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2024 SERAPH Winners
Phantastische Akademie has announced the winners for the 2024 SERAPH, a German fantasy award.
Best Debut
- WINNER: Fast verschwundene Fabelwesen: Die sagenhafte Expedition des Konstantin O. Boldt, Florian Schäfer & Elif Siebenpfeiffer (arsEdition)
- Die Moritat der Organspenderin, Tina Ariam (Wreaders Verlag)
- Die goldene Kanone: (K)ein Detektivroman, An Brenach (ohneohren)
- The Dark Secrets of New Orleans, Lisa Doberauer (THEIL Verlag)
- Gameshow: Der Preis der Gier, Franzi
2024 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize
Winners have been announced for the 2024 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, including titles of genre interest.
Older Readers’
- WINNER: Thieves’ Gambit, Kayvion Lewis (Simon & Schuster)
- Girl, Goddess, Queen, Bea Fitzgerald (Penguin Random House Children’s UK)
Younger Readers’
- WINNER: Greenwild: The World Behind the Door, Pari Thomson (Pan Macmillan)
- Attack of the Vampire Sheep!, Emily-Jane Clark, illustrated by Jeff Crowther (Scholastic)
- Vivi Conway and the Sword
2024 Hugo and Lodestar Trophy Designers
Iain J. Clark will design the base of the 2024 Hugo Award trophy, and Sara Felix will design the 2024 Lodestar Award trophy.
Each year, the rocket-shaped Hugo Award trophy “is given a unique base design to reflect the personality of the hosting Worldcon.” The Lodestar trophy is also given a unique design every year. Felix previously designed the first Lodestar trophy in 2018.
The designs will be revealed on ...Read More
Wayward Wormhole
The inaugural Wayward Wormhole workshop was held November 1-21, 2023 at Castle de Llaés in Gurb, Spain.
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Vernor Vinge (1944-2024)
Author and professor of mathematics Vernor Vinge, 79, died from Parkinson’s disease on March 20, 2024. He was noted for introducing the technological singularity concept (AKA the Singularity) and known for his gripping hard science fiction.
Vernor Vinge was born in Waukesha Wisconsin on October 2, 1944. He was married to fellow science fiction author Joan D. Vinge from 1972 to 1979.
His first published work of science fiction was ...Read More
2024 International Dylan Thomas Prize Shortlist
The shortlist for the 2024 International Dylan Thomas Prize has been announced. The six-title list includes Biography of X by Catherine Lacey (Granta).
The annual Dylan Thomas prize, in partnership with Swansea University, awards £20,000 “to the best published or produced literary work in the English language, written by an author aged 39 or under.” This year’s judges are Tice Cin, Namita Gokhale, Jon Gower, Seán Hewitt, and Julia Wheeler.
...Read MoreHWA 2024 Summer Scares
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) has announced their Summer Scares Reading list for 2024.
ADULT
- Jackal, Erin E. Adams (Bantam, 2022)
- Such Sharp Teeth, Rachel Harrison (Berkley, 2022)
- This Thing Between Us, Gus Moreno (MCD x FSG Originals, 2021)
YOUNG ADULT
- All These Bodies, Kendare Blake (Quill Tree, 2021)
- Dead Flip, Sara Farizan (Algonquin Young Readers, 2022)
- #MurderTrending, Gretchen McNeil (Freeform, 2018)
MIDDLE GRADE
...Read MoreThe INDIE FILES: I’m Selling Books, but Am I Making Money?
by William C. Tracy
Editorial note: This is the first in a two-part series from William C. Tracy. Part 1 will focus on publishing and release costs, comparing traditional and indie publishing. Part 2 will present marketing resources, including a Google Sheets template, to help authors calculate their book costs.
How much do you make from a book? Depending on the method of publication, answers will vary. With traditional publishing, you might get an advance, and then, depending on how the book sells, might wait awhile (even years) to see more money. If you don’t get an advance, as with a small press or self-publishing, you might receive royalties more continuously, but in smaller amounts.
You could also have an instant bestseller and rake in the money! But here, we’ll look at what happens to most authors. This is a long road of writing, publishing, and gradually gathering more fans who want to buy your books.
You get royalties for your books, but how much does it cost to make that sale? There are a lot of expenses associated with traditional and self-publishing. Even though you’re making money selling books, it may be hard to break even in net profit (earnings minus costs). In this article and the next, we’ll go over how to assess these different costs and account for them while planning for your next book launch.
Publishing and Release Costs
What does it cost to release a book? We’re (sadly) not accounting for the blood, sweat, and tears writing the thing. We’ll assume you’ve done all that. I’m mainly covering self-publishing expenses, though I’ll note if a cost is also associated with traditional publishing.
Here are some of the costs associated with putting out a book. You may not have all of these, but you’ll probably encounter a lot of them:
- Developmental and copy editing. This can run into the thousands of dollars for professional editors. You shouldn’t have to pay for this in traditional publishing. You can–if you want to polish your manuscript before submitting it to an agent.
- Formatting and layout costs. You can certainly do this yourself. You might also hire someone for a couple hundred dollars or less.
- Cover and art costs. This one is incredibly variable. On the cheap, you can find a decent cover for $50. On the other end, if you have illustrations, a cover designer, and custom art, this could also be thousands of dollars.
- ISBN: if you want to publish a paperback book in the US that is not restricted to Amazon (or another single marketplace), you’ll need to buy an ISBN. There’s only one place to do that, at https://www.myidentifiers.com/. One ISBN will run over $100, while packs of tens or hundreds might get down to $5 per ISBN. How many books are you publishing? If you know you’re going to publish 5-10 books, the 10-pack might be a good choice.
- Publishing platform: It’s free to set up an author profile on Amazon, as well as most other publishing sites. However, some sites charge for making changes. For example, IngramSpark, one of the largest US distributors and the best way to get your book into bookstores and libraries, recently dropped their $50 “setup” cost, but still charges a fee for adjustments after the first 60 days.
- Library of Congress and copyright: You don’t have to pursue either of these, formally, even for self-publishing, but if you want the most official record of your work, applying, sending a book to the Library of Congress, and registering a copyright will run you about $70-80 total with costs and shipping.
- Release week costs: Hey, you’re ready to make money! How do you release your book? At full price and hoping people see it? Or at a discount, so more people are likely to buy it, while you pay money for marketing promotions and ads? Promotional materials can range from $0 to hundreds of dollars and lead to the real calculation, which is covered in the next section. Even if you’re traditionally published, you’ll likely have to do some marketing on your own nowadays.
Here’s a very broad estimate for publishing costs:
- Trad publishing: $0 to $1000+
- Self-publishing: $150-$3000+
So who would ever choose to self-publish? Aren’t you instantly losing money? Not quite. Let’s look at the next part of the equation: making money.
1) Write a book, 2) Something, something…, 3) Profit!
At this point, you’re probably thinking it’s better to go for traditional publishing, so you don’t have to cover all those costs above. The answer is complicated but can affect which one you choose. For now, assume you have a book out (hopefully) selling and making money. Let’s compare how both options might work.
Percentages! How much of your money do you keep? Let’s say you sell your e-book at $5 and your paperback at $20. If you’re traditionally published, you’re probably only going to see 10 percent or less of each sale, after enough books sell to pay off your advance. The publisher still has to pay for all that stuff you didn’t. That means you’re going to see maybe $0.50 per e-book and $2 per paperback. Until it’s paid back, this is reflected in the advance you received.
If you’re self-published, you’ll see a lot more money within about 2-3 months after publishing. There are a lot of details, but basically, you’re going to see somewhere from 30–70 percent of the book profit, minus any publishing costs. That means you might see $2–$3.50 on each e-book and $2–$8 on each paperback (there’s a lot of math behind the scenes).
A little quick calculating: if you sell 100 e-books and 100 paperbacks at full price, then you get (based on above estimates):
- Trad pub: $250. How much of the advance you received does this cover? You won’t get any more until that’s fully paid back to the publisher.
- Self-pub: $400–$1,150 delivered within about 3 months. How far does that go to pay back the publishing costs?
But we still haven’t answered the first question: are you making money? Next month, we’ll have more information on that part of the equation, plus a worksheet to make this easy for you to calculate.
For now, consider both options above. Knowing some of the costs associated with publishing a book will give you clarity on whether to pursue traditional publishing, self-publishing, or a hybrid. Self-publishing may take more capital at the start but may also pay back quicker. Traditional publishing can take much longer, but may give more immediate financial security. The decision will be different for each author.
Author Bio
William C. Tracy writes and publishes queer science fiction and fantasy through his indie press Space Wizard Science Fantasy (spacewizardsciencefantasy.com). His largest work is the “Dissolutionverse,” a space opera with music-based magic, including ten books and an RPG. He also has a standalone epic fantasy with seasonal fruit-based magic, a nonfiction book about body mechanics and correct posture, and a hard sci-fi trilogy with generational colony ships and a planet covered by a sentient fungal entity.
William is a North Carolina native and a lifelong fan of science fiction and fantasy. He has a master’s in mechanical engineering and has both designed and operated heavy construction machinery. He’s worked as a data analyst and in cost/benefit analysis for almost twenty years, which is where his love of spreadsheets comes from. He has also trained in Wado-Ryu karate since 2003 and runs his own dojo. He is an avid video and board gamer, a beekeeper, a reader, and of course, a writer.
You can get a free “Dissolutionverse” novelette by signing up for William’s mailing list at https://www.spacewizardsciencefantasy.com or follow him on BlueSky @wctracy.bsky.social, @wctracy@wandering.shop on Mastodon, and @wctracy on Twitter for writing updates, cat and bee pictures, and thoughts on martial arts.
The post The INDIE FILES: I’m Selling Books, but Am I Making Money? appeared first on SFWA.
2024 ITW Thriller Awards finalists
International Thriller Writers has announced the finalists for the 2024 Thriller Awards, including several titles and authors of genre interest.
Best Hardcover Novel
- All the Sinners Bleed, S.A. Cosby (Flatiron)
- The Drift, C.J. Tudor (Ballantine)
Best Paperback Original Novel
- Hide, Tracy Clark (Thomas & Mercer)
- The Paleontologist, Luke Dumas (Atria)
- The Spy Coast, Tess Gerritsen (Thomas & Mercer)
- Cave 13, Jonathan Maberry (St. Martin’s
2024 Future Worlds Prize Shortlist
The Future Worlds Prize for Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers of Colour has announced its eight-title shortlist:
- “The Unbound Atlas”, Zita Abila
- “Blood on Shadowed Blades”, Nelita Aromona
- “The Suit Sellers of Kowloon”, Ese Erheriene
- “Ek Haseena Thi”, Isha Karki
- “The Yawn of the Pond”, Inigo Laguda
- “Walk in Fire”, Ruairidh MacLean
- “Tribe of the Snow Leopards”, Farah Maria Rahman
- “Let None Through”, M.A. Seneviratne
The judges are M.H. Ayinde,
...Read More2024 Jhalak Prize Longlists
Both the 12-title Jhalak Prize for Book of the Year and the Children’s & Young Adult prize longlists were announced today.
The awards “seek to celebrate books by British/British resident BAME writers” and “accept entries published in the UK by writers of colour. These include (and not limited to) fiction, non-fiction, short stories, graphic novels, poetry and all other genres.” The prize awards £1000 to each winner, along with “a ...Read More
People & Publishing Roundup, March 2024
DAVID-CHRISTOPHER GALHEA is now represented via Ginger Clark Literary.
DANI RAANAN is now represented by the John Jarrold Literary Agency.
J. FEDERLE is now a client of Ginger Clark Literary.
AWARDS
SUSAN COOPER is the 40th recipient of the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award, presented via the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association. She will be honored June 6-9, 2024, at the 59th Nebula Awards Ceremony in ...Read More
93rd Annual California Book Awards Finalists
The finalists for the 93rd Annual California Book Awards, presented by the Commonwealth Club of California, have been announced. Titles and authors of genre interest include Empty Theatre by Jac Jemc (MCD) in the Fiction category. There are eight categories of awards, including Poetry, Californiana, and more.
The awards honor “the writers who have come to define California to the world.” The winners will be announced in May.
For more ...Read More
2023 Aurealis Awards Shortlist
The 2023 Aurealis Awards shortlist, recognizing the best in Australian speculative fiction, has been announced.
Best Science Fiction Novel
- Minds of Sand and Light, Kylie Chan (HarperCollins)
- The Comforting Weight of Water, Roanna McClelland (Wakefield)
- Aliens: Bishop, T.R. Napper (Titan)
- Dronikus, Marko Newman (AndAlso)
- Time of the Cat, Tansy Rayner Roberts (self-published)
- Traitor’s Run, Keith Stevenson (coeur de lion)
Best Science Fiction Novella
- “Eight
2023 Nebula Awards Ballot
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) has released the final ballot for the 2023 Nebula Awards.
Novel
- The Saint of Bright Doors, Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom)
- The Water Outlaws, S.L. Huang (Tordotcom; Solaris UK)
- Translation State, Ann Leckie (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
- The Terraformers, Annalee Newitz (Tor; Orbit UK)
- Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon, Wole Talabi (DAW; Gollancz)
- Witch King, Martha
SFWA Announces the Finalists for the 59th Nebula Awards
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) is pleased to announce the finalists for the 59th Annual Nebula Awards®! Our congratulations go out to each and every finalist for the recognition of their excellent works published in 2023.
The awards will be presented in a ceremony on Saturday, June 8, that will be streamed live as it is held in-person in Pasadena, CA, as part of the 2024 Nebula Conference Online. Winners in each category will be determined by the vote of Full, Associate, and Senior members of SFWA.
Here is the complete list of finalists:
Nebula Award for Novel
- The Saint of Bright Doors, Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom)
- The Water Outlaws, S.L. Huang (Tordotcom; Solaris UK)
- Translation State, Ann Leckie (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
- The Terraformers, Annalee Newitz (Tor; Orbit UK)
- Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon, Wole Talabi (DAW, Gollancz)
- Witch King, Martha Wells (Tordotcom)
Nebula Award for Novella
- The Crane Husband, Kelly Barnhill (Tordotcom)
- “Linghun”, Ai Jiang (Dark Matter Ink)
- Thornhedge, T. Kingfisher (Tor; Titan UK)
- Untethered Sky, Fonda Lee (Tordotcom)
- The Mimicking of Known Successes, Malka Older (Tordotcom)
- Mammoths at the Gates, Nghi Vo (Tordotcom)
Nebula Award for Novelette
- “A Short Biography of a Conscious Chair”, Renan Bernardo (Samovar 2/23)
- I Am AI, Ai Jiang (Shortwave)
- “The Year Without Sunshine”, Naomi Kritzer (Uncanny 11-12/23)
- “Imagine: Purple-Haired Girl Shooting Down The Moon”, Angela Liu (Clarkesworld 6/23)
- “Saturday’s Song”, Wole Talabi (Lightspeed 5/23)
- “Six Versions of My Brother Found Under the Bridge”, Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny 9-10/23)
Nebula Award for Short Story
- “Once Upon a Time at The Oakmont”, P.A. Cornell (Fantasy 10/23)
- “Tantie Merle and the Farmhand 4200”, R.S.A Garcia (Uncanny 7-8/23)
- “Window Boy”, Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld 8/23)
- “The Sound of Children Screaming”, Rachael K. Jones (Nightmare 10/23)
- “Better Living Through Algorithms”, Naomi Kritzer (Clarkesworld 5/23)
- “Bad Doors”, John Wiswell (Uncanny 1-2/23)
Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction
- To Shape a Dragon’s Breath, Moniquill Blackgoose (Del Rey)
- The Inn at the Amethyst Lantern, J. Dianne Dotson (Android)
- Liberty’s Daughter, Naomi Kritzer (Fairwood)
- The Ghost Job, Greg van Eekhout (Harper)
Nebula Award for Game Writing
- The Bread Must Rise, Stewart C Baker, James Beamon (Choice of Games)
- Alan Wake II, Sam Lake, Clay Murphy, Tyler Burton Smith, Sinikka Annala (Remedy Entertainment, Epic Games Publishing)
- Ninefox Gambit: Machineries of Empire Roleplaying Game, Yoon Ha Lee, Marie Brennan(Android)
- Dredge, Joel Mason (Black Salt Games, Team 17)
- Chants of Sennaar, Julien Moya, Thomas Panuel (Rundisc, Focus Entertainment)
- Baldur’s Gate 3, Adam Smith, Adrienne Law, Baudelaire Welch, Chrystal Ding, Ella McConnell, Ine Van Hamme, Jan Van Dosselaer, John Corcoran, Kevin VanOrd, Lawrence Schick, Martin Docherty, Rachel Quirke, Ruairí Moore, Sarah Baylus, Stephen Rooney, Swen Vincke (Larian Studios)
Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation
- Nimona, Robert L. Baird, Lloyd Taylor, Pamela Ribon, Marc Haimes, Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, Keith Bunin, Nate Stevenson (Annapurna Animation, Annapurna Pictures)
- The Last of Us: “Long, Long Time”, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin (HBOMax)
- Barbie, Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach (Warner Bros., Heyday Films, LuckyChap Entertainment)
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, Michael Gilio, Chris McKay (Paramount Pictures, Entertainment One, Allspark Pictures)
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Dave Callaham (Columbia Pictures, Marvel Entertainment, Avi Arad Productions)
- The Boy and the Heron, Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli, Toho Company)
Author Martha Wells has graciously declined her nomination as a novel finalist this year for System Collapse published by Tordotcom. In 2022, Wells also declined a nomination for novella and felt that the Murderbot Diaries series has already received incredible praise from her industry peers and wanted to open the floor to highlight other works within the community.
We look forward to celebrating all the finalists with aspiring and professional creators in the science fiction and fantasy genres at the 2024 Nebula Conference, June 6-9, 2024.
Questions about the awards or the upcoming conference may be directed to the SFWA Events Team at events@sfwa.org
The post SFWA Announces the Finalists for the 59th Nebula Awards appeared first on SFWA.
2024 Dublin Literary Award Longlist
The 70-title longlist for the Dublin Literary Awards has been announced. Titles and authors of genre interest include:
- Chain-Gang All-Stars, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Pantheon)
- Limberlost, Robbie Arnott (Atlantic)
- The Crane Husband, Kelly Barnhill (Tordotcom)
- The House of Fortune, Jessie Burton (Bloomsbury)
- Solenoid, Mircea Cărtărescu (Deep Vellum)
- Birnam Wood, Eleanor Catton (Farrar, Straus, Giroux)
- The Axeman’s Carnival, Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press)
2023 Libby Book Awards Winners
Winners of the inaugural Libby Book Awards, “chosen by a vote from over 1,700 librarians and library workers across North America,” have been announced, including winners of genre interest.
Best Science Fiction
- System Collapse, Martha Wells (Tordotcom)
Best Fantasy
- Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros (Red Tower)
Best Young Adult Fiction
- Divine Rivals, Rebecca Ross (Wednesday)
Best Romantasy
- Iron Flame, Rebecca Yarros (Red Tower)
Best Historical Fiction
- Let
2024 Aspen Words Finalists
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Pantheon) is one of the five finalists for the 2024 Aspen Words Literary Prize.
The winner will be announced during a ceremony on April 25, 2024 in New York, NY. The $35,000 prize is awarded to “an influential work of fiction focused on vital contemporary issues.” Finalists and winner are chosen by jury. This year’s judges are Lan Samantha Chang, Christina Baker Kline, Anthony ...Read More
2024 Carol Shields Prize Longlist
The longlist has been announced for the 2024 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. Longlisted works of genre interest include:
- You Were Watching from the Sand, Juliana Lamy (Red Hen)
- The Future, Catherine Leroux, translated by Susan Ouriou (Biblioasis)
- A Council of Dolls, Mona Susan Power (Mariner)
- Chrysalis, Anuja Varghese (House of Anansi)
- Land of Milk and Honey, C. Pam Zhang (Riverhead)
The prize recognizes “creativity ...Read More