com The Mighty Usenet Mailing Lists Getting Reviewed Online Chapter 21 Awards Blue Ribbons and Chrome Phalluses: The Major Awards Foreigners and Special Interest Groups: Other Awards How to Win an Award What Do You Do with an Award, Anyway? Part 5 The Professional Writer Chapter 22 Agents The Agent Defined Do You Need an Agent? Finding a Good Fit Acquiring an Agent Chapter 23 E-Rights, E-Books, and the Future of SF Publishing E-Books On-Demand Publishing The Electronic Rights Battle Online Publishers: Try or Avoid? The Merging of Online and Print Chapter 24 Contracts What’s Copyright? Rights and Payments Administrivia Responsibilities Breaking Up Negotiating Contracts Chapter 25 Taxes and the Writer Congratulations! You’re Self-Employed Starting Out: The Hobbyist Sole Proprietorship Writer, Incorporated Canadian Taxes Chapter 26 Writer’s Associations Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) The Horror Writers Association (HWA) SF Canada Other Organizations Getting the Most Out of Your Membership Appendix A Model Contracts Paperbacks Magazines Web Agents Appendix B Publisher Listing Primary Novel Publishers Secondary Novel Markets Canadian Publishers E-Book Publishers Primary Short-Story Markets Secondary Short-Story Markets SF Trade Magazines Appendix C Agent Listing Appendix D Online Resources Markets Novels Magazines and Anthologies Workshopping Conventions News Writers Reference Appendix E Further Reading So, You Want to Be a Writer? Got Any Ideas? How Shall I Say It? Who Will Buy It? Keep on Writing! Index Writing and publishing your science fiction story or novel can be difficult. Story development, publishing and marketing are tied together closely and not knowing about that cooperation makes it harder to break in and get published. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Science Fiction and Fantasy is an insiders guide to the world of science fiction and fantasy publishing. Covering everything from networking and story preparation to submission and agent solicitation, this book tells the reader how it all fits together -- and most importantly, how to get in! What is "fandom" and why is it important to the science fiction writer? Why are workshops important? How does real science figure into the mix? These questions along with information on short story and novel markets, tie-in stories and novels, novel publication, fan conventions and more mark a definitive work by insiders in the science fiction world for writers who want to understand and become a part of this hard-to-break-into market. And, don't forget those awards that science fiction writers consider a valuable currency. The entire list complete with importance and submission suggestions are included!