Table of Contents

I. BECOMING A SFWRITER. 1. Success at Last! The Winnah! Accepting Your Hugo Award. Paying Your Debts Forward. The Golden Age of Science Fiction The Modern Publishing World Times Are Tough. But Wait, There's Hope Yet!. 2. First Steps on the Road. Reading-the Classics. Who Cares About That Written Stuff? I've Watched TV. Finding Your Niche. Writing-the Well-Told Yarn. SF's Modern Roots. Alive and Well in America. Cold-War Visions. SF in the Age of the Internet. Myths and Legends. The Myth of Talent. The Myth of Splendid Isolation. The Legend That Writing Is the Road to Fame and Fortune. The Legend of Inspiration. Myth: Writing Is Not One Activity, but Many. Your Cast of Characters. Writing as a Daily Activity. Off and Running. 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. High Fantasy. Traditional Fantasy. Dark Fantasy. Modern Urban Fantasy. 4. Fans and Conventions. Slide Rules and Spock Ears: The Fans. I'm Your Biggest Fan! Scratch a Fan, Find a Writer. Smile and Nod. Pros and Con(ventions). Writers and Cons. The Convention Continuum. 5. Writer's Workshops. Filling the Void Between Your Mom and Your Editor. Workshopping for Complete Idiots. A Jury of Your Peers. Constructive Criticism. How a Workshop Works. It's Your Workshop. Other Kinds of Workshops. II. SECRETS OF THE SCI-FI MASTERS. 6. Where Do You Get Your Ideas? Story Sparks. The Spark Supercollider. Playing with Ideas. The Truth About Inspiration. From Idea to Outline. Innovation in SF. Know Thy Subject. An Idea Library. A Mind-Expanding Reading List. 7. The Writing Project. Finding Time to Write Is Impossible. Daydreaming. Outlining. Different in Kind: Short Story and Novel Projects. Harnessing the Draft Horse. Limit Interruptions. No Editing. Am I Finished Yet? Setting the Goals. On Second Thoughts: Revision. How Do I Know If I'm Done? Know Your Weaknesses. The Phases of a Writing Project. Beginnings. The Scary Middles. The Finale. 8. The Short Story. We're Not in The New Yorker Anymore, Toto. Beginnings, Middles, and Endings. A Short-Story Cookbook. Why You Should(n't) Use a Recipe. The Seven-Point Plot. The Emotional Effects Approach. The Transformation Machine. The Fork. A Final Word. The Dreaded Rewrite. 9. The SF Novel. Not What-If but How-Then: How Novels Differ from Short Stories. A Total Immersion Experience. Multiple Characters, Multiple Plotlines. Worldbuilding. What a World Is. The "Backless Maiden." Backstory Is Not Story. The Value of Inconsistency. Creating Dramatic Milieus. The Story Makes the World. Novel Structure 101. The Arc of Dramatic Action. Outlining, the Fractal Way. Tips to Keep You Going. Don't Look Back. Take a Break. Finishing. 10. Science Friction: Struggles with the Subject. Do I Have to Be a Rocket Scientist? The Writer's Universe vs. the Scientist's. "The Core of Mars Is Made of Ice": B-Movie Science. Sources. A Vampire's Little Rulebook. Suspension of Disbelief. Internal and External Consistency. Sleight of Mind. Conventions: The Story's Framework. Making Your Ideas Accessible. Time-Honored Expositional Tricks. Dramatic Rhythm and Exposition. Science Is the Variable, Storytelling the Constant. Aether, N-Rays, and Cold Fusion. Timeless Values. 11. Character in SF. Barbarians and Women in Brass Bikinis. Beyond the Cliches. "It's Turtles All the Way Down." What We Take for Granted in Ordinary Fiction. We Take Nothing for Granted in SF. What Makes a "Good" SF Character? Creating Vivid Characters in Science Fiction and Fantasy. Strategies for Success. Whose Story Is It, Anyway? Competing Needs on Page One. A Lesson from James. Character-Building as Worldbuilding. Opportunities in Narrative Style. The Denizens of SF: A Survey. Hard SF: Engineers' Dreams. Space Opera. Fantasy: Where Character Rules Reality. III. PUBLISHING YOUR WORK. 12. Mechanics. Looking Like a Pro. A Word About Word Counts. Short Stories. Novels. Proof and Research. Choosing Your Market. 13. Submit! Cover It! Mail It! Electronic Submission. God, I Hate Waiting! You Hate Me! You Really, Really Hate Me! Not All Rejections Are Created Equal. Rejection Is the Best Medicine. To Rewrite or Not To Rewrite. 14. Short-Story Markets. The Bigs. Bigger Than the Bigs. Why Slicks? Why Not? Slicks and Stones. Small (Press) but Powerful. Staying Power. Street Cred. Canadians and Other Aliens. Contests and Anthologies. 15. Publishing Your Novel. The State of the Industry. What the Numbers Mean. Your Chances. Publishing Myths and Legends. The Legend of "Being Discovered." The Legend of the Lifelong Marriage. How Not to Approach a Publisher. The Splashy Entrance. Self-Publishing. Winning Strategies for Selling Your Novel. Trust the Slush. Submit a Query. Use an Agent. Build Credibility and a Name. Be Relentless. Where to Sell. 16. The Work-for-Hire Novel. Book Packagers and Media Tie-In Publishing. Work-for-Hire: It's Their Sandbox. Size of the Market. The Cuts of the Pie. Getting a Foot in the Door. Star Wars and Star Trek Novels. Tightly Controlled Empires. Speed Publishing. In the Realm of the Gamers. The Dilemma of Quick Publishing Credentials. Moving from Tie-Ins to Your Own Stories. Bringing Your Audience with You. Making a Living? Writing a Work-for-Hire Novel. The Contract. Punctuality Is a Virtue. Don't Get Too Involved. 17. Anatomy of a Sale. Coping with Rejection. Death, Taxes, and Rejection. Decoding Rejection. Editors Only Remember the Good Stuff. Sale! But Wait, There's a Catch. Time Dilation. When Good Magazines Vanish. Published at Last. Resale. The Vanishing Publication. Reprints. IV. MARKETING AND SELF-PROMOTION. 18. Self-Promotion 101. Strategy. Synergy. Seemliness. Promotion in Person. Readings and Signings. Timing. Venue. Promotion. Comportment. Conventions. Reading Groups and Other Appearances. 19. Advanced Self-Promotion. Printed Matter. Cards and Fliers. Chapbooks and Other Giveaways. Press Releases. Interviews and Reviews. Print Interviews. Reviews. Professional Promotion Publicists. Book Launches. 20. Using the Internet to Promote Yourself. www.Your-Name-Here.com. Contracting Out. Rolling Your Own Site. If You (Domain) Name It, They Will Come. What to Put on Your Site. Interactive Sites. Direct Sales. The Mighty Usenet. Newsgroups About Science Fiction. Netiquette. Mailing Lists. Getting Reviewed Online. 21. Awards. Blue Ribbons and Chrome Phalluses: The Major Awards. The Hugo. The Nebula. The World Fantasy Award. Foreigners and Special Interest Groups: Other Awards ... 236. How to Win an Award. How Not to Win an Award. Effective Awards Promotion. Going Whole-Hog. What Do You Do with an Award, Anyway? Accepting the Award. Promoting the Win. V. THE PROFESSIONAL WRITER. 22. Agents. The Agent Defined. Money Always Flows Toward You. The Lure: Better Contracts, More Money. Agents Don't Sell Short Fiction. Changing Role of the Agent. Your Best Ally. Do You Need an Agent? Honestly Assess Where You Are. Is This the Book to Sell? Agents vs. Book Doctors. Finding a Good Fit. Corporate Muscle or a Personal Relationship? Building a Relationship That Works. Acquiring an Agent. Do's and Don'ts of Landing an Agent. Agency Hunt Checklist. 23. E-Rights, E-Books, and the Future of SF Publishing. E-Books. What's an E-Book?. E-Book Publishers. On-Demand Publishing. The Horrid History of Book Printing. The Miracle of On-Demand. The Electronic Rights Battle. Redefining "In Print." All Rights, Forever. David 1, Goliath 0. Electronic Lending Rights Agencies. Protecting Yourself. Online Publishers: Try or Avoid? Buck Rogers on the Web. Instant Books. Pitfalls of Online Publishing. Editor? What Editor? The Merging of Online and Print. 24. Contracts. What's Copyright? Rights and Payments. Rights. Sums and Royalties. Earning Out. Administrivia. Timing. Corrections. Responsibilities. What You Owe. Liability. What They Owe. Breaking Up. Voluntary Separation. Reversion. Negotiating Contracts. Use an Agent! Sucker Contracts. Give and Take. 25. Taxes and the Writer. Congratulations! You're Self-Employed. Starting Out: The Hobbyist. Sole Proprietorship. Schedule C Is Your Friend. Trim Those Profits. Profits and Losses. Writer, Incorporated. Canadian Taxes. GST to You, Too! Getting Your Own GST Number. Types of Canadian Corporations. 26. Writer's Associations. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA). What SFWA Can Do for You. Beware the SFWA Auditor. Joining SFWA. The Horror Writers Association (HWA). A Grisly History. Furthering the Cause of Horror. Joining the HWA. SF Canada. Bootstrapping Canadian SF. Canadian SF Takes Off. Joining the Fray. Other Organizations. The Genre Writer's Association (GWA). Science Fiction Poetry Association (SFPA). Science Fiction Research Association (SFRA). Reproduction Rights Organizations. Getting the Most Out of Your Membership. APPENDIXES. A. Model Contracts B. Publisher Listing C. Agent Listing D. Online Resources E. Further Reading Index.

Promotional Information

If you love science fiction and would like to write some of your own, this book will give you practical advice. Describing the different types of science fiction and fantasy genres and subgenres, it explains everything from how putting your manuscript together to getting it picked up by a publisher, and suggests relevant resources to put you ahead of the pack.

About the Author

Cory Doctorow is an award-winning science fiction short story writer with more than 15 published stories. He also writes non-fiction and real science for Wired, Sci-Fi Entertainment, SciFi Universe and other publications. Doctorow was recently nominated for the Campbell Award for Best New Science Fiction Writer. Karl Schroeder teaches writing courses in science fiction and fantasy for George Brown College in Toronto. He has published several science fiction novels and has won Canada's top SF honor, the Aurora Award.