editors

Friday Links: SFF Edition

Nephele Tempest

In the wake of last weekend’s Hugo Awards, an SFF edition of Friday Links feels like a fun way to go. Not everything is science fiction or fantasy related, but a good chunk leans that way, including a nice wrap up of the Hugos themselves.

View of milky way through the treetops

My week was crazy in general, so I apologize if this week’s links run a little shorter than usual. I feel like we’re rushing headlong into September, and I’m not ready. I theorize that once we hit Labor Day, the rest of the year churns faster than usual. Not scientific, but it feels real.

So on that note, I leave you with some fun links to entertain and inspire you. Wishing you a wonderful weekend, filled with books and excellent writing time. Enjoy!

SFF Edition:

Hugo Awards: Women Clean Up as N.K. Jemisin Wins Best Novel Again. – A nice look at the list of winners, including N.K. Jemisin and her history-making three-peat winning the Best Novel award.

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Is the Best Place on the Internet. – A fun discussion and brief history of the online resource.

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. – The amazing resource referenced above.

Day in the Life of a Book Editor: Caroline Bleeke of Flatiron Books. – A peek at what the job of an editor entails.

The Weirdest Libraries Around the World. – A fun look at some offbeat libraries in unlikely locations.

Aliette de Bodars Recommends: Four Fantasy Books from Alternate Worlds. – Some great recs for stories with less frequently seen influences.

15 Highly Anticipated New Science Fiction and Fantasy Books for Fall. – Pretty much as described.

Friday Links: Writing Is Rewriting

Nephele Tempest

This has been a week of distractions, with a million shiny (and not-so-shiny) things popping up at every turn to demand my attention. Not only can that make it difficult to finish whatever tasks were originally on your to-do list, but it’s exhausting. So my current plan for the weekend involves getting this post up, sending out a few emails, and then unplugging for the most part until Monday morning. At least from the internet and its constant bombardment from social media and the like. I think I have a date with the beach, a book, and a big floppy hat. And possibly print outs of a few dozen submissions.

Maybe you plan to unplug as well, but if not, here are this week’s Friday Links to keep you entertained and possibly inspire some creative time. Several of these are particularly useful if you’re in or approaching the rewrite/editing stage. Enjoy, and happy writing!

The Five Bes to Being a Better Beta Buddy – Some great tips for giving feedback to your writing critique partners.

When You’re Ready to Move from Summer Reading to Summer Writing – Some short-term writing retreats to check out on your summer vacation, or to inspire you to check out what else might be out there.

Joseph Kanon: There Is No Better Place to Write than the Library – The author shares his love for writing in the New York Public Library, and why he finds it makes the perfect office.

California Soul: A Literary Guide to SoCal Beach Towns – A list of beachy locales with a bit of an edge, straight from the pages of fiction.

The Legend of an Editor – A look inside the work practices of Robert Silver of The New York Review of Books, and the legend he left behind.

Roxane Gay Is the Hardest Working Woman in Letters – An interview with the author on the release of her new memoir, Hunger.

10 Tips for Becoming a Better Editor – Pretty much what it says on the package.

Friday Links: A Diverse Collection for Black History Month

Nephele Tempest

Happy Friday, everyone! I hope you’ve had a terrific week and are looking forward to an even better weekend. Personally, I’m looking forward to hunkering down with a good book, because I’ve had a couple of weeks that were pretty much full throttle. A little break is a good thing. Then next week I’ll be working for a few days out of The Knight Agency main office, getting some face-to-face time with my wonderful co-workers.

But plans aside, I’ve got some wonderful links for you this week. With Black History Month upon us, there are some excellent articles on black writers and increasing the diversity of the publishing industry. Of course, those are not things relegated just to February, but it’s an excellent excuse to step up our efforts to read and publish and call attention to more authors of color. And beyond that, I have the usual mishmash of reading recs, bookish goodness, and writing inspiration. There should be a little something for everyone, and I hope you discover something that sends you rushing off to get some writing of your own accomplished. Enjoy!

How Chris Jackson Is Building a Black Literary Movement – A great look at the efforts of one of the (unfortunately) few black editors in New York.

LA Celebrates Science Fiction Legend Octavia E. Butler with a Year of Events – A nice spotlight on this celebration that might inspire you to pick up one of Butler’s books if you haven’t, or revisit her work if you have.

Interview with a Bookstore: The Mysterious Bookshop – Peek inside the world’s oldest and largest mystery-specific bookstore.

The Real Censorship in Children’s Books – Daniel José Older discusses the recent criticism and removal of a children’s books with inappropriate depictions of black characters in history, and the broader problem.

This Year I’m Going to Write that Book – Some writing inspiration for those dreamers who haven’t quite gotten around to doing (or finishing).

How a City in France Got the World’s First Short-Story Vending Machine – I love this idea, and I’d love to find them on random street corners or in transportation hubs. Fun way to discover new or new-to-you authors.

Elizabeth Jane Howard: Hilary Mantel on the Novelist She Tells Everyone to Read – A look at the British author best know for the Cazalet Chronicles.

Fighting Erasure – A look at the importance of understanding the context for the current diversity discussion, which of course is much broader than publishing’s small corner of the world.

150 Science-Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Books to Look Forward to in 2016: Part 1 – A great roundup organized by release month. If you scroll to the end of the page, you’ll find links to the second and third parts of the list.