The trouble with used book sales

The following post is mostly quoted from a position paper published by Novelists, Inc. (NINC). The subject is one that worries a lot of us, and in my opinion, NINC has come up with a significant and well-informed position on the matter. It satisfies both my worry that my used book sales do nothing to help my publisher or me, and my guilt over the fact that I, too, buy used books, especially the very expensive reference books all writers have shelves and shelves of!

So here are a some of the most cogent passages. Many thanks to NINC and to the SFWA Forum for making this available:

"Novelists, Inc. (NINC) is a non-profit organization of professional published authors dedicated to advancing the interests of working writers. Used book sales, particularly sales of used books through the Internet, have a significant negative effect on the income of publishers, and, therefore, authors, as there is no remuneration to them for any sales of used books. This document is intended to focus attention on NINC's position that the copyright clause of the Constitution of the United States stands for the principle that authors and publishers have the right to share in the profits that others make from the sale of their work. Currently, authors and publishers do no share in the profits made through the sale of used books, a multi-billion dollar enterprise."

"In 2005, in an effort to understand the used-book industry and its scope, the Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG) hired a consulting firm to conduct an in-depth study of used-book sales and the used-book industry in the United States. The study indicated that the negative effect of used-book sales on the book publishing industry is growing rapidly and bears serious consideration."

"NINC holds a firm position in favor of Federal legislation to combat the potentially damaging effect of used book sales on the current and future health of the publishing industry. Such legislation would be grounded in the intent of the language of Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 of the Constitution of the United States, which states that:'

The Congress shall have Power . . . To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.'"

In short, NINC proposes that a percentage of fees be paid ("Secondary Sale" fees) upon the reselling of any book within two years of its original publication date. A percentage of these fees would then transfer to authors.

Make no mistake, this is a serious issue. New contracts for authors are routinely, these days, being negotiated on past sales. And those past sales are NEW book sales. All those used books that crop up on Amazon before the new book is even available cost their authors money. I like NINC's proposal, because it doesn't ban the selling of used books, or even scold those of us who buy them, but make provisions for the publishers and authors to be compensated. For some writers, such a provision could be career-changing. And for readers, it means the variety of books available to them will be protected. Such a move would go a long way toward offsetting the best-seller, big box store mentality that assails publishing in this decade. I hope it works out.

The art of book promotion

Poor Ann Coulter. Did no one explain to HER that she has to promote her book?

Her newest hatefest, IF DEMOCRATS HAD ANY BRAINS, is tanking. Her last book spent twelve weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, but this one only lasted four. Her last book sold 223,000 copies in its first month out, and this one only 97,000.

Now all of us out here in genre-land know that you have to blog, you have to print up bookmarks, you have to do appearances, you have to work the system. Reviews don't help, Ann. (Well, in your case, they really don't help, since they're ghastly.) You have to work at this, not just write two hundred pages of tripe and expect it to sell!

Toby Bishop understands all this. The androgenous writer of AIRS BENEATH THE MOON is celebrating the appearance of the second book in the trilogy, AIRS AND GRACES, which is released this very day, December 18th. Toby's smart, and has sent e-mails to all and sundry, refreshed the website (http://www.tobybishop.net/, if you want to know). Or eager readers can visit http://www.amazon.com/Airs-Graces-Toby-Bishop/dp/0441015565/ref=sr_1_1/002-7963065-4204831?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1187052410&sr=8-1 Toby doesn't expect great reviews alone to sell books.

Of course, Toby doesn't go around in an assortment of inappropriately skimpy little black dresses, either. Maybe that's how Coulter went wrong?

The stuff of science fiction

It's hard to write sf that's wild enough to compete with the truth these days. Here's a quote from the IPCC in Bali that will give you the chills:

"Dec. 12, 2007 How dire is the climate situation? Consider what Rajendra Pachauri, the head of the United Nations' prestigious Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said last month: "If there's no action before 2012, that's too late. What we do in the next two to three years will determine our future. This is the defining moment." Pachauri has the distinction, or misfortune, of being both an engineer and an economist, two professions not known for overheated rhetoric."

We've all read doomed planet scenarios, of course. But have we read the ones in which ultraconservative politicians and mentally lazy consumers deny the evidence laid out for them?

According to Technorati.com: ". . . as of Dec. 11, the synthesis report had some 265 blog reactions, where the Aug. 24 YouTube video of Miss Teen South Carolina struggling to explain why a fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a world map had more than 5,300 blog reactions."

The whole article is here: http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/12/12/ipcc_report/ And it ends this way: "Or perhaps we could videotape Miss Teen South Carolina trying to explain why Americans still refuse to take serious national action on climate change. "

I suppose exploring this wouldn't make as exciting a story as, say, the planet blowing up and shooting bits of itself all over the 'verse, but it would be real science. I'm just not sure I have the internal fortitude to take it on.

Earth that was

I felt a little spurt of hope for the planet when I read an introduction to The Presidential Climate Action Project. Sixty leading scientists, including a former NASA director, have compiled a 100-day plan to reverse global warming, to be implemented in 2009. It appears to be a real, considered response to the urgency of climate change, and its members assert that it's nonpartisan, to be put in the hands of whoever our new leader may be.

I had that old Star Trek feeling--you know, the one where Earth actually survives, where humans work together to solve problems, and have the wherewithal to explore new frontiers, where no one has gone before?

For example:

Government's Atmospheric Trust Responsibility

An Essay by Mary Christina Wood

In this essay, Professor Wood presents a framework for holding government at all levels responsible for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. She draws upon the Target for U.S. Emissions Reductions recently released by scientists to contend that government has a duty to cap emissions by 2010, reduce emissions by 4% annually thereafter, and ultimately bring emissions down to at least 80% below 2000 levels by 2050. As she explains, there can be no "orphan shares" in meeting this planetary carbon liability. She explains that government has the tools to accomplish this, and as a sovereign trustee of our atmosphere, has the obligation to do so.

And here's the site:http://www.climateactionproject.com/

Please, no one burst my bubble. It feels so good to have this optimistic moment. I love FIREFLY, but the idea of a vanished Earth is just too sad.

More on research as timesuck

I confess, I haven't gotten as much done as I might have these past two days, because not only did my own research lead me off on tangents, but links from other people distracted me even more. But who knows? These things might turn into stories some day.

So one last link, because Derek Lee Ragin was, when I was singing Bach and Pergolesi and Handel, the reigning countertenor of the day. His voice, combined with a female soprano's, created the lovely soundtrack for the film FARINELLI. (If you haven't seen it, rent it! It's beautiful.)

Here's Derek, with my comments: the tempo is a bit too fast, because even though his coloratura (very fast notes) is remarkable, he's struggling to get all the notes into the time framework, which means a slightly slower tempo could have made the whole piece easier to listen to (and to watch.) I love the fact that there's video, because it gives the listener a chance to observe his technique, and not guess at it. If you're interested in the fine points, his steady stance and relaxed jaw are essential to the breath support, which comes from below the rib cage. The movement in his jaw and mouth are because of the quick coloratura, because the singer has to constantly release any tension so as not to obstruct the flow of sound.

And do observe these marvelous violinists! These musicians are hardly glamor girls, but wow--can they play. Wonderful baroque precision and phrasing. This is almost a duet between the principal violinist and the singer.

And also notice, if you're one of those who likes to write about classical music, how the orchestra applauds: they lightly click their bows on their music stands. Such a cool detail to use someday, isn't it?

Too much information? Just watch, and enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfNAGm0bjL4

Eight books for Christmas

This is a newsletter I sent to my readers' list, so a few of you might have already read it. You may disregard, in that case. But remember, when you can, to patronize your local independent bookstore!

Hi, friends:I'm writing this on the day after Thanksgiving, called Black Friday by retailers. The traditional explanation for the name is that this is the shopping day that puts retailers in the black. Here's a different take: according to http://thecitydesk.net/ there was a Lawrence Black who was a famous salesman for Osberger's Department Store, which is now Macy's. He always wore a black suit, and was respected by everyone in the trade. When he died late in November in 1964, clerks all around the city wore black as a tribute to him. The next year, on the day after Thanksgiving, they wore black to remember him, and thus the tradition began.Black Friday always means it's time to think about Christmas gifts.

I hope you'll think about books, for young and old alike. I had the great good fortune to attend a science fiction conference in Nantes, France this year, and through that event and others I've found some new writers (to me) and won new respect for writers I already know well. So here's a short list of books I recommend, with tags for the readers I think will most appreciate them. I had three books of my own come out this year--including one reprint--and those are here, too.

And please, when you can, order from your local independent bookstore! It's not always possible, of course, not even for me. But it would be nice to do all we can to stop our independents from disappearing.

Here's my Black Friday list, in no particular order:

Miracle and Other Christmas Stories, Connie Willis: charming, funny, and moving holiday stories for adults and young adults of all interests. Not a new book, but one I bring out every year to enjoy again.

Bright of the Sky, Kay Kenyon: big, colorful space opera with a great hero and a fantastic new universe. This book has that Kenyon edge, and is a great read for lovers of really good science fiction. Got a starred Publishers Weekly review, too!

Singer in the Snow, the paperback version. It makes a good gift for young adult readers in this affordable format. And by the way, the original trilogy of The Singers of Nevya is due to be reprinted in 2009! I'm thrilled about that, and I'll let you know. (I'd also love to know if you think an omnibus or three separate books would be best.)

Old Man's War, by John Scalzi, is an entertaining piece of military science fiction. I don't usually read much in that genre, but I enjoyed this, and it made a great birthday gift for my brother-in-law who is a veteran. He liked it a lot.Last Summer of the Apocalypse, by James Van Pelt. Fabulous novel, which is getting a lot of critical attention--a coup for the small press (Fairwood) which published it. A refreshing character-driven take on the post-apocalyptic genre.

Absalom's Mother & Other Stories, which Fairwood also published. This is a collection of my short stories, everything from time travel science fiction to musical fantasy. Most have been published before, but there are two new ones. I think these are best for adults, although young adults who read at a high level will also enjoy them.

The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls. This is NOT science fiction. In fact, it's all true, a memoir, one of the most compelling reads I've ever picked up. I just have to pass it along. I think it's an outstanding choice for women readers on your gift list. I loved it, my mom loved it, and my sisters loved it.

Last but not (I hope) least, Airs and Graces, the second book in The Horsemistress Saga, by Toby Bishop. Toby is me, of course. Airs and Graces should be suitable for adults or older young adults (there's a bit of offstage sexual inference--my teenage students thought that any concern about that was pretty funny, but just so you know!)

I wish you peace and joy through this whole season. I hope you'll let me know if you enjoyed some of these special books!

Louise

The crap we put out

There's a principle in fiction, ably outlined by Don Maass in his book WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL, which states that when things are going badly for your characters, make them worse. I doubt anyone follows this rule more closely than Stephen King, and though I don't read much horror, there are some of his pieces, CARRIE in particular, which I admire. But honestly . . . the movie based on his novella THE MIST takes the rule much too far. To quote my mentor, another writer I admire deeply: Greg Bear said once, when I was his student at Clarion West, that "we have to take responsibility for the crap we put out." Director Frank Darabont has a lot of crap to answer for.

Here's what happened: Beloved husband and I went to the theater to see ELIZABETH, which had unaccountably already departed. Because it was beloved husband with me, I agreed to see the only other film that even came close to being interesting, and it was THE MIST. Blech. Dreck. Intriguing only because of what it did wrong.

Now, this is just opinion, and it comes from someone who thought that THE KITE RUNNER's plot was unfailingly bleak and nearly sadistic. I tell you that to give you perspective. But after Darabont took the essence of King's novella and blew the fun right out of it, he decided--on what authority I can't imagine--to change the ending. Okay, in case you just have to see the 2007 version of a 1950's creature feature, I won't tell you how he changed it. Suffice it to say that as we walked out of the theater people were either 1)laughing (that was us) 2)snarling at what a bad movie it is, or 3)shaking their heads in confusion.

Principles are fine, but judgment is good, too. We writers can go too far.

Beowulf and the Lord of the Rings

Gary Kamiya, in a lengthy article on Salon.com, (see http://www.salon.com/) writes a scathing review of the new film Beowulf, while at the same time illuminating the meaning of this old, old poem (probably written around the year 1000 A.D.,looking back on a story already five hundred years old.) He quotes from an essay by Tolkien, who dismisses the pedantic sophistry of critics of the epic poem:

"Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics," published in 1936, marked a turning point in critical studies of the poem. Before Tolkien's essay, most scholars regarded the unknown poet's use of supernatural elements -- the monster Grendel, his equally monstrous mother, and the dragon -- as primitive or childish. Arguing that these "trivial" themes failed to do justice to the poem's exquisite language, they saw "Beowulf" as being primarily of historical, not artistic, interest. As the scholar W.P. Ker wrote in 1904, "The thing itself is cheap; the moral and the spirit of it can only be matched among the noblest authors."

Tolkien overturned these assumptions. He argued that the poem should be read as a poem, and recognized as a great one. The fantastic elements in "Beowulf," far from being faintly embarrassing, were inseparable from its majestic artistry. In a famous allegory, Tolkien compared the author of "Beowulf" to a man who, inheriting a field full of ancient stones, used them to build a tower. His friends, recognizing that the stones had belonged to a more ancient building, tore down the tower "in order to look for hidden carvings and inscriptions." What they did not realize, Tolkien ends, was that "from the top of that tower the man had been able to look out upon the sea."

Tolkien's point is that the fantastic elements in "Beowulf" are ancient archetypes that have deep roots in human beliefs, fears and wishes -- myths, in other words. And in "Beowulf," he argues, these myths are an essential part of a tragic tale whose theme is "man at war with the hostile world, and his inevitable overthrow in Time." The greatness of Beowulf derives from the fact that it is a poem created in "a pregnant moment of poise": It is balanced between a Christian worldview, in which death and defeat are ultimately themselves defeated by Christ, and a Germanic, pagan one, in which fate rules all and man's courage alone confers nobility. It is, Tolkien writes, not a primitive poem, but a late one. The pagan world is already past, but the poet still celebrates its vanished power. The fact that a poem written more than a thousand years ago was itself looking back at a lost world gives the poem an uncanny double resonance to the modern reader: "If the funeral of Beowulf moved once like the echo of an ancient dirge, far-off and hopeless, it is to us as a memory brought over the hills, an echo of an echo."

Tolkien's brilliant essay can be seen as a ringing defense not just of "Beowulf," but of the work he was soon to embark on, another great tower composed of ancient stones. And the themes of lateness, of heroic loss, being caught between one age and another (his world is not called "Middle-earth" for nothing), are the deepest and most sublime parts of his own epic: They are the haunted metaphysical atmosphere through which his characters -- men, elves and hobbits alike -- must make their way. The coming disappearance of the elves, the hard dawning of the age of men, represent a disenchantment of the world identical to the disenchantment Tolkien found so unbearably moving in "Beowulf."

By introducing this dark note, Tolkien gave artistic expression to the doubts that he himself may have felt about the myth he had created -- and so transcended them."

As a genre reader and writer, I found this particularly cogent. Kamiya compares the Hollywood cartoonish representation of Beowulf with Peter Jackson's deeply respectful version of Lord of the Rings in a way that makes sense to me. It's no accident that the images and ideas of Tolkien have so permeated modern life, even harkening back, as they do, to an earlier time. It's worth reading the whole article.

Second matron lit book report

I'm thinking this genre just isn't for me, except for my friend Catherine's wonderful story. I've just tried to read THE LADIES OF COVINGTON SEND THEIR LOVE, as part of my commitment to you, the readers--so you don't have to.

There were a few moments in this book when I thought, okay, I see the charm. But they just didn't last. In yet another example of why Louise Marley does NOT have her finger on the public pulse, I found the writing sophomoric, the story obvious and unsubtle, and the characters labored.

You need to know, though, that the book was successful enough to spawn a series, so clearly not all readers suffered my reaction. Call it boomer lit, granny lit, or Catherine's wonderful moniker elder chick lit--I'm two titles down the list now, and I'm still not getting it. (In case you missed the earlier post about this new genre, the article that inspired my search is here: http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0202/p14s01-legn.html

On the other hand, on my recent trip I finally got to read Connie Willis' TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG. It made me lament once again the assertions of so many readers that they "never read science fiction." Connie's fabulous novel succeeds on every level: sophisticated prose, terrific character development, exquisite historical detail, laugh-out-loud humor, and an outstanding illumination of a scientific principle, in this case, chaos theory. It's simply tragic that Connie isn't sitting in the mainstream section with Gregory Maguire, Audrey Niffenegger, and yes, even Margaret Atwood. The reading public is missing some remarkable literature.

IMHO. Ahem.

PW Best Books of the Year

I knew Kay Kenyon was on to something when my twenty-something son couldn't put her new book down. And now, stunningly, Publishers Weekly has named BRIGHT OF THE SKY to its Best Books of the year list! This is huge. There are only seven sf novels on the list.

PW reviewed over 6,000 books this past year (did you know three thousand books are published daily in this country? Brrrrr.) Out of those 6,000 PW choose 150 (no, I'm not missing a zero) and Kay's wonderful romp of a book, with its drop-dead gorgeous Stephan Martiniere cover, is on that short list!

If you'd like to see the whole thing, in preparation for your Christmas shopping (!!!!!) here's the link: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6496987.html

And by the way, Stephan's work is quite well-known in France, I learned. Deservedly so. Kudos to Lou Anders at Pyr Books for this achievement, and for recognizing excellence when they see it.

Plus ca change . . . sf in Europe

In discussions with the French editors and publishers at Les Utopiales, Richard Paul Russo, Greg Keyes, and I learned over a VERY late dinner that the same issues that challenge science fiction publishing in the States are nagging at the genre in France. The biggest difference is that their 7% slice of the market (ours is 7% also in the U.S.) is 7% of a considerably smaller pie. Science fiction and fantasy writers in France don't make a living. Period.

It was the one question we were all asked: "Do you make a living by writing?" Of course, the answer varied for all of us, but I think we could all more or less say yes--some more definitively than others! (See my brave smile when I say that.)

I would have thought, seeing this conference with its thousands of attendees, that the situation was different in France, but no. And in Italy, evidently (this is all anecdotal, except for my tours of several bookstores in Milan) the situation is even tougher.

So what's selling best in France? Not bookstop fantasies, apparently, but space opera! That at least seems to be a slightly different trend than in the U.S.

I felt such a nice connection to all of these people, publishers, editors, and writers alike. We're rowing the same boat. The great thing is, we all like the boat just fine.

Les Utopiales

I'm back. Sigh.

This conference was impressive in every way. Organization, the fan base, the contributors, the editors and translators who were there, and the fact that an entire conference devoted to addressing global climate change was--wait for it--UNDERWRITTEN BY THE GOVERNMENT. Not ours, of course. France's.

I met some marvelous new fans for THE GLASS HARMONICA, in Thibo's translation.

And I met a pack of young editors who are both smart (speak very good English) and chic (always a winner for me.) I swear, if they'll have me back, I'll triple the amount of French I speak! Most of my reasonable conversations were with cab drivers and waiters.

Many thanks to my French-speaking buddy, Catherine Whitehead, for keeping me company. And it was lovely to spend time with new friends John Scalzi, the amazing Jim and Cathy Morrow, the charming Greg Benford (who you may know is a reasonably intelligent man) :-) and of course, my good friend Richard Paul Russo. I know I'm forgetting someone, but my head is still full of all the information I picked up on my whirlwind research trip to Milan and La Scala.

I had over three hundred e-mails to deal with when I got home. Mostly spam and politics, of course. If you e-mailed me and I haven't answered yet, hang on!

Diversity in speculative fiction

Seattle writer and literary critic Nisi Shawl has written an interesting article about some new works of speculative fiction that span the compass from the medieval period to the future, with a focus on diversity: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2003973129_scifi28.html

I used my Native American icon because I AM Indian, enough to be on the tribal rolls (with all the dubious benefits adhering thereto) if I could prove my heritage. It's interesting that now I and all my family are eager to be known as Native American, when our great-great-grandparents were at pains to hide it. When some of my family tried to trace our lineage, the trail dried up before we reached its source. We have only our family memories and stories by which to identify ourselves.

That's a sort of non sequitur. Nisi's article is brief, but makes interesting reading. Nisi's one of the driving forces behind the Carl Brandon Society, an organization to promote and support speculative fiction writers of color. http://www.carlbrandon.org/ I'm glad to say that, despite my pale appearance, they let me join. They, at least, took my word for it.

First matron lit book report

By popular request--well, fairly popular--herewith follows my first report on this new genre, matron lit, also known as boomer lit, granny lit, or elder chicklit. I took my reading list right from this article: http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0202/p14s01-legn.html

I slogged through most of Larry McMurtry's book LOOP GROUP. I don't understand why this writer has the reputation of creating good female characters. I found the book lifeless, despite a more or less endless series of outrageous events. The older women characters are bawdy, yet somehow without humor, and utterly without an inner landscape I could relate to, and which I think of as the essence of women's fiction. Every female character was as randy as some creature out of a Playboy cartoon, but still the book lacked any real sensuality. At the end, I was left with a sense of ennui that was exaggerated by a bad taste in my mouth.

Gee, can you guess I didn't like the book? On my recent trip to New York, my editor at Ace gave me a book to read on the train, and that one I couldn't put down until it was finished. It wasn't matron lit, because the characters were younger, but it was clearly women's fiction, and it was lively and funny and telling. The book is THROUGH THICK AND THIN, by a fairly new writer named Alison Pace, a quick read, but a book that has something to say about women in contemporary America.

Okay, on to the next! And I'd be interested to hear if someone feels differently about LOOP GROUP.

A Nobel Prize for Doris Lessing

You may already know that Doris Lessing, who wrote the odd science fiction novel THE MAKING OF A REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE EIGHTH PLANET, has just received the Nobel Prize. She's such an interesting writer! Born in Iran in 1919, she has a bibliography that is as varied as it is long. Check her out on Wikipedia.

Eighty-eight. A Nobel Prize. Still writing! Wow.

We should order up one of those for our own wonderful Carol Emshwiller. If you haven't read THE MOUNT, you really, really should.

A farewell to books

In keeping with my new venture, distance-teaching for the excellent Long Ridge Writers Group, I've undertaken a complete renovation of my study. This means cutting the accumulated stuff at least by half.

Ack! Books everywhere! Under things, on things, in the shelves, doubled in the shelves . . . and it's so hard to decide which should stay and which should go.How can I part with my copy of HALFWAY HUMAN, for example? I love that book, tattered paperback that it is. And how can I keep going on my task when SMOKY, THE STORY OF A HORSE, suddenly is in my hand? My dad gave me that book, and I must have read it a dozen times at least when I was a kid. It's my favorite book of all time. And the Edward Eager books surfaced, along with a copy of SILMARILLION that I bought and simply couldn't read . . . but maybe one day I'll be smarter.

Then there are my friends' books, my book club's books, the books I hope I'll find young adult readers for . . . I don't even want to think how much money I've spent on all of these, or how much time I've passed reading them. The numbers stun me.

Library sale, here I come. But I may have trouble letting these treasures pass out of my hands.

On the loose in New York

On the loose in New York

Of course, there are thousands of writers in New York, but on Tuesday that was thousands plus one little Pacific Northwest girl, all on her own. What a blast! And how amazingly productive twenty-four hours can be.

First, the wonderful Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman hopped a subway to come and meet me for dinner at a really cool Greek place--not fancy, great food, and of course perfectly lovely conversation.

Second, the writer of MARRYING MOZART, ebullient and friendly Stephanie Cowell, also hopped a subway to meet me for coffee Tuesday morning. We share a fascination with Mozart, and of course we both write about him. Stephanie knows a LOT about this composer, and she is also, like yours truly, a retired singer. We discovered we have a lot in common. Then, like a true New Yorker, she walked with me all the way to West 35th, for my lunch with my agent.

Lunch was wonderful, at a restaurant called Uncle Jack's. Sounds like a steak place, doesn't it? But it's very white-table-cloth and extra waiters. Had lobster bisque and sashimi tuna. Oh, and an encouraging talk about what's to come next in the career of la Marley.

I delivered some page proofs to Ace, and had a nice, quiet meeting with my editor, and then a struggle to get a taxi back uptown. Okay, this was interesting: cab drivers go off shift at 5:00 p.m. I was on Hudson Street, quite far downtown. Four different cabs stopped for me, but when they found out I needed to go back to my hotel on W. 51st, they turned me down! Apparently they thought the ride would keep them working past their shift change! Gee. I guess they don't need the work that much.

But, ultimately, a cabbie carried me back to my hotel for my bags, and then another one got me close to Grand Central, but not all the way. The UN is meeting! New York was hopping busy, cops everywhere. So I schlepped two suitcases and my briefcase up the sidewalk, downstairs into Grand Central, across that stupendous marble lobby, often with help from kindly gentlemen taking pity on a lost-looking refugee from the rainforest. Perspiring and not a little doubtful, I made it on to my train for Connecticut--more help from kind strangers--and here I am. Yes, I know I should travel light, but I needed a whole bunch of stuff for this trip!

The Long Ridge Writers Group orientation begins tonight, and I have some work to do. Thank goodness I have a day to rest!

Freelancing again

I turned it in. AIRS OF NIGHT AND SEA is now in someone else's hands. I feel relieved, sad, and hopeful.

Since my first novel came out in 1995, I've only NOT been under contract for a very few months! But with my new project, I'd like to write it before selling it. This feels a bit odd, after such a long time knowing exactly what I'm going to do next and who is going to publish it. When one door closes, they say . . . I hope.

Watch this space!

Horsemistress images

This is Allen Douglas's beautiful painting for Airs and Graces. Lovely girl, beautifully realized horse.

This is by artist Kevin Radthorne, just having fun with my characters. Darker, edgier, just really different. Such fun to see a different take!

Buried Treasures

The leading light of small press editors, Lou Anders ( http://www.louanders.com ) sent me this link to a lengthy article, "Buried Treasures", by Peter Heck, published in Asimov's. http://www.asimovs.com/_issue_0710/onbooks.shtml

If you're interested in the state of publishing, and the whys and wherefores of small press, this exhaustive article will illuminate you.

Here's the gist. Peter writes: "Whether you call it evolution or devolution, SF publishing has changed rather radically from what it was, say, a decade ago. Most of the changes have been negative in terms of accessibility to potential readers and income to writers. However, perhaps there will turn out to be a small improvement or two in terms of literary freedom as the center of gravity, to coin an entirely paradoxical metaphor, moves to the fringes.

For, among other things, more of the most interesting fiction in the extended genre than not seems to be found, at least by those able to find it, in the lists of the so-called small presses, and in the list of a publisher like Pyr, which seems to straddle, or perhaps in the end will erase, the distinction between such lists and the so-called major SF lines."

He goes on to explain quite fluently what's happening with major publishers (like my own) that's making it hard for writers to write what's dear to their hearts, and forcing those who are driven to do it anyway to choose small presses to publish their work. There are wonderful things about small presses, as I learned in publishing ABSALOM'S MOTHER AND OTHER STORIES with the fine small publisher Fairwood Press. The chief advantage is artistic freedom. The downside is limited distribution.

There's a lot to be learned by Peter's detailed analysis of five small-press books and why they deserved, and indeed, needed to be published, but why they didn't fit the commercial mold of large presses. Pyr's SAGRAMANDA (Alan Dean Foster) is one of the books he writes about, and which now I have to run right out and buy.

If you love the genre, this article is worth ten minutes of your time. But you may have to go straight to Amazon.com and do some shopping.

Extraordinary Knowing

Thanks to rdeck I took this amazing book, EXTRAORDINARY KNOWING out of the public library. Like so many speculative fiction readers, I've been fascinated with the topic since childhood, and it's remarkable to read an account by a serious scientist of events unexplainable by conventional science. Elizabeth Mayer was a Ph.D. psychologist who had an experience she couldn't understand, and in true scientific fashion, set out on a journey to try to sort it out.

Non-sf people turn up their noses at all our books and stories about psi, which as far as I know is our own word for psychic phenomena. I explored the topic thoroughly in both my Nevya books and in THE GLASS HARMONICA. But as I read this book, I'm convinced there are many, many people who have had or who believe such experiences, but they're afraid of admitting them because they're afraid of being ridiculed or losing their credibility. I wish I'd known of Dr. Mayer's work when I was writing "Gathering Genius".

I've always said, about my own psychic experiences and those of my friends and family, that they can't be repeated in a lab because there's an emotional component. Dr. Mayer supports that same thesis in this remarkable book, from a rigorously scientific perspective. I think all of us sf/f folks should feel vindicated!

Riposa in pace, Maestro

The most glorious voice of the twentieth century left us last night. Luciano Pavarotti served as a role model artistically and technically for all of my musical life.

If you're interested in such things, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VATmgtmR5o4&mode=related&search= and observe the relaxed diction, the steady flow of breath which nothing--not even a damned consonant--is allowed to disturb, the forward placement of this great instrument, the erect posture of the singer, and the absolute dedication to the music and the text.There, your voice lesson for the day.

He was the greatest, truly a master. I'll miss him. I'm so grateful we have the legacy of these wonderful recordings.

Wrapping it up

(Exquisite artwork by Allen Douglas)

I'm late. The book (AIRS OF NIGHT AND SEA) was due July 1st. It's now done, and I'm two chapters away from the final revisions, and yet . . .

It's legendary among writers that we hate to come to the end of a story. We hate saying goodby to our beloved characters, to the world we've inhabited for however much time--three years, in this case--and we hate letting all of that go out of our hands into far less sympathetic ones! So, although I wrote like a demon (for me, anyway) and have apologized to my editor for being late,and have promised to have it in her hands by next week . . . still. I keep putting off that last look, that final touch.

Come on, Marley. (Well, Bishop.) Finish it. Send it. Move on.

Plotfinding

Some writers are great at plot; me, I'm better at characters. But, just as several of us discussed at Armadillocon not long ago, the Current Events of today give us a plethora of plot material.

For example, at this URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/21/AR2007082101662_pf.html You can read all about the White House manual for handling dissent at the President's public appearances. If I had made this up for, say, THE MAQUISARDE, I surely would have taken flak about stretching the realms of possibility. But no, gentle reader, no stretch is impossible. And if we as writers have any difficulty making things up, we can always turn to the current administration for wicked ideas.

Witness: dissenters must not be seen by the (supposedly democratically elected) president, nor must they be in the area of his motorcade. They may be advised by the police--kid you not, the police--that there is a "dissent area" where they will be allowed to assemble and protest. Wear a t-shirt with a negative message? Get arrested. Read the article, it happened. That couple just won $80 grand from the government for unlawful detainment. Aren't you thrilled at that particular expenditure of your taxes?

I feel a story coming on . . .

Stop doing!

When my son Zack was small, and I was busy with the myriad things young mothers are busy with, he used to pull on my pants leg and say, "Mommy! Stop doing!" We all thought it was awfully cute. Now I'm beginning to think he was on to something.

In Yoga Journal today there's an article about the ways Americans think they relax. In part, it says: "The majority of Americans are doing what I call default relaxation activities, which yield lower levels of process benefits," says author Schor, who's also a professor of sociology at Boston College. Process benefits are the pastimes correlated with higher levels of human satisfaction. "Watching TV and shopping, for example, are shown to have low process benefits," Schor says.

Mathur, the meditation teacher, says, "In modern society, when we say we're tired, we usually mean our mind is tired." Often, though, we fail to listen up and give it a rest. Instead, we hunker down on the couch with the remote in hand. "With TV, you're adding input rather than clearing out or cleansing. In a way, your mind is going to be even more tired when you're done."

Liz Newby-Fraser, academic dean at the California Institute for Human Science, explains this in physiological terms. "Watching two hours of television is not relaxation. With TV, there are stimuli that activate the sympathetic nervous system, rather than the parasympathetic, which is associated with real rest."

Hmm. My sainted grandmother, a painter, used to say that sometimes you need to take a day and just lie on the couch. I'm thinking hard about all this, and wondering if I have the backbone to cut out some things in order to free my creative mind, as we do in Savasana, Dead Man's Pose, in yoga. It's a pose we hold at the end of a practice, in which we lie as still as death, perfect rest, mind empty, body tired and relaxed.

What could we cut out? Restricting television is no problem for me. Restricting time on the internet or listening to news might be a challenge. Exercise is necessary, of course, and play time, too. But why do I have so much trouble finding time to read? And why have I felt, particularly in the last two or three years, that my creativity is not at its best?

Worth meditating upon.

Farewell to Futurama

Anticipation of being the Guest of Honor at one of the best reader's cons in the country was half the fun. The other half was simply enjoying Armadillocon, the panels, the discussions, the lively--REALLY lively--chats in the bar, meeting a few new readers (each and every one appreciated) and making a few new fans (hope they stick with us!)

But now it's time to move on, I suppose. I'm not much for basking in past glories. I have Kimm's artwork for my Futurama head, and I'm going to frame it for my study. I have copies of the program, with Kay Kenyon's hilarious introduction of me. I have a new friendship with the artist Gary Lippincott, who was Artist GoH, and a thoroughly charming, tall, silver-fox sort of man. Gary has a great voice by the way, deep and resonant. I felt right at home.

So, looking to the future! There's a lot happening. I begin teaching for the Long Ridge Writers' Group soon. I'm a guest at Les Utopiales, in Nantes, France (which unfortunately conflicts with World Fantasy, but--if you're invited to France--I mean, what would YOU do?) I have a book to write and a proposal to turn in, and the second Toby Bishop book has been announced for December 18th!
This is just a thumbnail. Allen Douglas, the artist, sent me a nice version of the whole thing, without that pesky printing on the front, and I just have to figure out how to make it small enough to use on LJ!

Farewell, then, to Futurama. It was a joy having my head in a jar. I'll miss it.

The death of argument

I went to a lovely outdoor party last night (yes, I actually left my house). It was a gathering of educated, intelligent people, very like the ones I grew up with and attended college with. In high school, a bunch of us used to gather regularly to argue the issues of the day. The word ARGUMENT is an interesting one, from the Latin, ARGUMENTUM, or ARGUERE, which means to make clear, to prove, to offer evidence. We had a great time with this, back in the day, chowing down my mother's apple crisp or cream puffs while we debated Vietnam, medical care in America, premarital sex . . . you name it. We ARGUED for hours, and our friendships were never in doubt. Those kids--now middle-aged--are still my friends.

Is this no longer possible? A woman asked me a question last night (thinking no doubt that I might know something because I write sf), and in answer I asked if she had seen "An Inconvenient Truth". The response shocked me so much that I kept waking up all night, hearing it again. She said, "No, I never will." When I asked why, this beautiful, smart woman said, "Because I'll never believe anything that comes out of that man's mouth." Never mind the science, never mind the evidence. It was all about politics, all about hating Al Gore as a representative of a political stance, all closed-minded determinism as set out by Fox News or its like. It was emblematic of this great divide that has split our country down the middle.

Vitriol has replaced argument. I don't even care, in this case, whether the arguer accepts my own position on global climate change or holds fast to another view. The point is that we're no longer able to have discussions with people who disagree with us. Slogans have become conversation-enders. Hatred has supplanted reason. How are we, as a people, to solve the issues we face if we can't even talk about them? I don't have an answer, but I'm sad this morning.
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Finding the voice

Since I'm currently teaching two classes for young adult writers I'm inundated with teen energy and I'm blown away by how much these kids know that I didn't learn for decades. One thing they seem to have a great grasp of is the "voice" of a piece of fiction. Now why should that come easier for these young writers than for my older students? I'm wondering--and I'm serious about this--if it's because their world, though they know so much and are so sophisticated in many ways, is still a narrower, shallower place than the one a middle-aged woman like me lives in.

For example: As I finish this trilogy, I'm also going over the copyedits for Book II (AIRS AND GRACES)and I'm fussing with the voice. I have to work to get the voice even throughout these fantasies, and it's a very different voice than I use for sf, or for sf short stories. I have too many voices to choose between!

I wonder, also, if writers who spend their entire working lives writing in one world realize how lucky they are? It's like those opera singers who sing five or six roles over and over, all over the world, and make exponentially more money than a comprimario singer like myself, who typically has to learn a new role every few months in order to keep working. Oh, to repeat a role! To delve into the nuances and mine the possibilities!

But then, I'm never bored.

Wrapping a trilogy

Finishing the last book of a trilogy feels a bit like it must feel to wrap a movie. All the threads that started in ALL the books need to wind up, and the character issues need to pay off. It's my plan that this third book (Airs of Night and Sea) will really be the end of the trilogy, so I don't want to leave plot issues unresolved or big questions unanswered. It makes me envy George R. R. Martin just a teensy bit . . . so much more room to make everything work out.

And what a surprise, when I thought I was almost done, to find that the ending I had planned just didn't feel right. I couldn't make it work with the character I had committed to, with the plot as it unfolded, with a slightly left-over issue . . . so I have to write one more chapter and insert it before the end.

Thank goodness for the Redmond Riters and their sage advice! I'd hate to have to handle this without collegial input. If any of the Bloglet readers have advice, I'm open to that, too!

Misogyn is alive and well in America

Why should the fact that a blouse of Hillary Clinton's revealed a tiny (according to the report) bit of cleavage be of any import at all to a political blogger? Tim Graham found a mention of the aforesaid blouse by a Washington Post fashion reporter--fashion, mind you--worthy of an entire column. It's here, if your stomach is strong enough: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2007/07/20/washpost-fashionista-hillary-showing-cleavage-no-one-wants-see

But perhaps you'll just take my word for it. It's revolting. The right is so terrified of Senator Clinton that they fasten on her clothes as grounds for objection. Now suppose she sobbed her way through a speech on the Senate floor, the way Boehner did? They'd have a heyday with that, I imagine, all about hormones and feminine weakness and blah blah blah.

These folks think that Islam is mysognistic, I know, because they say so. I fail to see that they're any different.

Bye-bye to sci-fi?

Amy Biancolli of the Houston Chronicle has written an extensive and authoritative article on the current state of science fiction. She writes like a fan, which is fabulous, and she knows her sf history.

I especially liked this: "Call it what you will, but great science fiction can be cosmic or minimalist, outward-looking or inward. It expands or contracts, pushing humanity into the farthest reaches of space or reducing it to cinders."

Pretty great stuff. She also points out the mainstream novels that purport to present great new ideas that are--to the sf fans--old as the hills. It's worth reading! http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/323863_scifi17.html

Writing as protest

This is now officially a Republican war: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070718/us-iraq/ I've talked to far too many mothers whose children have been irrevocably changed by what they've seen and suffered while in combat for a bunch of old men who ducked their own service.

I don't know what a writer can do. I wish my story "Absalom's Mother" could reach more than the already converted. But then, perhaps it's writerly hubris that makes us think what we write makes any difference at all.

Letting someone else fight your battles

A Washington Post reporter told Chris Matthews today on Hardball that a news video showing a young man (31) accosting Cindy Sheehan on the street, badgering her to say what will happen in Iraq if we pull out, and shrieking things about how awful Saddam was, was only a partial of the clip. He described what the reporter asked the guy after Sheehan was gone. The reporter evidently said, "Why don't you serve if you think it's so important?" The young guy says, "They don't want me, I'm 31." And the reporter said, "They're taking guys at 40. There's a recruiting station down the street. Let's go!" And the 31-year-old said no, that his job was to stay home and make money to support the war.

In the times I've been part of a group of demonstrators, the people who flip us off are invariably--and I mean that literally--invariably young men of service age. What's that about? Young men who could be in the armed forces are flipping off middle-aged women because they oppose war. Go figure.You can see the video if you like at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/

And while I'm at it, why is it that conservatives like Lindsey Graham are growing more and more shrill with every day that passes? Getting desperate, I guess. A 22% approval rating will do that for you.

Write a Book This Summer!

My writing class for teens began Saturday at Bellevue Community College. Twelve handsome, smart young people gathered (one was missing, must track down) and did writing exercises, discussed story structure and manuscript format, did more writing exercises, discussed critique process and demonstrated that they already have a very good grasp of this. Each spoke eloquently and enthusiastically about their planned summer project of writing a book!

Have no fear, friends and colleagues. If this dozen kids is any sign at all, the future is in good hands.

And . . . bonus feature: at least half of them want to write fantasy and science fiction. There's even a hard sf writer budding in this garden of riches!

So who's a lucky teacher?

Why is Bush's approval rating so high?

According to the newest Gallup poll, Bush's approval rating is now at 29%, a new low. What I want to know is why it's that high? Read on:

WASHINGTON, July 10 — Former Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona told a Congressional panel Tuesday that top Bush administration officials repeatedly tried to weaken or suppress important public health reports because of political considerations.

The administration, Dr. Carmona said, would not allow him to speak or issue reports about stem cells, emergency contraception, sex education, or prison, mental and global health issues. Top officials delayed for years and tried to “water down” a landmark report on secondhand smoke, he said. Released last year, the report concluded that even brief exposure to cigarette smoke could cause immediate harm.

Dr. Carmona said he was ordered to mention President Bush three times on every page of his speeches. He also said he was asked to make speeches to support Republican political candidates and to attend political briefings.
And administration officials even discouraged him from attending the Special Olympics because, he said, of that charitable organization’s longtime ties to a “prominent family” that he refused to name.

“I was specifically told by a senior person, ‘Why would you want to help those people?’ ” Dr. Carmona said.

The Special Olympics is one of the nation’s premier charitable organizations to benefit disabled people, and the Kennedys have long been deeply involved in it.

The future of hard science fiction

Conventional wisdom in publishing today (numbers being awfully hard to argue with) is that the day of hard sf is gone, the readers now desiring mostly fantasy and vampire fiction. However, if the hard sf panels at Readercon on the last day of the convention are anything to judge by, there's still a lively and dauntingly well-informed readership for real science fiction. Carl Frederick's lecture on what's new in physics was packed, and then the two hard sf panels I was privileged to be part of were also well attended and vibrant with interest, questions, and a lot of answers. I confess, some of it goes over my head. But I loved it just the same.Especially fun was the listing of hard sciences we don't always see in sf--although there were some entertaining examples of things like mineralogy and climatology. My own offering, of course, was musicology, and there seems to be lots of science to support that addition. I was on these panels, so I couldn't take notes for the Bloglet, which is kind of a shame. The information flowed so fast I could barely keep up. I came home fired up to write what I love, and not worry too much about where the audience is!Readercon, in short, is added to the Don't Miss list for science fiction conventions, along with Potlatch, World Fantasy, and Armadillocon.

Readercon panel report

POLITICAL BELIEFS AND FICTION! Wonderful topic. Karen Joy Fowler, Paolo Bacigalupi, David Edelman, John Kessel, James Morrow, Lucius Shepard. Aside from the luminary names on the panel, it was a stimulating discussion. Fowler was slightly apologetic about the lack of political content in THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB, and said that she feels part of the book's success (having come out post-9/11) was because of that lack. Paolo mentioned his story "Small Offerings", one of the stories in FUTURESHOCKS that I particularly liked, which is about genetic disasters caused by pollution. John Kessel mentioned his story "A Clean Escape", which was written as a critique of the Reagan administration, and has been adapted for TV (ABC, 8/4/07) to take on the Bush administration with almost no changes.(I wish they had all read my own story, from FAST FORWARD, "Absalom's Mother", my anti-draft piece.)Audience question: can a novel succeed both as a political statement and a work of art? Answer of the panel: it must.Morrow's question: why are we not out in the streets protesting the rape of our constitution? My personal answer (kept private) is that I have been, of course, for all the good it may or may not have done.Morrow again: Great irony in what is essentially a theocratic administration, the Bush White House, trying and hoping to establish a secular government in Iraq.This was a hot panel, and I loved it.THE MEGAVERSE, THE LANDSCAPE, AND THE ANTHROPIC AND HOLOGRAPHIC PRINCIPLES. Carl Frederick, physicist.Whew. This was so dense and full of information that a good half of it just went over my head. I did learn, though, what the megaverse and those other words are, inasmuch as I was capable of understanding it. I loved hearing a physicist call string theory "lunatic", and I liked getting a handle on the idea of "pocket universes", which has to do with Gooth's (sp?) idea that different cosmological constants will exist in different universes inside the megaverse. The cosmological constant, as I understand it, is identified with the energy fluctuation int he vacuum. Without it, we won't have a universe. The anthropic principle (the idea that the universe is the very best it can possibly be, an idea propounded by creationists) says that the tiniest change in the cosmological constant would cause our universe to fail, and us not to exist. The extrapolation, by creationists, would be that the universe was created with us, human beings, in mind. Very controversial idea. It was also interesting to hear Dr. Frederick give the ages of the great physicists of the day, because it is evidently no longer the case that they're all very young.PROMISCUOUS THEORY OF STORY STRUCTURE: John Clute, John Crowley, James Morrow, and Erik Van.I couldn't possibly summarize. You had to be there!

It's all about books

Wow, these people read BOOKS. I knew I was at a different sort of con (my favorite type) when I saw that the sign outside the room we usually refer to as the Dealers' Room actually reads "Bookshop". There are so many booksellers in that room, and so very many books, it's almost overwhelming.The attendees at this convention read like a Who's Who of speculative fiction. Paul Park, Karen Joy Fowler, James Morrow, John Crowley, and on and on and on. But the most fascinating thing is that, in discussions, no one gets a free pass. Names don't matter. Ideas do.I was on a panel called "The Singularity Needs Women", with James Morrow, Kathryn Cramer, Victoria McManus, and Elizabeth Bear. Discussion ranged from gender blurring to whether or not we would want bodies after the Singularity, and simply exist in cyberspace, and somehow, strange as it sounds, it all made sense. SF struggles these days, of course, to be weird enough to even quality as speculative. It may be one reason some of us have turned to an internal rather than an external landscape.Cool, isn't it?

Report from Readercon

I'm in Burlington, Mass., for my first Readercon, which began last night with a bang--a panel which was more of a free-for-all discussion about what books have made the deepest impression on these passionate readers. It went on for an hour and a half, and was still in full swing when I (after traveling across the country) gave up and went to bed. The list includes the great science fiction and fantasy books we all have either devoured or meant to devour, and the authors read like a list of superstars: Crowley, Wolfe, Delaney, Wilhelm, and so forth. Interestingly, the list didn't include any recent books. It tended to be classics, like A CANTICLE FOR LEIBOWITZ, one of my own all-time favorites. Conclusion: Readercon is just as advertised, a convening of people, both writers and readers, who are devoted to science fiction as a field of literature. This should be a joy. More later.

Hate sells books

Ann Coulter was in her usual cheesecake skimpy black dress (does she OWN anything else to wear?) when she appeared on Chris Matthews's program yesterday, and when Elizabeth Edwards called into the show and kicked Coulter's skinny ass for the hatemonger she is. Oh, sorry. That was just a teensy bit vituperative, wasn't it?Coulter has nailed the way to really sell books. She uses the worst kinds of slogans and namecalling (John Edwards is a faggot, the Jersey Girls are enjoying their husbands' deaths, and all liberals are godless--like she would know) but apparently this sort of mudslinging really sells books. Just as an example, and offered with a big self-deprecating smile:

Amazon.com's numbers:

Coulter, GODLESS, THE CHURCH OF LIBERALISM: 1,610
Marley, ABSALOM'S MOTHER & OTHER STORIES: 121,178

But I couldn't say the stuff she says even to improve sales numbers. I have to look at myself in the mirror every morning.