SF Publishing World, Here I Come!

This is positively the finest book I've read on how to write science fiction. All others I've read have only covered the aspects of writing that are peculiar to science fiction, such as creating believable alien characters and alien worlds.

This book is different. It treats writing science fiction as a serious business, informing the reader of all aspects of the writing and publishing world. As with any book on writing SF, it does cover some aspects of writing the SF novel or short story, but then it goes well beyond this. There's information on what the publishing world was like in the past and the way it is now, and how to present your manuscripts in a manner that would generate the most (positive) attention from editors. There's information on sales, contracts, agents, marketing and promoting your books, e-books, and the future of publishing.

For beginning SF writers, you’ll find information on what is science fiction, and what are the differences between writing short stories and writing novels. There’s information on the craft of writing science fiction as well, such as putting the science in the science fiction and creating the characters. And there’s a great deal of discussion of what writer’s workshops can do to help you improve your writing, and how to find the best one for you.

But for the writer that’s just starting out and is struggling to finish the first manuscript, I believe the two best sections in the book are: Myth: Writing Is Not One Activity, But Many (page 19), and Finding the Time to Write Is Impossible (page 66). They both teach that writing is much more than just sitting down in front of the word processor. There are other activities as well—daydreaming, brainstorming, outlining, editing-- that are just as much a part of the writing process that need to be done, and can be done pretty much anywhere, to prepare yourself for your time in front of the computer. Too many beginning writers believe that writing is just sitting down to write, and then their minds are blank and so is the page. This idea of getting prepared with other parts of the writing process during other parts of the day should help the beginning writer be more productive.

Writers at the point of sending their first manuscript to be published have a thousand questions—I know, because I’m one. What’s the best way to present a manuscript so an editor will read it? What do you do if you’ve submitted a manuscript, and instead of a contract you get a rejection slip? But what if you do get a contract, what do you do then? What should a good contract look like? How do you know when you need an agent, and what do they do for you? What does the publishing business look like, so I know what the publisher will be doing for me and what they’ll expect from me? And, once I have money coming in, does that make me a business? What do I do about paying taxes? Whew! There’s many more questions than this, as well. But fortunately, this book seems to cover them all.

For writers that have a few books published but sales are sagging, take a look at Part 4: Marketing and Self-Promotion. Wow! You mean, you can’t just leave it all to the publisher to promote your books? NO! Not if you want a shot at making a living from your writing. But self-promotion doesn’t have to be scary. This book covers it all: how to arrange book tours, give readings and book signings, get interviewed, write and send press releases… even strategies to win awards. It even includes tips on how to promote yourself on the Internet, without having to spend a lot of set-up time, or money.

So to sum it up, this book covers everything you'd need to know to either get started in writing SF and get published, or to re-start a writing career when the sales to publishers or the public haven't been going too well. The reader may need other sources for detailed information on writing a novel, but this book is a wonderful overview of the entire process from writing idea to royalty check.

The greatest value of this book is in giving the reader the perspective of writing science fiction as a respectable profession. I think too many SF writers are almost apologetic about what they do. They hide the fact that they enjoy writing SF, or they treat it as a hobby and don't take themselves seriously. But this book will change that. I'll bet anyone reading this book will get a big boost of confidence and enthusiasm, go dust off the manuscripts hiding in the drawers, and finally get them sent out. So what're you waiting for? Get this book and go do it!


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