Chris Howard's Writing Blog

Readercon 19

Okay, I just registered for Readercon, which will coincide with the release of Seaborn.  Be there if you want to get one from the Prime Books space in the "Bookshop."

http://www.readercon.org

Readercon 19
July 17-20, 2008
Burlington Marriott,
Burlington, Massachusetts.

Guest of Honor:
Jonathan Lethem & James Patrick Kelly
Memorial Guest of Honor:
Stanislaw Lem

WisCon 32

Flew out this morning, stopping off in NYC, and then direct to Madison.  Look here's proof:

Talked to Paula (Juno Books) and Sean (Wildside/Prime Books) Some cool panels so far, a reading by YA authors, the opening ceremonies--with the Carl Brandon Society committee leading the whole room in song, along with the never-forgettable, "Filk music ain't got no soul."

WisCon Schedule

I'm going to spend more time today going through the program for Wiscon (http://www.wiscon.info).  I'm showing up early afternoon on Friday, and leaving Monday around 2PM--have to get back to work. 

Reading aloud...

Any author reading words aloud should check out Mary Robinette Kowal's eighteen--yes 18--part series on how to do it right, I mean everything from the basics, to cross-gender voices, to vocal fatigue. 

Part 1: http://www.maryrobinettekowal.com/journal/reading-aloud/

And I thought I was doing well with my reading of SEABORN chapter one

Thanks, Skott!

Seaborn reading...

Sylvia Kelso (Amberlight) asked me if I was doing a reading at WisCon, and...no…I hadn't actually signed up for anything.  My first time at the con, and Seaborn's still a little ways out--3 months and closing...awfully fast.   I really should have, but I missed the deadline back in January--back when July seemed so far off.

Nothing to prevent me from getting into practice, though.  I sat down at the mic and read the first chapter--and I'd like to hear what you think. 

I've converted it into a few formats.  If you're inclined--say you really want an ogg version--use the 30MB 128kbps MP3.  Let me know, and I'll link to it, or you can send it to me:  chrishoward.author@gmail.com

Click on one of the formats below or download it. (The m4a opens in Quicktime on my machine, the wma is Windows Media Audio format).  To download in Windows: right-click, select Save Target As... from the popup menu  |  Mac: Ctrl+click and then "Download File"

SEABORN-Chapter1-48kbps-44.mp3  (MP3)
SeabornChapter1.m4a  (MP4)
SEABORN-Chapter1-48kbps-44.wma  (WMA)

Larger, better quality version:
SEABORN-Chapter1-256kbps1.mp3  (MP3, 30MB)

Enjoy!

Book Publishing Timeline

Or, What happens between the acceptance of your manuscript and the launch of your book
(from someone who barely knows what he’s talking about--since he only has the experience of one book going into publication).

What does happen to your manuscript after the publisher accepts it?  I've always been curious.

What follows is my documented ordering of the events, editing, extra work, writing, pitching, and other stuff an author has to do before one precious copy of the book hits the shelves in a bookstore. 

Anyone writing for years and breaking into the published market, reading the blogs of authors, agents, editors, will have heard all the terms and processes, things like copyediting and ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies--books printed ahead of the release date specifically for book reviewers, sometimes handed out by the thousands at conventions like Book Expo America). 

But I've never understood the order of the activities clearly.  When a writer says his book's "gone into copyediting," where exactly is that in the process?  How far along the road to release is it?

What I've done--and I'd love some feedback from those who know a lot more than I do--is mark the road with all the various things I've had to do, attend to, understand, agree to, and receive in order to get to that glorious release day...July 20, 2008.  (Obviously some of the stuff in the timeline has not yet happened, so I'm guessing with the dates there).

Click the image below to view the readable version. 

Here's what the process looks like from my perspective:

Feeling romantic...about books

Thank you, Mark Henry, (Happy Hour of the Damned), for taking the shot of stacks of Seaborn samplers at the Romantic Times Convention.

And to Stacia Kane (Personal Demons) for forwarding Mark's pics.  Now, I need to know where she got those killer bracelets.  That box behind the Seaborn samplers contains Stacia's book and a pile of cool red and black bracelets.

Okay, it's a bit demanding, petty and selfish, but...

Anyone out there happen to know someone at RT Con (Romantic Times Convention) with a camera who might have the time to search out the Goodie Bag Room (or wherever they have the give-aways) and snap a shot of one of the Seaborn samplers for me?  (Comment here, or email me: chrishoward.author@gmail.com)

There's supposed to be a bunch of them there...hoping anyway.

.

Boskone 45 update

Skott and I drove down to the Westin along the Boston waterfront after work on Friday to catch a couple of the panels at Boskone, meet some cool publishers and writers, find out how the Naval War College plays games, the usual stuff.  The preso by Christopher Weuve on Naval Analysis Through Iterative Wargaming was very interesting.  He went through historic gaming, the war college's influence in decision making, how the games are played, won, lost, cool stuff. 

We also took in a panel with the amazing Karl Schroeder on forecasting the future, how he's been working with government and industry groups to prepare possible futures for the policy makers in these industries and government departments.  Karl talked about the scenario building processes, the elitism of typical futurism--and futurists, time frames--pretty short 10 -20 year forecasts.   One of the interesting--even more interesting than the already interesting forecasting projects he's been a part of--was a book-length work, Crisis in Zefra, he wrote for the Canadian army (Directorate of Land Strategic Concepts of National Defense Canada), basically dramatized future military operations in a fictional citystate preparing to hold its first democratic elections.   SF author's dream, right there.

We said hello, shook hands--between panels--with Tobias Buckell, and then saw him later with sort of a Stross-Buckell mashup in the hotel's lobby.  (Some issues with all of us meeting in the restaurant, apparently).  I asked Sarah Beth Durst about getting on Boskone panels for next year, and she and Paul Park and Craig Shaw Gardner gave me some great advice.  Me on a panel?  Won't that be crazy?

Had a couple chats with Kelly Link and Gavin Grant (in the same place, the Small Beer Press booth, but at different times) about the future of publishing, ebooks, phones, Creative Commons licensing, and the commercial uses of user generated content.  This last is for a product I'm working on, launching some time end of March, early April.  More on that when I can.  Skott picked up a couple books.  I picked up The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner there.

Also stopped to talk to Cynthia at Withywindle Books, talked about art, the upcoming release of Seabon (Juno Books) in July!  I actually had my picture taken. 

Some great panels this year, interesting new directions, how to write battles, painting demos from Bob Eggleton and Omar Rayyan.  The Higgins Armory is here all weekend with armored combat demonstrations--how can you not love that?   A bunch of our writing group got together in the evening for talk and dinner with Craig Shaw Gardner and Jeff Carver. 

I also chatted with Craig and a few others about a new title for The New Sirens, and I'm now running a contest here.  Check out it.  Help me find a title, and win art, ARCs, something cool.  More info here: http://the0phrastus.typepad.com/

Pics.  Just a few from my phone.  Karl Schroeder, Gavin Grant (just after he used Skott's iPhone to take our picture), Higgins Armory demo.  Click on them to see the larger versions.

What's up?

I know, I know, everything's on the Web, but it's a different experience when you live a few miles away from someplace, and then find that there's even better stuff about it on the web, details I wouldn't be able to get easily even on site.  So, I really don't need to live a few minutes away from Rye Harbor to know what it looks like, how deep the moorings are, that if I was coming by sea I should "pick up the Rye Harbor Morse A buoy on approach, and then follow the green buoys inside the protected breakwaters."  It's all at Marinas.com. 

I know everyone knows it, but it's still hard to believe.  Everything, it's on the Web.

Do you read GUD?  The zine with outstanding short fiction and interesting payment methods?  Check it out. 

http://www.gudmagazine.com/

Writers: Greatest Uncommon Denominator Magazine submission guidelines

I'll be at GDC at the end of February--back to back with Boskone.  (Game Developers Conference 2008: February 18-22, 2008 San Francisco).

http://www.gdconf.com/

Who's going to Boskone?

Met with the writing group last night for some critiquing, and Boskone came up.  I'll be there, meeting up with Skott and a few others--except for those going to Hawaii. 

http://www.nesfa.org/Boskone/

February 15-17, 2008, Westin Waterfront, Boston, Massachusetts.

Guest of Honor: David Weber
Official Artist: Dean Morrissey
Special Guest: Bruce Coville
Featured Filker: Seanan McGuire

WisCon 32

Okay, I've registered, booked a room.  I'll get flights arranged in a bit.  Otherwise, I'm there, WisCon in May.  Who else is going?

WisCon 32: May 23-26, 2008
The Concourse Hotel in Madison, Wisconsin

http://www.wiscon.info/