Locus News

Onoguwe Wins Working Class Writers Grant
Hannah Onoguwe is the winner of the 2024 Working Class Writers Grant for her work “Eyes of the Igbadai”.
The $1,000 grant is presented annually by the Speculative Literature Foundation (SLF) to “speculative fiction writers who are working class, blue-collar, financially disadvantaged, or homeless, who have been historically underrepresented in speculative fiction due to financial barriers which make it hard to access the writing world.”
Other authors shortlisted for this ...Read More
HNS Call for Proposals
The Historical Novel Society (HNS) has issued a call for proposals for their 2025 conference (HNS25), open December 15, 2024 to January 15, 2025.
This year, the conference theme is ‘‘A Celebration of Historical Fiction in its Many Forms,’’ and HNS25 program chair Christopher M. Cevasco “welcomes proposals of panels, talks, and readings with a focus on historical fantasy, alternate history, time travel, steampunk, and historical horror, among other forms ...Read More
People & Publishing Roundup, December 2024
CLIO EVANS is now represented by Stevie Finegan of Zeno Agency Ltd.
AWARDSHAYAO MIYAZAKI is this year’s recipient of the Forry Award for lifetime achievement in the SF field, presented by The Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society. Miyazaki is the founder of Studio Ghibli and an Academy Award-winning filmmaker. The award, named for Forrest J Ackerman, has been given annually since 1966.
BOOKS SOLDSEANAN MCGUIRE, writing ...Read More
2024 World Fantasy Convention Report
The 50th World Fantasy Convention was held as a hybrid event October 17-20, 2024, with the in-person portion held at the Sheraton Niagara Falls and Niagara Falls Convention Center in Niagara Falls NY. Guests of honor were Scott H. Andrews, Galen Dara, and Heather Graham, with toastmaster Michael Swanwick. P. Djèlí Clark was a special guest, and Life Achievement Awards winners were Ginjer Buchanan and Jo Fletcher. The theme was ...Read More
Trent Zelazny (1976-2024)
Author Trent Zelazny, 48, died on November 28, 2024 of acute liver failure.
The son of SF writer Roger Zelazny, he began publishing short SF in 1999, and went on to produce over 30 stories, with some collected in The Day the Leash Gave Way and Other Stories (2009). He also edited anthology Mirages: Tales from Authors of the Macabre (2012) and co-edited Shadows & Reflections: A Roger Zelazny Tribute ...Read More
SLF Illustration of the Year Call
The Speculative Literature Foundation (SLF) has announced an open call for “original artwork combining fantasy and science fiction themes to be featured as its 2024 Illustration of the Year.”
The deadline for submissions is January 15, 2025. The winner, to be announced in February 2025, will receive $750, and the winning artwork will be featured on the SLF website and social media “and used as a visual element of SLF’s ...Read More
NYT Best SF, Fantasy, and Horror of 2024
The New York Times published lists of the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2024 and the Best Horror of 2024, compiled by critics Amal El-Mohtar and Gabino Iglesias respectively.
El-Mohtar’s top ten picks are:
- The Book of Love, Kelly Link (Random House)
- Rakesfall, Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom)
- In Universes, Emet North (HarperCollins)
- The Melancholy of Untold History, Minsoo Kang (Morrow)
- The Practice, the Horizon, and the
G.R.R.M. Screenwriting Competition
The 2025 George R.R. Martin Screenwriting Grant is accepting submissions until December 15, 2024. Organized by the New Mexico Film Foundation, with support from the George R.R. Martin Literary Foundation, the competition is open to screenwriters from New Mexico.
The winning grant award for an individual screenplay is $5,000 and includes a mentorship introduction with a seasoned screenwriter. Two additional writers will receive a foundation membership and developmental mentorship with ...Read More
Otherwise Fellowship Applications Due
The Otherwise Fellowship is open to applications until December 15, 2024.
From the organizers of the Fellowship:
The Otherwise Fellowship (formerly Tiptree Fellowship) was established in 2015 to support and recognize new voices who are creating work that is changing our view of gender today. The Fellowship program seeks out creators who are striving to complete new works, particularly creators from communities that have been historically underrepresented in the science ...Read More
ASFS Statement on Ekpeki and New Code of Conduct
On December 10, 2024, the African Science Fiction Society (ASFS) released the following statement:
In light of further revelations in the case of the allegations made by Erin Cairns’ against ASFS member Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, the specific allegations of appropriation and non-disclosure have been investigated by a third party and no longer stand, and a public retraction has been made.
As an urgent response, we have now published a new ...Read More
Chen Joins Putnam
Ruoxi Chen has joined Putnam as executive editor after seven years at Tor. She will report to editor-in-chief Lindsay Sagnette, who told Publishers Weekly,
Ruoxi will draw on her deep experience in the speculative fiction space to bring exceptional crossover fantasy, romantasy, and science fiction titles for the general reader to the Putnam list… I look forward to watching her bring a new generation of talented storytellers to Putnam.
Chen ...Read More
Anand Vaidya (1976-2024)
Philosopher Anand Vaidya, 48, died October 11, 2024 of cancer. Vaidya cofounded the Science Fiction and Philosophy Society in 2022, “to explore connections between science fiction and philosophy, to cross-pollinate new ideas, and to boldly go where no one has thought before!”
Anand Jayprakash Vaidya was born January 4, 1976 in Chicago, Illinois. He grew up mostly in Saudi Arabia, but also spent time in India, Germany, and various parts ...Read More
2024 Word of the Year
Collins Dictionary in the UK has released its “Word of the Year” winner and shortlist for 2024. The list include “romantasy,” defined as “a literary genre that combines romantic fiction with fantasy.” The overall word of the year is “brat,” in the sense of someone with a “confident, independent and hedonistic attitude,” as popularized by singer/songwriter Charli XCX’s album Brat.
Other words on the list include “supermajority,” “yapping,” “delulu,” ...Read More
New Imprint: Stonefruit Studio
Sourcebooks has announced a new children’s and YA imprint, Stonefruit Studio, and plans to publish 16 to 24 “distinctively creative children’s books across all age categories and formats” annually, including middle grade, YA, graphic novelws, and non-fiction by “authors and illustrators [who] can showcase their bold narrative voices and distinct styles that bring the joy of reading to children of all ages.”
Ben Rosenthal and Mabel Hsu will be editorial ...Read More
Internet Archive Case Concludes
The Internet Archive (IA) has elected not to further appeal its loss in the copyright infringement case upheld by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in September.
Now that the case is settled, IA will remove infringing books from their “lending library” and pay an undisclosed monetary sum to the plaintiff publishers, which the Association of American Publishers says should “substantially” cover the attorney fees and court costs.
The IA ...Read More
2024 Libro.fm Bookseller Choice Awards
Libro.fm has polled over 3,000 of their independent bookselling partners to choose the best audiobooks of 2024. Nominations and categories were pulled from trends in Bookseller Pick data to create the Bookseller Choice Awards.
The Libro.fm Bookseller Choice Award categories and winners are:
Best Audiobook for a Long Trip
- The Third Gilmore Girl, Kelly Bishop, read by the author (Penguin Audio)
Read to Make You Fall in Love with Audiobooks
...Read More2024 Goodreads Choice Award Winners
Winners of the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards, chosen by users of the site, have been announced. There are several winners of genre interest across various categories.
Romantasy
- House of Flame and Shadow, Sarah J. Maas (Bloomsbury)
Fantasy
- Somewhere Beyond the Sea, T.J. Klune (Tor)
Science Fiction
- The Ministry of Time, Kaliane Bradley (Avid Reader)
Horror
- You Like It Darker, Stephen King (Scribner)
Young Adult Fantasy
- Ruthless
NYT Notable Books of 2024
The New York Times has published its list of Notable Books of 2024. Titles are selected by staff members of the New York Times Book Review.
The list includes titles of genre interest:
- Ghostroots, ’Pemi Aguda (Norton)
- The Familiar, Leigh Bardugo (Flatiron)
- Beautyland, Marie-Helene Bertino (FSG)
- Dead in Long Beach, California, Venita Blackburn (MCD)
- Rakesfall, Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom)
- You Dreamed of Empires, Álvaro Enrigue,
2025 Joyce Carol Oates Award Longlist
The 2025 Joyce Carol Oates Prize has announced its 33-title longlist. The award honors “mid-career authors in fiction,” and the winner receives a $50,000 prize and a residence at the University of California, Berkeley and/or Bay Area. The award is given by the New Literary Project. The 2025 longlist features several works of genre interest, including:
- Beautyland, Marie-Helene Bertino (FSG)
- Dead in Long Beach, California, Venita Blackburn (MCD)
AudioFile’s Best of 2024
AudioFile magazine has published their picks for the best audiobooks of 2024 in categories including Science Fiction and Fantasy and Young Adult.
Science Fiction and Fantasy
- The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden (Random House Audio)
- The Crone of Midnight Embers, Iris Beaglehole (Podium Audio)
- The Mercy of Gods, James S.A. Corey (Recorded Books)
- The Stars Too Fondly, Emily Hamilton (HarperAudio)
- When Among Crows, Veronica