Science Fiction And Fantasy Writer's Chat 5/05/11 with Lou Anders

sffwrtcht: Next week, #sffwrtcht returns to its usual Wed night and time 9 pm EST with @sfsignal (Fri May 06 00:59:22 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Welcome to Science Fiction Fantasy Writer's Chat. Our goal is to talk w/ writers, editors, & others abt the craft of writing, specifically related to writing speculative fiction. Our format is round table discussion. Please restrict questions to writing craft, business of writing & the specific works of the guest. No queries, no pitching, no politics, etc. Please wait until your question gets answered to ask another & use the hashtag #sffwrtcht for all questions and comments. It's up to the guest whether the question time will run longer than our allotted hour slot. Upcoming guests are: 5/11 @SF Signal 5/18 @Nnedi 5/25 @MBraneSF & 6/01 @AndrewMayer #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:00:58 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Many of you may be familiar with tonight's guest as he's active on Twitter and FB and at Cons. In my experience, he's the face of @PYR_Books, where he serves as Editorial Director and Art Director He's also the editor of acclaimed anthologies, including "Swords & Dark Magic" co-edited with @JonathanStrahan. A 2011/2010/2009/2008/2007 Hugo Award nominee, 2010 Shirley Jackson Award nominee, 2008 Philip K. Dick Award nominee. 2010/2009/2007 Chesley Award nominee/winner/nominee, and 2006 World Fantasy Award nominee #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:01:42 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Besides, PYR, he's edited anthologies for Solaris, Gallery, HarperEOS, Roc, Monkeybrain books and Wildside Press. Welcome @LouAnders! Thanks for joining us! #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:02:08 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders Thank you Bryan. Very good to be here. #sffwrtcht 5 May

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders So Lou, when and how did you discover your passion for speculative fiction? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:02:46 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders Several times/places. If I had to boil it to a few key events I'd say the first was an exposure to the TV show Land of the Lost. I had no idea until years later how many actual SF authors wrote for that show - Niven, Sturgeon, etc. 

But it was a show with dinosaurs, wormholes, lost civilizations, micro/bubble universes, curved space 

5 May#sffwrtcht

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders I didn't know that about the writers. Interesting. It's one of my early memories of SF TV as well. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:04:37 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders Remember when they stood on a mountain and, looking through binoculars, saw their own backs? #sffwrtcht 5 May

BryanThomasS: Sleestaks #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:05:09 +0000 2011)

talekyn: Hello @LouAnders! #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:05:14 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Yes, I do. I used to not miss an episode. Land of Lost, Shazaam, Isis #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:05:34 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders Blew my young mind. Kid in deep south, whose teachers wouldn't even say word "Evolution" even in context of mathematical theory. A few years later, I found some battered paperback copies of The Science Fiction Hall of Fame volumes. #sffwrtcht 5 May

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Do you still have those? I still have a few of my early ppbs #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:07:20 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders

And then when I was 12 or 13, my dad shoved A Princess of Mars into my hands and ordered me to read it. I resisted of course. "It has a naked woman on the cover." "I know it has a naked woman, but it's still a good book." I ended up reading every ERB I could find over the next year, then moved on to Moorcock and Lieber. #sffwrtcht 5 May

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Good for dad! #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:07:40 +0000 2011)

eruditeogre: @LouAnders @BryanThomasS Heh, an early nickname for our daughter was "Sleestak" because she made the noise perfectly. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:08:23 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @eruditeogre LOL Does she still? @LouAnders #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:08:39 +0000 2011)

john_zeleznik: @BryanThomasS Sleestaks were a terror for me as a child. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:08:58 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @john_zeleznik Me too #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:09:17 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders LOL #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:09:52 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders I saw Excalibur in the 5th grade. One of my teachers was there too. She held me after class the next day. Turns out she was afraid I'd rat her out. We agreed that the sex wasn't gratuitous but was necessary to the plot. And not to tell anyone else we'd seen each other there. #sffwrtcht 5 May

LouAnders Lou Anders In the 1990s, when the Land of the Lost script was floating around hollywood in development hell, my then-script writing partner and I tried to get on it. So upset with the Will Ferrell remake. #sffwrtcht 5 May

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Cheesy as it was in its day, I was still a little disappointed with what they did with it. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:11:14 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders It could have been like a Jurassic Park style film, only with a few sensawunder concepts #sffwrtcht 5 May

sffwrtcht: @LouAnders Pretty typical Hollywood TV remake approach these days, unfortunately #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:11:50 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders Yes, suddenly we find ourselves in an era when only the movies based on novels/comics are any good. Odd that. But wonderful.#sffwrtcht

5 May

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders True. I wish they'd taken it more in that direction. #sffwrtcht(Fri May 06 01:12:11 +0000 2011)

atfmb: @LouAnders @BryanThomasS the Land of the Lost movie was so bad it could've had Affleck in it. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:12:33 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: @LouAnders Did you and your partner sell any scripts? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:12:40 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders Our first one got passed around. On it, we got hired by a production studio to do a work for hire for one of their directors. That never got made, but then a production company hired us to write another which also never got made. But for a while there was "heat' on us and we had CAA agents and lots of meetings. Michael Bey's right hand man wanted him to do 1 of our films. Turned it down as being 2 close to Armageddon. We shared scenes. #sffwrtcht 5 May

john_zeleznik: When I first saw images of it before it came out, it looked like it was going to be close in tone to the orig. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:12:57 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: @john_zeleznik Yes, the previews were deceitful, as often is the case #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:13:27 +0000 2011)

john_zeleznik: My aunt was an editor on the original show, so I sort of had to watch it. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:13:39 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Very cool. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:13:48 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders A yes, a story told by many. I tried my hand at the Hollywood thing as well. Script in dev hell never made. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:14:57 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: @LouAnders Ok, so you were an avid reader and even tried writing scripts. What about short stories or novels? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:17:33 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders 

Well, we also had a standing invitation to pitch Voyager. Which we did several times. #sffwrtcht 

5 May

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Interesting. Anything produced for ST? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:19:00 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders No, but I wrote The Making of Star Trek First Contact book and over 500 articles for Star Trek Monthly and B5 Magazine. #sffwrtcht 5 May

sffwrtcht: @LouAnders That's great. Good luck with it! #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:19:11 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders So how did you end up Editorial Director of a SF publisher? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:19:27 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders I've had a very few short stories published. And I'm on draft 5 of my first ever novel right now.#sffwrtcht 5 May 

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Congrats! That's great. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:20:12 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders 5 years in LA as journalist on SF TV sets, writing screenplays. So.. ex girlfriend, Harvard MBA hires me to move to SF and be the content person for an online reading startup. Oh boy... Long story. I'll condense. #sffwrtcht 5 May  

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders I go for the easy questions in 140 characters, huh? #sffwrtcht(Fri May 06 01:20:39 +0000 2011)

john_zeleznik: I'm in on Tweetdeck. This is going to take some getting used to. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:22:12 +0000 2011)

Tigervamp: Quantum Leap fan? =o) RT @LouAnders Oh boy... #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:22:15 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: @Tigervamp No, I never got into it. I loved JOURNEYMAN, which felt like the HBO version of Quantum Leap #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:23:00 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Anyway, the site was called Facebook. Oh wait no. Bookface. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:23:21 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: @Pyr_Books LOL @LouAnders is running two handles like me #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:23:44 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @Pyr_Books LOL @LouAnders is running two handles like me #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:23:45 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders 

Apologies, I just switched between identities there for a moment.#sffwrtcht 5 May

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders No worries. They're used to it with me. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:24:02 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders 

So Bookface was "browser based reading" that tracked ad revenues and paid publishers for the time people read online. #sffwrtcht 5 May

john_zeleznik: How long did it take you to get used to tweetdeck? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:24:22 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @john_zeleznik Fairly quickly. I love it. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:24:41 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Ok, so you were running Bookface... #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:24:50 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders In one year, we had 42000 users, and thousands of titles in all genres, nonfiction, religion, computing, childrens, you name it. #sffwrtcht 5 May

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Electronic reading or just people inputting data like Goodreads? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:25:11 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders More "Look inside the book" if it has the whole book #sffwrtcht 5 May

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Ah cool. Like an online precursor to Nook/Kindle in a way. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:26:07 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders We operated on assumption SF writers would be most open to new tech. Wrong. Romance authors were. (and mystery authors were afraid of us) #sffwrtcht 5 May 

sffwrtcht: @LouAnders LOL Irony in that. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:27:38 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders So my boss sent me around the country to SF and romance cons signing up authors and publishers. When the ad market died, we folded. And I knew everyone in SF, so I freelanced a few anthologies and magazines (and Gardner Dozois loved my first Roc anthology Live Without a Net. Then Prometheus Books wanted to get into the fiction space, and were advised to pick a niche, so chose SF #sffwrtcht 5 May

sffwrtcht: @LouAnders Awesome how one thing leads to another. #itsallwoyouknowproven #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:29:07 +0000 2011)

eruditeogre: @LouAnders hey, I can see LIVE WITHOUT A NET on the shelf of our bookstore from where I'm sitting! ::runs off to grab it:: #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:30:04 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders I joined in March 2004, shook hands with boss and went to China for a month, where I selected most of first season. We debuted March 2005 with John Meaney's PARADOX.  #sffwrtcht 5 May

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Nice. How many books did you release the first year? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:30:13 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @eruditeogre Grab one for me, will ya? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:30:27 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: @eruditeogre yay. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:30:43 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: I think we did 16 in the first year, mostly SF, mostly hardcover #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:31:01 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: RT @jamesenge: @LouAnders I loved that story in the "clockwork Jungle Book" edition of SHIMMER. Any others in that world? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:31:33 +0000 2011)

LouAnders Lou Anders James, thanks. No plans for it. I have another steampunk western in Chris Roberson's Adventure VOl 1 I'd like to revisit though#sffwrtcht 5 May

BryanThomasS: @Pyr_Books You’ve talked about the uniqueness of taste in what makes a book right for PYR. Can you describe that for us? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:31:44 +0000 2011)

eruditeogre: Agreed. #itsallwoyouknowproven That's quite a tale, @Pyr_Books (which I CAN see!) #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:32:05 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Thing was, the line had been presented 2 me as being a small specialty line of 8 books year, so I was thinking archival HCs #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:32:15 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Anyway... long story short, chains wanted 16 instead of 8, and saw our positioning as much larger, so we had to ramp up fast #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:33:55 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: And what I'd thought was a part time job turned into working until midnight, evenings and weekends #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:34:14 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Uniqueness in taste? Hmm... hard to describe. I like really damn good books. I don't like bad books. I buy the good ones. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:34:46 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders What's the process for buying a book? A committee? Slush readers? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:35:26 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: In fairness, there are marvelous books published every year by every house. I have an advantage in that we publish 30 a year #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:35:44 +0000 2011)

john_zeleznik: @LouAnders I LOVE your imprint and it's on the top of my list...iwhen this whole agent thing works out. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:35:48 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: That allows us to be super picky, buy only the best, in a way we might not be able to maintain if we published 200 #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:36:07 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: @john_zeleznik Thank you. We do have a procedure for unagented submissions if it doesn't. But good luck & see our contact page) #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:36:48 +0000 2011)

john_zeleznik: @Pyr_Books Yah, I've talked to Rene a few times about it. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:37:53 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: @LouAnders Obviously you’ve worked with a lot of authors as an editor. What do you see as your role in doing so? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:37:57 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Process: I have a slush reader for unagented submissions named Rene Sears. She also reads some agented work for me #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:38:01 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Ah yes, I know Rene from Twitter/FB. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:38:24 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: I read only agented work and work I've sought out. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:38:27 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: When I find something I like, I write up report, which sometimes goes to a comittee but mostly now goes straight to my boss #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:38:49 +0000 2011)

nicofeld: @Pyr_Books @john_zeleznik Unagented submissions for fantasy only though, right? (sorry forgot #sffwrtcht first time) (Fri May 06 01:39:24 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Role as editor: it isn't to dot t's and cross i's. Everytime you tell someone you are an editor... #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:39:25 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: They either apologize for their grammer or ask for help on their term paper #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:39:38 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @Pyr_Books LOL Speaking of which.... no. just kidding #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:39:59 +0000 2011)

eruditeogre: @Pyr_Books I think that criterion of "really damn good books" comes through in your catalog, and in your unbridled confidence. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:40:02 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: @nicofeld For fantasy, urban fantasy steampunk and all genres of Young Adult #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:40:05 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Anyway.... when I hear people say "I don't know how to vote for Editor Hugo; how do I know what editing was done on this?" #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:40:50 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: @LouAnders When you request a change, can a writer ever argue with you and win? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:41:01 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: RT @nicofeld: @Pyr_Books Any possibility of unagented submissions including sci fi in the future? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:41:09 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: I say it isn't just the stuff you don't see, it's whether the book you are reading was selected to be published at all #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:41:16 +0000 2011)

john_zeleznik: I want to submit, but I don't want to "go behind" the agents that are looking at my MS. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:42:06 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Arguing: Yes -ultimately it's the writers book. It's also fun to gloat when reviewers point out the section as the only weak spot #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:42:08 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @Pyr_Books I guess that is true. Especially in a selective line such as PYR even more than larger houses with broader taste #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:42:08 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Yes, I think when you vote for an editor, you are voting for their line, a vote of approval for the list they've built #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:42:49 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Sadly I don't see unagented SF anytime soon. It's that our SF needs are being more than met via agents #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:43:18 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: For writers who might not know, how does the path to publication proceed? What steps and time frame should we expect? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:43:33 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: But there's a dearth of good fantasy so we wanted to cast wider net #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:43:36 +0000 2011)

jamesenge: @Pyr_Books People are strangely interested in finding reasons not to vote/nominate the Hugos. While complaining about the noms. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:43:57 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: NOTE TO SELF: Get back on that fantasy book! #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:44:13 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Steps to publish: Manuscript bought. Get my notes. Manuscript rewriten. Get copyedits. Manuscript proofed. Approve. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:44:29 +0000 2011)

atfmb: @LouAnders Why are there more fantasy novels on the shelves versus sf novels (or so it seems)? #sffwrtcht@BryanThomasS (Fri May 06 01:44:51 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @jamesenge This is similar to the attitude many take toward national elections in the US #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:44:54 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: We work about a year out. We have about 50 folks in company. Pretty much all of them work on every title. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:44:54 +0000 2011)

maryfranholm: RT @Pyr_Books But there's a dearth of good fantasy so we wanted to cast wider net #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:45:04 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: @atfmb Cold hard truth? Because fantasy outsells SF by large factor. #sffwrtcht(Fri May 06 01:45:16 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Switching gears a bit. Do your anthology projects originate with you or the publishers? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:45:37 +0000 2011)

john_zeleznik: @BryanThomasS I've always loved it. LOTR then Dragonlance, haven't stopped since. GRRM's A Game of Thrones changed my life. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:45:40 +0000 2011)

atfmb: @Pyr_Books I know. But I wanted you to say it so I could then ask, Why is that, Lou? #sffwrtcht @BryanThomasS ;-) (Fri May 06 01:46:05 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Anthologies originate with me. My last two were sold to Eos and Gallery. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:46:20 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @atfmb LOL You sly manipulator... #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:46:26 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @Pyr_Books How did the opportunity to work with @JonathanStrahan on “Swords & Dark Magic” come about? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:46:44 +0000 2011)

sandrawickham: @Pyr_Books @LouAnders I feel like I'm drunk and seeing double. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:46:46 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Why is longer than 140 characters. But why not important. IS is important. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:46:53 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: "commercial" is not the dirty word some critics want to pretend it is. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:47:45 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @atfmb apparently not sly enough...for @LouAnders #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:47:47 +0000 2011)

sandrawickham: RT @LouAnders: "commercial" is not the dirty word some critics want to pretend it is. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:48:02 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: "Commercial" means "Your words are communicating effectively with many readers" - surely the goal of writing #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:48:07 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: RT @LouAnders: "Commercial" means "Your words are communicating effectively with many readers" - surely the goal of writing #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:48:18 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: RT @LouAnders: "Commercial" means "Your words are communicating effectively with many readers" - surely the goal of writing #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:48:18 +0000 2011)

sandrawickham: RT @LouAnders: "Commercial" means "Your words are communicating effectively with many readers" - surely the goal of writing #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:48:19 +0000 2011)

atfmb: @BryanThomasS yeah, @LouAnders is always a step ahead-which is why Pyr is so successful. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:48:35 +0000 2011)

gryphoness: @BryanThomasS @Pyr_Books Been considering the term "idea fantasy" lately and am curious what you guys think about it. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:48:38 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @gryphoness All writing and speculative fiction in particular, is about ideas, isn't it? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:49:07 +0000 2011)

eruditeogre: @Pyr_Books this is really good information. Do you prioritize certain subgenres? There seems to be a fair bit of Sword-n-Sorcery #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:49:23 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Strahan and I both wanted to explore resurgence of S&S. DIdn't want to step on each other's toes. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:49:30 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: RT @paolobacigalupi: @Pyr_Books I think you're parsing "commercial" a little carefully... :) #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:49:33 +0000 2011)

maryfranholm: RT @Pyr_Books "Commercial" means "Your words are communicating effectively with many readers" - surely the goal of writing #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:49:37 +0000 2011)

Tigervamp: RT @LouAnders "Commercial" means "Your words are communicating effectively with many readers" - surely the goal of writing #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:49:55 +0000 2011)

gryphoness: @BryanThomasS Not necessarily. Re Orson Scott Card, you also have Milieu, Character, & Event - just as one example. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:50:07 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Well, congrats! That anthology has been called one of the best of the year many times over. You two did it well. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:50:17 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: @eruditeogre Sometimes. But sometimes "it steam engines when it's steam engine time." #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:50:23 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @gryphoness No, those are story types. Milieus, Characters and events are all based on ideas #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:50:50 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Thank you. I've very, very proud of that book #sffwrtcht It's also the most heavily pirated thing I've done (Fri May 06 01:51:10 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: @paolobacigalupi I'm sorry you are alienating me dude. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:51:39 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: @Pyr_Books Well, sorry to hear about the pirating but I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:51:41 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: What exciting projects do you have coming up for us to look forward to? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:51:43 +0000 2011)

gryphoness: @BryanThomasS I guess what I'm saying is, it seems particularly easy to have fantasy that has no new ideas & leans on other 3. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:52:06 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Just signed James Enge for a "proper trilogy" that tells Morlocks origins from his birth to his exile #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:52:15 +0000 2011)

jamesenge: @gryphoness James Blish used to say that it wasn't the ideas, it was the ideas _about_ the ideas that made good fiction. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:52:21 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @gryphoness You're saying relies too much on tropes then? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:52:27 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @jamesenge I love Blish #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:52:40 +0000 2011)

jamesenge: Ahem. Speak of the Enge, the Enge appears. Sorry. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:52:44 +0000 2011)

talekyn: @LouAnders Any anthologies we can look forward to soon? Enjoyed "Swords & Dark Magic" and "Masked." #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:52:44 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: I like Elizabeth Bear's recent comment that SF not literature of ideas so much as .... #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:52:51 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: The literature of testing ideas to destruction #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:53:01 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders @jamesenge Yes, We are excited to hear about that! #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:53:07 +0000 2011)

john_zeleznik: I love playing with the tropes of the genre. That's what they are there for. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:53:13 +0000 2011)

gryphoness: @jamesenge I think I like that, but want to think about it more. :) #sffwrtcht(Fri May 06 01:53:20 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: This takes the emphasis of novelty for its own sake and back on what Baciaglupi calls the fun house mirror aspect #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:53:35 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Find @louanders online at www.louanders.com and www.pyrsf.com. As well as FB and Twitter. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:53:49 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: @paolobacigalupi see? you really didn't alienate #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:53:53 +0000 2011)

jamesenge: Ha! Love this. Like Roman tragedy. RT @LouAnders: The literature of testing ideas to destruction #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:54:02 +0000 2011)

gryphoness: @BryanThomasS I think it doesn't have to be a trope to be simply non-innovative - though tropes are most trodden. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:54:06 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: @LouAnders Obviously you're a fan of all the books chosen. But anything particulrly unique/surprising comng up u want to mention? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:54:40 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: No anthologies upcoming. Took a year off to write my own stuff #sffwrtcht(Fri May 06 01:54:46 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @gryphoness They can be reinvented and done in new ways that bring excitement back to them though. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:55:14 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Yes. In September, KV Johansen's BLACKDOG. Stand alone fantasy that blew me away. Big, lush, epic. Coming of age for a goddess #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:55:22 +0000 2011)

sandrawickham: RT @LouAnders: Yes. In September, KV Johansen's BLACKDOG. Stand alone fantasy that blew me away. Big, lush, epic. Coming of age for a go ... (Fri May 06 01:55:47 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Sounds very interesting. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:55:48 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Andrew P Mayer's The Falling Machine. Out in a few weeks. Steampunk superheros in Victorian era Manhattan #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:55:54 +0000 2011)

michaellorg: RT @LouAnders: "Commercial" means "Your words are communicating effectively with many readers" - surely the goal of writing #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:55:54 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders You've talked about where publishing is going as the models change. How is @Pyr_Books adjusting to meet new realities? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:56:25 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Very excited about that. @AndrewMayer will be a guest on #sffwrtcht June 1st! (Fri May 06 01:56:53 +0000 2011)

john_zeleznik: @LouAnders I was just looking at that book on Amazon today. Looks very cool. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:56:58 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Joel Shepherd's HAVEN: last book what Tor.com called his "Criminally underappreciated" series that everyone compares to GRRM #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:57:01 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Plus I just won a copy of the book. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:57:06 +0000 2011)

talekyn: @Pyr_Books I'm looking forward to The Falling Machine. Superheroes, Victoriana ... sounds like a great mix! #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:57:20 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @Pyr_Books Do you think it's under appreciate due to over comparison? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:57:39 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: We are at work digitizing about 75 titles in the Pyr backlist now. Rene is on Quality Control #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:57:48 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: No it's underappreciated due to not enough people know about it. Everyone who reads it raves about it. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:58:13 +0000 2011)

john_zeleznik: @Pyr_Books And I have that book on my TBR list. Working on The First Law series right now! #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:58:17 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: @LouAnders So many titles will soon be available as ebooks which have not been then. Very good news for readers! #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:58:27 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders I'll definitely check it out. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:58:50 +0000 2011)

LukeZwan: RT @Pyr_Books: "Commercial" means "Your words are communicating effectively with many readers" - surely the goal of writing #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:59:05 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Upcoming guests are: 5/11 @SF Signal 5/18 @Nnedi 5/25 @MBraneSF & 6/01 @AndrewMayer #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:59:12 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Yes, on many platforms 2 We took charge of our own conversion, which takes longer, but the results will look hell of a lot better #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:59:13 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders You guys have made a special effort to make ebooks look good, which is important too #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:59:47 +0000 2011)

maryfranholm: RT @sffwrtcht Upcoming guests are: 5/11 @SF Signal 5/18 @Nnedi 5/25 @MBraneSF & 6/01 @AndrewMayer #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 01:59:55 +0000 2011)

Annaleen: RT @Pyr_Books: "Commercial" means "Your words are communicating effectively with many readers" - surely the goal of writing #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:00:02 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Also, Jon Sprunk's second novel coming out this summer. And Ari Marmell's The Goblin Corp #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:00:03 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Let's all thank @LouAnders for taking time to join us! #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:00:07 +0000 2011)

xicanti: RT @LouAnders: "Commercial" means "Your words are communicating effectively with many readers" - surely the goal of writing #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:00:10 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: ...which is The Lord of the Rings from the Orcs POV #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:00:17 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Plus @mdlachlan as well #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:00:18 +0000 2011)

BooksonMars: RT @Pyr_Books: We are at work digitizing about 75 titles in the Pyr backlist now. Rene is on Quality Control #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:00:30 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Thanks for taking the time to chat with us of an evening. So glad you were able to be here. Very educational! #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:00:47 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Thanks. Our books do a lot with interior design, which is what is taking so long turning them into ebooks - preserving that #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:00:50 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @Pyr_Books Well worth the effort from the @jamesenge novella I've seen #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:01:15 +0000 2011)

john_zeleznik: @LouAnders @Pyr_Books I am very excited about @mouseferatu's The Goblin Corp. Loved his Warlord books. Highly recommend them. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:01:18 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Thank you. And John - thank you for that. I have his Warlord novel and hope I can read it soon(ish). #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:01:53 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: Out on the #sffwrtcht column today: SFFWRTCHT: A Chat With Editor John Klima bit.ly/mlM9kl #scifi #fantasy (Fri May 06 02:02:12 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: Out on the #sffwrtcht column today: SFFWRTCHT: A Chat With Editor John Klima bit.ly/mlM9kl #scifi #fantasy (Fri May 06 02:02:11 +0000 2011)

john_zeleznik: @LouAnders How much research do you do on an author in the submission phase? #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:02:21 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Varies. But a good website with good info on it, that I can look up from reading manuscript, very good. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:02:52 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: I'm gonna let @john_zeleznik's be the last question. Our time flew by but has run out this week for #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:03:09 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: @LouAnders Yes. Thanks again for making time to chat! #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:03:25 +0000 2011)

upandcomic: RT @BryanThomasS: Out on the #sffwrtcht column today: SFFWRTCHT: A Chat With Editor John Klima bit.ly/mlM9kl #scifi #fantasy (Fri May 06 02:03:43 +0000 2011)

john_zeleznik: Thanks @louanders for being so patient and giving us your time. #sffwrtcht(Fri May 06 02:03:46 +0000 2011)

john_zeleznik: And introducing me to Tweetdeck! #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:04:07 +0000 2011)

talekyn: @LouAnders Thank you for your time. And thanks to @BryanThomasS again for moderating! #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:05:00 +0000 2011)

eruditeogre: @LouAnders thanks so much for the #sffwrtcht! (Fri May 06 02:05:03 +0000 2011)

Pyr_Books: Thank you for having me on. Fun! Off to watch GAME OF THRONES with wife now. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:05:34 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: A transcript from the chat will be posted tomorrow after I do some cleanup on doubles, etc. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:06:29 +0000 2011)

maryfranholm: @LouAnders Thanks for your comments and letting me lurk on #sffwrtcht(Fri May 06 02:06:30 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: Thanks again@johnklima for the great interview!www.graspingforthewind.com/2011/05/05/sffwrtcht-a-chat-with-editor-john-klima/ (Fri May 06 02:08:38 +0000 2011)

Agiliste: @maryfranholm I just found you on #sffwrtcht very nice to meet you, (Fri May 06 02:09:33 +0000 2011)

An_Adversary: RT @Pyr_Books: "Commercial" means "Your words are communicating effectively with many readers" - surely the goal of writing #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:13:22 +0000 2011)

paolobacigalupi: @LouAnders ROFL. #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:23:40 +0000 2011)

pablod: RT @LouAnders: Yes, suddenly we find ourselves in an era when only the movies based on novels/comics are any good. Odd that. But wonderf ... (Fri May 06 02:28:34 +0000 2011)

pablod: RT @Pyr_Books: Yes, on many platforms 2 We took charge of our own conversion, which takes longer, but the results will look hell of a lo ... (Fri May 06 02:29:33 +0000 2011)

sffwrtcht: A raw transcript for tonight's chat with @LouAnders can be found aterif.org/sffwrtcht-20110505.php #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:47:59 +0000 2011)

BryanThomasS: A raw transcript for tonight's chat with @LouAnders can be found aterif.org/sffwrtcht-20110505.php #sffwrtcht (Fri May 06 02:48:00 +0000 2011)

Participants

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