Category Archives: Publishing

I mentioned briefly last week that I supported my first Kickstarter — an anthology of urban fantasy tales called Winter in the City. A couple days ago, the folks running the campaign announced I was one of the authors who agreed to submit something to the anthology. It’s something I’m incredibly excited about for a number of reasons, and I’m hoping the Kickstarter gets more backers soon.

Why excited, you ask? (You didn’t, but I’ll assume as much on your behalf.)

For one, I have what I think is a pretty darn good idea for a submission. Yes, it’s urban fantasy and, no, it has nothing to do with the Known Worlds of the Daedalus series. It’s still going to have a historical bent to it, but the history will be much more recent. I also like the wintry theme of the anthology, as winter is one of my favorite seasons in general, and seems to be fertile ground for storytelling as well.

Plus, it’s a nice stretch for me. I’ve proven I can write a novel (well, two now) and I’ve written a novella as well. I’ve found short fiction to be generally more difficult, because there’s so much to get into a piece in a short amount of space. I started writing fiction in part to challenge myself, after all, so why shy away from another challenge?

And have you seen the list of writers who have agreed to participate? We’re talking some amazing folks here, like Mike Resnick, Kevin J. Anderson, Ken Liu, Nick Mamatas, Jack Skillingstead and the great Harry Turtledove (who is a fantastic guy in addition to pretty much owning alternate history fiction). I mean, seriously, there are too many great ones to list here. I totally want to be in an anthology with these people just to say I was, you know?

So here’s the deal. The campaign needs to raise $15,000 for the anthology to become a reality. Right now, they’ve raised just under $4,000. That means we’re looking at making up $11,000 in just 14 days. I’ve chipped in, and I’m hoping you’ll consider backing it as well. You’ll get a whole heap of excellent urban fantasy fiction from some of the best folks writing today (and, well, me). The reward tiers are also pretty cool, with lots of goodies for folks who chip in more.

If you’re so inclined, check out the Kickstarter campaign here and see if you’d like to chip in. I think it’s an exciting project, and I hope you do too.

 #SFWApro

So I’ve ended up with a bunch of little things I’ve wanted to blog about, and it’s gotten to the point where separate blog posts would be a pain. So here’s a bunch of cool stuff for you to check out, all in one handy post:

• The Daedalus Incident got a pretty nifty plug from Renaissance man Michael Pusateri on the latest Gweek podcast over on BoingBoing.net. The book comes up at roughly the 42:00 mark in the conversation between Michael, technologist/hacker/writer Joshua Klein and host (and BoingBoing founder) Mark Frauenfelder. But hey, give the whole thing a listen. It’s a really smart, fascinating podcast. Thanks for the kind words, Michael!
• I’ve backed my first Kickstarter — Winter in the City: A Collection of Urban Fantasy Tales, edited by fellow NIght Shade alum Marty Halpern. Marty’s put together an outstanding group of authors, and I may be submitting a story to the anthology as well in an attempt to spread my authorial wings a bit. They have 23 days left to get to their goal, so give it a read and, if you’re so inclined, lend a hand!
• You have until midnight tonight to bid on my critique of your SF/F fiction — up to 10,000 words — at Kat Brauer’s Crits for Water charity blog. The proceeds go to help communities in India ensure fresh water and sanitation, and you get a fresh set of eyes on your writing. Go bid!
• Having Daedalus as Tuesday’s SF/F Kindle Daily Deal was nothing short of awesome. The book topped out at #28 on the Kindle sales chart, and is at a very respectable #172 now (and still #16 on the SF/F chart). I’m grateful so many folks were introduced to the book.
• Finally, awesome artist Sarah Bittel has done another bit of Daedalus-inspired fan art! (Check out her first one here.) Below are sketches of Lt. Thomas Weatherby, first lieutenant aboard HMS Daedalus, and another take on Lt. Shaila Jain of McAuliffe Base on Mars. Sarah did a great job with the period touches on Weatherby, and I think captured Shaila’s attitude well there. Thanks, Sarah!

#SFWApro

The good folks at SFSignal (and truly, they are good folks indeed) devoted a bit of space today to the cover and synopsis of The Enceladus Crisis, the sequel to The Daedalus Incident.

The synopsis SFSignal ran with is spot-on, mostly because I wrote it. The cover, I should stress, remains preliminary. That’s because the folks at Skyhorse/Night Shade wanted to get a cover up on Amazon and Barnes & Noble for preorders, and they haven’t commissioned the art yet.

With that said, even though it’s something of a placeholder, I actually really like this cover. So without further ado, I’m putting it here for your enjoyment.

#SFWApro

I’ve been fortunate to have met a number of my fellow authors over the past several months, and one of the more frequent complaints among them is the need to self-promote.

Perhaps I’m just a shill, but I don’t see it as onerous. Then again, I used to work in journalism, and now I’m in marketing. Maybe it comes naturally. Point is, we have to do it. So whether or not we like it, we should really do a good job of it.

Marketing and self-promotion is the topic of my guest post over on Word Cafe, a great site for writers and readers hosted by Anita Mumm. Anita used to work for Nelson Literary Agency, and has taken some time off to teach English to Tibetan refugees in Dharamsala, India. Which is, of course, awesome.

Anyway, check out the guest post. It has some tips on what’s worked for me and what didn’t, and the mindset I use in approaching the whole marketing effort. If you’re a writer, or just want to get the word out about something, it might be helpful.

#SFWApro

I got quite a boost yesterday from book blogger J.T. Frazier, proprietor of Joe’s Geek Fest. His review of The Daedalus Incident was like three hits of espresso to my writer-brain. It’s humbling and very gratifying to think my scribblings could be enjoyed to that degree.

In fact, Joe’s only complaint was that he had to wait until April 1 for Book 2 of the Daedalus series, The Enceladus Crisis. Sorry, man…at least I’m not working on George R.R. Martin’s time scale. But there’s a bit more out there on Enceladus now, and I thought I’d share.

For example, here’s part of the cover: Continue reading →