DOUGLAS SMITH | Writing the Fantastic

I've been busy busy busy lately and am way behind in posting here. And I'm especially late in linking to an interview that fellow author Lawrence M. Schoen did with me on his website. 

I first met Lawrence over ten years ago when we both had stories in the SF anthology, Low Port (editors Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, Meisha Merlin, 2003). We met at the WorldCon that year at the signing table for the launch of the book. It was my first WorldCon and my first group signing. I had a lot of fun and will always have fond memories of that antho. Sharon and Steve were great to work with, plus my contribution to the antho, my story "Scream Angel," went on to win the Aurora Award in 2004.

Back to Lawrence. In his many of his stories, his protagonist is a gourmand. So a few years ago, he started a unique and very cool feature on his blog where he invites other authors to share their recollections of their most memorable meal. The interview series is called "Eating Authors," and Lawrence was kind enough to invite me to contribute.

Here's the link to my interview. Lawrence, thanks for the invitation!

The multiple award-winning author and editor, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, gives a shout-out to my new writer's guide, Playing the Short Game: How to Market & Sell Short Fiction, in her August 2014 Recommended Reading List.

Here's what Kris had to say about the book, for which she wrote the introduction:

I don’t always plug books that I’ve written introductions for ... I might like them, but I might not love them enough to recommend to you.

Doug wrote an indispensible book for those of us who love to write short fiction. He includes indie publishing, and a lot of traditional publishing tips. ... [Doug is] one of the best short story writers in the business, and one of the best at the business of short story writing. I learned a few things from this book, and sometimes I think I’ve seen it all.

So, if you have any interest in writing short fiction, or you’re already making a living a short fiction, take a peek at this book. It’s wonderful.

Thanks, Kris!

If you'd like to pick up a copy of the book, it's available from my bookstore and at all major retailers. A description of the book's contents along with full buying links can be found here.

I also wanted to mention and recommend two courses that novelist, short story writer, and editor Nina Munteanu is teaching in the fall in Toronto:

Creating Science Fiction (George Brown College)

Learn about what is involved in writing science fiction and getting it published. Explore the essential tools used in this genre (including world building, research and plot approaches), and work toward a publishable original work by learning to generate and follow through with premise, idea and theme.

SF Writing Master Class (University of Toronto)

This 12-week workshop-style course will provide extensive opportunity to develop your in-progress science fiction novel and to gain a deeper understanding of world-building, dramatization of premise, and integration of character with setting, theme and plot.

I hope you'll check these out as well as my course. Nina will help you improve your craft of writing, and I will help you sell what you write.

A reminder that I’ll be teaching a course this fall at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. The course is called "Playing the Short Game: How to Market and Sell Short Fiction." It's part of the certificate program that the U of T offers in their Creative Writing program, but it's a stand-alone course as well, and you don't need to be working towards the certificate.

The course is based on the popular blog series that I did in 2012-2013 for Amazing Stories. My upcoming book, also titled Playing the Short Game, to be released Sept. 1, will form the textbook for the course. 

If you write short fiction, this course will teach you how to sell more of what you write and to do it consistently, as well as teach you how to use your short fiction to build a career as a writer.

The course will be taught at UofT's downtown St. George campus, and will run for ten weeks on Wednesdays, from October 1 to December 3. Registration is now open:

Registration link for the course

Even if you aren't interested, if you know of a short story writer in the Toronto area who might be interested, please feel free to forward this information to them.

Course Description

A wealth of courses and books exist to teach you how to write stories. But what happens when you've finished writing? Do you know how to sell what you've written?

In this course, you will learn everything you need to know to sell your short stories to professional markets and to build a career as a short fiction writer.

The Fundamentals: The different types of writers. The benefits of short fiction. Rights and licensing.

Selling Your Stories: Knowing when it's ready. Choosing markets. Submitting stories. Avoiding mistakes. How editors select stories. Dealing with rejections. When to give up on a story.

After a Sale: Contracts. Working with editors. What your first sale means. Dealing with reviews.

A Writer's Magic Bakery: Selling reprints. Foreign markets. Audio markets. Selling a collection. The indie option.

Becoming Established: Leveraging your stories. Discoverability and promotion. Career progression in short fiction.

~~~

I guarantee that this course will give you the knowledge and tools you need to fully understand the business side of being a short fiction writer. I hope to see you this fall.

And here again is the registration link:

Registration link for the course

No, not Mendelssohn's 4th (didn't know I had culture, did you?). My short SF story, "Symphony," will appear in an upcoming "SF and Music" issue of the Italian magazine, Quasar, likely this fall.

Earlier this year, Quasar published my Aurora-winning story, "The Walker of the Shifting Borderland," and I'm thrilled to be appearing in the magazine for the second time. This will be my fifth publication in Italian.

"Symphony" first appeared in the Canadian literary magazine, Prairie Fire, in 1999, where it won second prize in the magazine's SF contest to commemorate Canadian SF writer, A. E. van Vogt. The story was a finalist for the Aurora Award in 2000.

If you'd like to read "Symphony," it's included in my collection Chimerascope and is also available as a stand-alone ebook.

I am thrilled to announce that I have a new book coming out in September, my first non-fiction project. 

If you follow this blog, you'll remember that I wrote a 32-part blog series for Amazing Stories from 2012-2013 aimed at helping writers learn how to best market and sell their short fiction. I have now repackaged those posts into a book titled Playing the Short Game: How to Market Sell Short Fiction.

The book is completely updated and reorganized, with new material not in the blog series, plus an introduction from multi-genre, multi-award winning writer and editor, Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Here's an extract from Kris's intro:

Douglas Smith is the best person to write this book. ... He’s one of the few people who has probably published more short fiction than I have, and in more countries, and more high-paying markets. He loves the short story as much as I do, and he’s good at writing them.

He’s just as good at the business side of the profession. He knows more about marketing short stories to other countries than I do. He understands how to manage short fiction contracts very well. He’s up-to-date on 21st century publishing practices, and he has a toughness that the best business people need.

We short story writers have needed a book like this for decades. I’m glad Doug decided to write it. Read and reread this volume. Because you’ll learn something each time you do. And take Doug’s advice. It’s spectacular.

Don’t take my word for it. Turn the page and dive in. By the time you’re done, I’ll wager you’ll be recommending this book to your writer friends—just like I have.

—Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Thanks, Kris!

Playing the Short Game will be coming out this September, but you can pre-order it now at a reduced price from select sites listed below.

Now, here's a summary of what the book covers.

About the Book

Take your first step to becoming a professional short fiction writer—Buy this book!

In an engaging and conversational style, award-winning author Douglas Smith teaches you how to market and sell short stories—and much, much more:

The Fundamentals: The different types of writers. The benefits of short fiction. Rights and licensing.

Selling Your Stories: Knowing when it's ready. Choosing markets. Submitting stories. Avoiding mistakes. How editors select stories. Dealing with rejections. When to give up on a story.

After a Sale: Contracts. Working with editors. What your first sale means. Dealing with reviews.

A Writer's Magic Bakery: Selling reprints. Foreign markets. Audio markets. Selling a collection. The indie option.

Becoming Established: Leveraging your stories. Discoverability and promotion. Career progression in short fiction.

Buying Links

Buying links (ebook trade paperback)

I wrote recently about the upcoming publication of my story "The Walker of the Shifting Borderland" in the new Italian magazine Quasar. The issue with my story (issue #2) is now out (see the cover at the right).  

"The Walker of the Shifting Borderland" won the Aurora Award in 2013, and I'm pleased to see that my tale is appearing with a Hugo-nominated story by Mike Resnic and one by Robert Silverberg. This is my fourth publication in Italy. 

If you'd like to read "The Walker...," you can pick up an ebook version here.

I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be teaching a course this fall at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies. The course is called "Playing the Short Game: How to Market and Sell Short Fiction" and is part of the certificate program that the U of T offers in their Creative Writing program.

The course is based on the popular blog series of the same name that I did in 2013 for Amazing Stories. My upcoming book, also titled Playing the Short Game, will be released later this summer and will form the textbook for the course.

If you live in Toronto and are interested, here’s the registration link for the course.

Also, if you know of a short story writer in the Toronto area who might be interested, please feel free to forward this information to them.

The course will run for ten weeks on Wednesdays, from October 1 to December 3. Details are as follows:

Course Description

A wealth of courses and books exist to teach you how to write stories. But what happens when you've finished writing? Do you know how to sell what you've written?

In this course, you will learn everything you need to know to sell your short stories to professional markets and to build a career as a short fiction writer.

Learner Outcomes

This course teaches you the business side of short fiction. By the end of the course, you will understand the benefits of short fiction for a writing career, rights and licensing for short fiction, how to find the right professional markets for a story, how to submit and sell to those markets, mistakes to avoid in submitting your work, how editors work and why they choose or reject stories, what to look (and look out) for in short fiction contracts, how to work with an editor, and how to handle rejections and reviews. Most importantly, this course will teach you how to use your short stories to build a career as a writer.

Prerequisites

Students should have at least one story completed and ready to send out to market.

And here again is the registration link.

Steve Stanton has a nice review of The Wolf at the End of the World up on the "Recommended Reads" page at The 49th Shelf, the site dedicated to Canadian books. Here's a brief excerpt from his review:

"An excellent debut novel. … Modern controversy over aboriginal land claims is mixed with a romantic embellishment of ancient stories. … Staccato pacing and multiple POVs with a hook at the end of each short segment [keeps] the energy level perpetually high."

Check out more on The Wolf, including an excerpt and full buying links, here.

I had the opportunity recently of viewing the film "Moose River Crossing" at the Reel World Film Festival. Through the voices of six characters, all survivors of the residential school system, we are given a glimpse into the terrible impact that this shameful program had on our native peoples. I wrote more on the residential schools here earlier

The movie is wonderfully done, but powerful and (as it should be) disturbing. The film's writer and director, Shirley Cheechoo, herself a residential school survivor, attended the screening and the Q&A after, as did the producer and some of the actors. When asked by an audience member what could be done to make more Canadians aware of this sad chapter in our history, Ms. Cheechoo asked for help in getting the film to be included in our public school curricula, so that our children will at least know what our own government and churches did to several generations of native children. 

So if any of you are reading this and are a teacher or educator (or know someone who is), please point them to this movie and ask them to help. A contact page for inquiries about the movie is available here.