5 Reasons I Won’t Read Your Work
Having reviewed books somewhat spottily for over half a decade, I’ve developed a mental checklist to use when deciding whether I will read or review a book. Most often, I just don’t have the time to read 159,997 novels in a year, so I turn down a lot of reviews because I know I won’t be able to get to it. Otherwise, I usually reject a novel for one of the follow reasons: 5. You write the kind of books I don’t generally like to read This one is obvious, no? I only read certain kinds of science fiction and fantasy, with rare exception. Anything outside of that narrow band generally gets ignored. Most people are like this because most people aren’t interested in every kind of sf/f literature. You’d be surprised how often I get review requests for things that I’ve never reviewed in all my lackluster years as a reviewer. Not nearly as often as others, I’m sure, but often enough that this is one of the top reasons I won’t review a book. I’ve pulled myself from a couple reviewer email lists because of this. If my preferences are for X, I don’t want to get requests for Q and G. It’s that simple. Note: that I have made exceptions in the past in no way means I will make exceptions all the time; if I did that, I wouldn’t have to make exceptions… 4. You don’t know how to do basic PR for your book The easiest way to get me to delete an email is to send me something that reads less like a review request and more like spam. You’re in bad territory indeed if I think your email will end with you claiming that you’re a prince with millions of dollars that you have bequeathed to me and that you need me to front the fee to transfer it to a U.S. bank… You know what I want in a review request? Simple: a) Basic information about the book (synopsis, title, simple comparisons; book cover; blurbs) b) Basic information about you (a bio!) c) An indication that you’re familiar with me, my blog, or my podcast (major publishers often get a pass on this because they keep big lists of reviewers). I don’t need your life story, weird attempts to make your book seem super awesome, etc. If you put some personality into a, b, and c, that’s wonderful, but leave all the other stuff out. 3. You spend too much of your time online talking about how under-appreciated you are I’ve only seen a handful of authors do this. They sit on their Twitter accounts talking about why nobody reads or buys their books and how awful that is. Not just once, which might be forgiven. Not just twice, which might also be forgiven. But so many times that it becomes a semi-regular occurrence. The problem with this has nothing to do with whether it’s true. It might be that you’re not appreciated as much as you deserve. Maybe you did write a great novel, but nobody is buying it for whatever reason. That sucks. But that’s also the writing “game.” If everyone could sell as many books as John Scalzi, then everyone would complain about not selling more than that. You can’t control how many books you sell. Not really. You can push them with PR campaigns and the like (see Kameron Hurley for an example), but the market isn’t something that can be easily “gamed.” Sometimes, you just won’t sell as many books as you would like for reasons you’ll never fully understand. Complaining about it, however, makes you look desperate. It might convince a few people to buy your books. But do you really want people to buy them out of pity? As a reviewer, I just don’t play that game for one simple reason: it’s already difficult enough to be objective about a book when you are embedded in online fandom; adding a negative emotion to the reading process makes objectivity even more difficult, so it is likely to negatively affect my reception of your book. I’d prefer to avoid that situation altogether. 2. You’re a grown ass human being but behave like a child having a temper tantrum Every so often, you’ll find an author handling author life rather poorly. They complain incessantly about reviews, they crowd fan spaces when they are clearly unwanted, and they handle criticism either of their work or their online writing in the same way as a child handles being told they can’t have another piece of cake. The line between author and work isn’t as clearly defined as some would like (a fact I’ll discuss in the next section). At some point, an author’s behavior begins to affect how I view the author’s work. I can’t help it, and in some cases, I don’t want to. If an author responds poorly to reviews, I’d rather review something else than risk getting on that author’s shitlist. Why? Because I don’t need the additional stress, and if I have the choice between reading something else I might like or risking getting crapped on by an author with a behavior problem, I’ll pick the first one. That doesn’t mean authors should shut up. There are occasionally good reasons to talk about a review (good or bad) or to address some controversy online, etc. Authors just need to understand the line between “appropriate” and “inappropriate.” 1. You’re a giant, unapologetic, raging asshole In rare cases, the idea of separating an author from their work is fundamentally impossible. Some people are so incapable of being anything other than rude, conniving scumbuckets that it’s impossible to see their name on the book and not think about their behavior. We all know of one or two authors who are like this. They attack people with whom they disagree; they treat people who interact with them like worthless piles of human flesh; and they have such an air
My Top 12 Books Read in 2014
I said on Twitter that I would make this list because I had such a hard time picking a winner for the 2013/2014 WISB Awards. Basically, this list is my guilt getting the better of me, because I love so many things and hate having to pick. So, in no particular order (because I cannot rank these books without feeling as though I have committed a great atrocity against these authors), here are my top 12 books read in 2014: Breach Zone by Myke Cole (Ace Books) The Violent Century by Lavie Tidhar (Hodder and Stoughton) Hurricane Fever by Tobias Buckell (Tor Books) Memory of Water by Emmi Itäranta (Harper Voyager) City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett (Broadway Books) Zero Sum Game by SL Huang (Self-Published) The Three by Sarah Lotz (Little, Brown, and Company) Gemsigns by Stephanie Saulter (Jo Fletcher Books) Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie (Orbit Books) A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar (Small Beer Press) Into the Grey by Celine Kiernan (Candlewick Press) The Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley (Angry Robot Books) Now this is the part where everyone piles on in the comments and tells me how wrong I am. How could I have missed X book? How could I have loved Y so much? Bring on your questions and accusations. I dare you! —————————————— Honorable Mention: I Am Spock by Leonard Nemoy (Hyperion)
Great SF/F Books by Female Authors: A Massive Twitter List! #sffbywomen
Earlier today, I posted seven sf/f books by women worth checking out for International Women’s Day. This led to a tweet asking folks online to list a single sf/f work by a woman that they think is exceptional. Folks promptly ignored the “single” part and sent me a lot of suggestions. You can add your own suggestions in the comments here or via the #sffbywomen tag on Twitter. In any case, if you’re looking for something new to read and care about gender parity, here’s a massive list of great works of sf/f by women (note: the list may be edited later; I may send the question to Facebook and Google+ to make things interesting). Enjoy! Alexander, Alma. Midnight at Spanish Gardens Alexander, Alma. Secrets of Jin Shei Alexander, Alma. The Worldweaver Books Anderson, Laura S. The Boleyn King Andrews, Ilona. The Kate Daniels Series Aquirre, Ann. The Perdition and Sirantha Jax Series Arakawa, Hiromu. Full Metal Alchemist Armstrong, Kelley. The Cainsville Series Armstrong, Kelley. Women of the Otherworld Series Asaro, Catherine. The Last Hawk Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale Baker, Cage. The Company Novels Baker, Kage. The Anvil of the World Baker, Kage. The Garden of Iden Bear, Elizabeth. Carnival Bear, Elizabeth. Chill Bear, Elizabeth. Dust Bear, Elizabeth. Grail Bear, Elizabeth. Hammered Bear, Elizabeth. Range of Ghosts (and sequels) Bear, Elizabeth. Scardown Bear, Elizabeth. Undertow Bear, Elizabeth. Worldwired Bennett, Jenna. Fortune’s Hero Bernobich, Beth. Allegiance Bernobich, Beth. Passion Play Bernobich, Beth. Queen’s Hunt Bernobich, Beth. The Time Roads Beukes, Lauren. The Shining Girls Beukes, Lauren. Zoo City Bishop, Anne. Black Jewels Trilogy Bishop, Anne. Ephemera Series Bishop, Anne. The Others Series Bobet, Leah. Above Bodard, Aliette de. The Xuya Series Bond, Gwenda. Blackwood Bond, Gwenda. The Woken Gods Bradley, Marion Zimmer. The Avalon Series Bradley, Marion Zimmer. The Sword of Aldones Brennan, Marie. A Natural History of Dragons Brennan, Marie. Tropic of Serpents Briggs, Patricia. The Mercy Thompson Series Brook, Maljean. Heart of Steel Brook, Maljean. Riveted Brook, Maljean. The Iron Dukes Brown, Rosel George. Galactic Sibyl Sue Blue Bujold, Lois McMaster. Barrayar Bujold, Lois McMaster. Curse of Chalion Bujold, Lois McMaster. Komarr Bujold, Lois McMaster. Memory Bujold, Lois McMaster. Mirror Dance Bujold, Lois McMaster. Paladin of Souls Bujold, Lois McMaster. The Vorkosigan Saga Bujold, Lois McMaster. Warrior’s Apprentice Bull, Emma. War for the Oaks Butler, Octavia. Kindred Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Sower Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Talents Cadigan, Pat. Synners Caine, Rachel. The Weather Warden Series Carson, Rae. Girl of Fire and Thorns Series Cashore, Kristen. Bitterblue Cawkwell, Sarah. The Silver Skulls Books Cherryh, C.J. Downbelow Station Cherryh, C.J. Foreigner Cherryh, C.J. Fortress in the Eye of Time Cherryh, C.J. Pride of Chanur Chng, Joyce. Starfang Clarke, Susanna. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell Cooper, Brenda. The Creative Fire Cooper, Brenda. The Diamond Deep Cooper, Elspeth. The Wild Hunt Series Cooper, Karina. Tarnished Cooper, Louise. The Indigo Series Cooper, Louise. The Time Master Trilogy Cooper, Susan. The Dark is Rising Sequence Czerneda, Julie. A Thousand Words for Stranger Czerneda, Julie. In the Company of Others Downum, Amanda. The Drowning City Elgin, Suzette Haden. Communipath Worlds Elgin, Suzette Haden. Native Tongue Elliot, Kate. Crown of Stars Elliott, Kate. Cold Magic Engh, M.J. Arslan Eskridge, Kelley. Solitaire Files, Gemma. A Book of Tongues Fisher, Sharon Lynn. Ghost Planet Flewelling, Lynn. Luck in the Shadows Forsyth, Kate. Bitter Greens Foster, M.A. The Morphodite Trilogy Frohock, Teresa. Miserere: An Autumn Tale Gentle, Mary. Golden Witchbreed. Goldstein, Lisa. A Mask for the General Goldstein, Lisa. Red Magician Goldstein, Lisa. Strange Devices of Sun and Moon Goldstein, Lisa. The Dream Years Goldstein, Lisa. Tourists Goldstein, Lisa. Uncertain Places Goodman, Alison. A New Kind of Death Graham, Ellen. Lana’s Awakening Grant, Mira. The Newsflesh Series Griffith, Nicola. Hild Hall, Sarah. The Carhullan Army Hambly, Barbara. Dragonsbane Hamilton, Laurell K. Bite Hamilton, Laurell K. Carvings Hamilton, Laurell K. Never After Hamilton, Laurell K. Strange Candy Hand, Elizabeth. Winterlong Hartman, Rachel. Seraphina Henderson, Zenna. Ingathering: the Complete People Stories Hobb, Robin. The Liveship Traders Trilogy Hopkinson, Nalo. Sister Mine Hopkinson, Nalo. The New Moon’s Arms Höst, Andrea K. The Touchstone Series Jemesin, N.K. The Broken Kingdoms Jensen, Liz. The Rapture Jensen, Liz. The Uninvited Jones, Diana Wynne. A Sudden Wild Magic Jones, Diana Wynne. Black Maria Jones, Diana Wynne. Conrad’s Fate Jones, Diana Wynne. Deep Secret Jones, Diana Wynne. Homeward Bounders Jones, Diana Wynne. Islands of Chaldea Jones, Diana Wynne. Magicians of Caprona Jones, Diana Wynne. Ogre Downstairs Jones, Diana Wynne. The Dalemark Quartet Jones, Diana Wynne. The Merlin Conspiracy Jones, Diana Wynne. Wilkins’ Tooth Jones, Diana Wynne. Year of the Griffin Kane, Stacia. The Personal Demons and Magic Series Kellog, Marjorie B. The Lear’s Daughters Series Kennedy, Leigh. Journal of Nicholas the American Kerr, Katherine. The Deverry Series Kiernan, Caitlin R. The Drowning Girl Kittredge, Caitlin. The Black London Series Kowal, Mary Robinette. Glamour in Glass Koyanagi, Jacqueline. Ascension Kress, Nancy. Probability Moon Kurtz, Katherine. The Deryni Series L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time. Larke, Glenda. The Last Stormlord Le Guin, Ursula K. Lavinia Le Guin, Ursula K. The Dispossessed Le Guin, Ursula K. The Left Hand of Darkness Leckie, Ann. Ancillary Justice Lee, Yoon Ha. Conservation of Shadows Leicht, Stina. And Blue Skies From Pain Leicht, Stina. Of Blood and Honey Lindholm, Mega. Cloven Hooves Link, Kelly. Magic for Beginners Loenen-Ruis, Rochita. “Alternate Girl’s Expatriate Life” Lord, Karen. Redemption in Indigo Lord, Karen. The Best of All Possible Worlds Lowachee, Karin. Burndive Lowachee, Karin. Cagebird Lowachee, Karin. Warchild Lowe, Helen. Heir of Night Lynn, Elizabeth. The Northern Girl MacAvoy, R.A. Damiano MacAvoy, R.A. Damiano’s Lute MacAvoy, R.A. Raphael MacAvoy, R.A. Tea with the Black Dragon Marks, Laurie. Fire Logic Marley, Louise. The Terrorists of Irustan Marr, Melissa. Carnival of Souls Marshall, Helen. Hair Side, Flesh Side Matthews, Susan R. The Jurisdiction Series Maurier, Daphne du. The House on the Strand May, Han. Star Sapphire McCaffrey, Anne. The Dragonriders of Pern Series McCaffrey, Anne. The Ship Who Sang McGuire, Seanan. One Salt Sea McIntyre,
7 SF/F Books by Female Authors to Pick Up on International Women’s Day
If the title didn’t make it clear, today is International Women’s Day! In celebration of that, here are seven wonderful books by female sf/f writers that I think you should check out, if not now, then certainly before the weekend ends. Consider it homework…the fun kind… Here they are: The Female Man by Joanna Russ (1975) As the only classic on my list, Russ’ incredible feminist narrative is easily one of the most important sf/f books by anybody written in the 20th century. The use of alternate realities to explore sexism is part of what makes this book truly a masterpiece. If you haven’t read it, you really should. It’s challenging, sometimes disturbing, sometimes confusing, but endlessly compelling. The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord (2013) There are two Caribbean authors on this list. I’m biased because of my academic interests. Regardless, Lord’s interesting exploration of extinction, genetics, relationships between disparate peoples, and future cultures is worth checking out if only because you’re a fan of social science fiction. It’ll also amuse those of you who love fantasy, as there are certainly some “fantasy” elements here. For the curious, we interviewed Lord on The Skiffy and Fanty Show here. Sister Mine by Nalo Hopkinson (2013) Nalo Hopkinson is one of my favorite writers. Her novel, Midnight Robber (2000), is easily one of the best novels of the last 20 years. Sister Mine is nothing like Midnight Robber, but it does offer a fascinating look into the lives of a pair of formerly-conjoined twins, one of whom lost her magic when they were separated. Orishas, magic, music, and a little punk attitude make this one of my favorite reads from 2013. I interviewed her about Sister Mine here. Conservation of Shadows by Yoon Ha Lee (2013) Lee is by far one of the greatest short story writers publishing today. Conservation of Shadows is an incredible collection of stories. They feel original, deep on a metaphorical level, and stunning in their visual brilliance. I cannot begin to do the stories justice here. So I’ll leave you with this: kiteships. If that doesn’t entice you, then I will just have to throw things until you read this book. Go on, test me. Or you can check out this interview. The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes (2013) I’ve been a fan of Lauren Beukes since Zoo City (2010), which I think belongs on a “best of the 2010s” list. The Shining Girls, however, is a very different kind of book. Following a time traveling serial killer and one of his surviving victims (among other POVs), this book is a twisted narrative about survival, psychosis, and time. If you’re a fan of Beukes’ work and missed this one, shame on you. We interviewed Beukes about The Shining Girls here. Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (2013) To hell with the gender binary, amaright? Leckie’s Ancillary Justice tosses old standards of sf out the window and explores a far future empire where gender pronouns are fluid and ships are manned by thousands of minds. It’s one part gosh wow and two parts sf power. Expect this one on the Hugo Awards ballot. We interviewed Leckie about Ancillary Justice here. The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers (2011) Rogers won the Clarke Award for this novel. It was well deserved, too! The Testament of Jessie Lamb may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but its aggressive treatment of a post-disaster future in which women die when they become pregnant is noteworthy. The point of the book isn’t to agree with the narrator, but to understand her. Fans of Joanna Russ should definitely check this one out. We interviewed Rogers about The Testament of Jessie Lamb here. ——————————– There you go. Who would you add to the list?
A (Possibly Evolving) List of Great Novels by African Writers — for @jmmcdermott
I’ve been commanded by Lord McDermott to put together a list of great novels by African writers so he’d have some stuff to read. And that’s exactly what I’ve done. I’ve intentionally chucked out the books everyone has likely read, such as Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (I know for a fact that Mr. McDermott has read this one, so that’s an easy task). In no particular order, here are the novels (a very VERY short list): Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe Ambiguous Adventure by Cheikh Hamidou Kane Devil on the Cross OR The River Between by Ngugi wa Thiong’o (Matagari is also excellent) The Famished Road OR Songs of Enchantment by Ben Okri Waiting for the Barbarians OR The Lives of Animals OR Disgrace OR Foe by J.M. Coetzee July’s People by Nadine Gordimer Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga Purple Hibiscus OR Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie In the Fog of the Seasons’ End by Alex La Guma Houseboy by Ferdinand Oyono The Dark Child by Camara Laye One Day I Will Write About This Place by Binyavanga Wainaina (a memoir, not a novel, but oh well) Bound to Violence by Yambo Ouologuem ————————————– Note: I have enormous gaps in my reading knowledge of African writers. You’ll notice that there are no writers from places like Egypt, for example, or some of the interior nations. Anyone who would like to suggest novels by writers from these missing countries is encouraged to do so in the comments below!
The Diversity Pledge: Crunching My Numbers for 2013
I think this is the first time I’ve seriously looked at my reading numbers. And now I’m going to share them with the world. The list only includes novels, collections, and narrative non-fiction. I have not factored in multiple books by the same author. Here’s the author list: Gareth L. Powell Myke Cole Christopher Barzak Nir Yaniv Brian McClellan Paul Cornell Michael R. Underwood Michael J. Martinez Nick Mamatas Wes Chu Doug Lain Richard Phillips Mike Resnick James Anthony Froude Stephen N. Cobham Michel Maxwell Philip C.L.R. James Edgar Mittelholzer Roger Mais George Lamming V.S. Naipaul Kim Stanley Robinson John Scalzi Saladin Ahmed Brandon Sanderson Jay Lake Max Gladstone Chuck Wendig Karen Lord Merle Hodge Caryl Phillips Dionne Brand Erna Brodber Mary Seacole Evie Manieri Linda Nagata Nalo Hopkinson Rhiannon Held Lauren Beukes Yoon Ha Lee Ruth Frances Long Emma Newman Cassandra Rose Clarke Ann Leckie Cherie Priest Jean Rhys Beryl Gilroy Suzanne Collins Mira Grant Lois McMaster Bujold Nancy Kress Aliette de Bodard Zen Cho Mur Lafferty Stina Leicht Here are the percentages w/ commentary: Gender Male (50.9%) Female (49.1%) I’m actually surprised with this. While I make an effort to maintain gender parity for The Skiffy and Fanty Show, that same effort does not apply to my academic work. There, I’m concerned with a tradition of literature, which is historically male-centric. But apparently even my PhD project is fairly equal in terms of gender. In any case, I’m happy. I wanted to get close to 50/50, and so I have. A+ Diversity White (61.82%) Non-White (38.18%) I’m uncomfortable with this category for two reasons: 1) I don’t like the idea that there are two groups (white and non-white); 2) I don’t know how to get around that without making completely idiotic assumptions about other people’s race. But this is the only way I have to measure racial diversity, and so I have to use it. If anyone has a better idea, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment. I also wanted to include a note about LGBT authors here, but I realized that I’d have to go digging around to figure who is who. And, well, it’s really none of my business. It wasn’t something I intentionally selected for this year, though I certainly would like to read more works by LGBT authors. In any case, I’m not dissatisfied with these numbers. They’re not as bad as they could be, and they could certainly be better, but considering that I didn’t actually try, I’m genuinely pleased that nearly 40% of my reading came from people of color. U.S./U.K. (65.46%) Elsewhere (34.54%)(includes expatriates) This doesn’t surprise me at all. Since my field of research is Caribbean literature, a good chunk of what I read this year would have to be from elsewhere on the planet. In 2014, that number is going to look very different indeed thanks to the World SF Tour. If I had more time, I’d break these numbers down by region (the Caribbean, continental Europe, etc.). For now, I’ll settle for the above. ———————————————- And that’s that. How about you? Leave your numbers below!