This Week in…
Whaaa? This Week in Publishing on a Thursday?
Tis true, tis true. Tomorrow I am off to Atlanta for the Atlanta Writer’s Conference, where I will be meeting with Georgia’s finest and hopefully find time to peruse their vaunted aquarium. And eat fried stuff.
So an abbreviated week in publishing:
Mark your calendars for May 20th, because Patricia Wood will be hosting a tribute to the one and only dearly departed Miss Snark, who gave me my christening as a blogger and promptly obliterated my Inbox with incoming queries.
Are you an aspiring author looking to build a network you will be able to draw upon in the future? Well, one great example of how to make it work is Chris Eldin (nee Church Lady), who this week is hosting an online party for Sandra Cormier. A great rule of thumb that she demonstrates: ask not what authors can do for you, but what you can do for authors.
In other publishing news, via Publishers Lunch, HarperCollins CEO Jane Friedman reported that the children’s market is “on fire,” with sales up 50%, although she noted that Zondervan has been under pressure lately due to changes and diminishing sales in the CBA.
And finally, the New York Times discovered Steampunk! Yes, a mere 18 years after William Gibson and Bruce Sterling’s THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE, the New York Times chronicles that there are some people who like to read about science fiction set in the past and admire retro sci fi. You wacky steampunks! I guess this means the Times should be all over blogging literary agents by 2025.
Have a great weekend!
David says
I suppose this means that steampunk is really, really dead.
Adaora A. says
Was going to say…TWIP on a Thrusday!
YAY Children’s market! We’re taking over the world.
Have a great time in Atlanta Nathan! Eat many deep fried mars bars.!’ Trust me they’re delicious.
Anonymous says
At some point would you publish a list of the Writer’s Conferences you will attend this year? Your public wants to know where to see you in person…
Nathan Bransford says
anon-
Yeah, that’s something I always mean to do but never get around to. So far I’ll be at RWA and the East of Eden Conference; I’m still scheduling the rest of the year.
Adaora A. says
Are there ever going to be conferences in Canada that you might attend? Toronto, Canada perchance? The broke student living in the area wants to know.
Gabrielle says
In the NYT Book Review last week, I saw a book was reviewed as “A genre book… but better than most.”
Gee. Next time I’m angry at someone, I know to scream, “YOU GENRE WRITER YOU!”
The NYT is so adorably snobbish,
Chumplet says
Oh, thank you for mentioning Chris’s contest, and have a great trip!
Chris is great, isn’t she? I can’t imagine where she finds time to sleep.
–Sandra Cormier
ChrisEldin says
Yowza!!! Thanks for the shout-out!!!
It’s been an incredible week of authors: Charles Gramlich, Holly Kennedy, Dan Tomasulo, Sandra Cormier, and coming up Stacia Kane.
I’m just in awe these authors have supported this idea!! They’re so funny and so gracious, I can’t say enough positive things about them!
Thanks again, Nathan!!!!!!!
🙂
ORION says
Aloha and thanks! I am totally ready and counting down the days until May 20.
We will…We will… SNARK YOU!!
ORION says
Hey Nathan you should consider the Maui Writers Conference held on Oahu this year…just saying…Martinis on ORION shaken not stirred…
superwench83 says
So that’s what steampunk is? Holy cow, have I been missing out! Sci-fi set in the past? That’s so freakin’ awesome. Quick, somebody please give me a few titles to check out.
Kim Kasch says
I so miss the ever informative Miss Snark. Without her, we wannabe writers are surely lost. I have searched high and low for a clue gun but I haven’t been able to find one at my local craft store. Alas I cannot wait until the tribute is paid. Adieu until the 20th.
My avatar pays homage.
Lauren says
See you at the conference, Nathan! I hope the Atlanta airport is kind to you. If walking across it seems analogous to walking across the state of Rhode Island, just keep in mind that you’ve got a meet-and-greet at a fantastic historic inn to look forward to. I’ll be the chick getting carded for her bourbon. Cheers!
Kalynne Pudner says
Ah, but you don’t need to walk across the Rhode Island-sized Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. You can take the subway from the gate to the terminal. Or the moving sidewalk.
And please don’t waste your time on the fried stuff, Nathan. Atlanta has some seriously awesome restaurants. Not the Stinking Rose, but close. Try Bonz.
Simon Haynes says
For regular insights into what the ‘real’ press thinks of SF, look no further than Dave Langford’s ‘Ansible’ (He’s been publishing it monthly since 1979)
‘How others see us’ and ‘Thog’s Masterclass’ are a real source of amusement.
Simon Haynes says
“Quick, somebody please give me a few titles to check out.”
Court of the Air by Stephen Hunt, for one.
JES says
The Difference Engine: yeah. And while it wasn’t a book, right around the same time — a couple years later — the first “Myst” game. They didn’t bill it as steampunk, but the first time I heard that term (a latecomer myself) I thought immediately of “Myst.”
cslarsen says
Have fun in atlanta – We have our annual SCBWI conference in Minnesota this October – don’t hesitate to stop by. Don’t worry, it shouldn’t be snowing… much.
Just_Me says
Nathan!
You’re killing me! I’m not going to Georgia until next month and you’re there now? I could cry.
David: Don’t kill steamounk! It’s fun stuff.
I love all the ‘punk genres because they really are different. And you’re less likely to get the classic sci-fi or fantasy cliches. I don’t know what I’ll do now that the NYT knows about the deep dark secret of *gasp* genre writing. Maybe if I bribe them with an interview from Harper Lee they’ll go away and leave the “genres” unsullied?
Crystal Jordan says
Have fun in Georgia! I went to the Aquarium a few years ago while at a romance writers conference and loved the whale sharks and beluga whales. Enjoy!
Mark Terry says
Last time I was in Atlanta I did the CNN tour. Very cool in a news-geeky sort of way.
John C. says
OMG. The AWC is happening like 4 miles down the road from my house and I didn’t even know about it.
Urgh.
Ofc I see that this is the first conference they’ve held. Dagnabit.
La Gringa says
OH! While in Atlanta, try to seek out Fat Matt’s Barbeque. AWESOME STUFF!
superwench83 says
Thanks, Simon! A friend of mine is a big fan of yours. He’ll be so jealous that you replied to my comment!
HipWriterMama says
The news about the children’s book market is encouraging. Have fun in Atlanta!
Tanja says
How about the BEA COnf. in L.A. end of may? We’re just a hop and a skip away…who knows you might even have a Justin Bobby sighting!
Laurel says
Lovely to meet you last night. If I move to SF I will indeed ask you to help me carry boxes into my new pad.
xoLaurel
https://lauarelsnyder.com
John C. says
Laurel, your URL has one too many a’s in it.
And I remember meeting you and your charming agent, Tina. I was the tall guy asking about your pub date.
Cool website, BTW. I like the art.
Wanda B. Ontheshelves says
I can’t help it, when I see the word “steampunk” I automatically think of the word “chipmunk.”
I also realize “retro sci fi” is a phrase one might consider throwing into a query letter, as in “with the retro sci fi touches of ______.”
Also, I don’t see what is so “punk” about “steampunk.” I’ve seen DIY craft items that could qualify as “stewartpunk” (as in Martha), cheerleader punk, etc – nothing in the NYT article struck me as terribly punk-like. No doubt I am missing something.
Adaora A. says
……….James Frey’s BRIGHT SHINY MORNING comes out tommorrow.
NYT is calling it “pretty damn good.” They say, “he got a second chance and hit it out of the park.”
Guess there is no such thing as bad publicity eh?
Just_Me says
Someone was looking for steampunk titles…. Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series is borderline steampunk. It’s usually listed as fantasy or comic fantasy but it has the magic combined with modern technology, just… in a fantasy setting.
It’s a fun series though 🙂 His first few books are rough, worth reading just to see a great author develop but if you want to skip to Gaurds, Gaurds you’ll be fine.
Heather says
ping-back:
[…]Nathan Bransford in This Week In Publishing—picked up the NY Times article about the steampunk subculture[…]