Douglas Smith's blog

Lynda Williams has an interview with me up now on her Reality Skimming blog on her Okal Rel Saga website. I talk about selling to foreign language markets and the Foreign Market List.

The next post in my series at Amazing Stories on marketing and selling short fiction is now up (well, actually, it's been up for a while, but I've been travelling). This week's entry deals with submission fear and knowing when it's time to stop rewriting, editing, and tweaking that story, and to send it out into the world. Check out this week's post here. I'll be skipping a post this week, but hope to have part 7 up next week and be back on a regular weekly posting schedule.

The next post in my series at Amazing Stories on marketing and selling short fiction is now up. This week's entry is the second of a 2-week discussion on why you never "sell" a short story. Check out this week's post here.

The next post in my series at Amazing Stories on marketing and selling short fiction is now up. This week's entry is the first of a 2-week discussion on why you never "sell" a short story. These two posts contain information on how licensing of fiction rights work, information that is critical for every short story writer to understand. Check out this week's post here.

I blogged recently about the upcoming relaunch of Amazing Stories Magazine. Well, the official opening of the new site to the public was yesterday, January 21. See below for the press release from Steve Davidson, the new publisher for Amazing Stories.

For my part, I'm writing a blog series on the site on how to market and sell your short fiction, entitled "Playing the Short Game." I now have three posts in the series up on the Amazing Stories site:

Part 1: Introduction - Who I am and what this series will cover

Part 2: Why are you writing? - Deciding on the writing career that you want

Part 3: Why short fiction? - The benefits of the short game to a writing career

The series is aimed at the beginning writer. If that's you, I hope you'll drop by each week. I'll be posting weekly, and my posts (I think) will be going up each Monday. If you're an experienced writer, please drop by as well and add your comments based on your own experience and knowledge. 

And while you're there, check out the new site. There are over fifty bloggers that cover not just fiction topics, but all aspects of fandom. Look around and I'll bet that you'll find something that interests you. Hope to see you there! Here's a page that will list all of my posts in the "Playing the Short Game" series on the Amazing Stories site.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

HOLD FOR RELEASE UNTIL MONDAY, JANUARY 21ST

Amazing Stories, the world's first science fiction magazine, is now open to the public.

Social Magazine Website Offers Nearly Sixty Writers and Social Networking For Fans!

On Wednesday, January 2nd, 2013, I will be joined by more than 50 other writers from around the blogosphere to help launch the Beta Test of Phase 1 of the return of Amazing Stories. I'll be writing a blog series, aimed at new or beginning writers, on how to market and sell your short fiction. 

For me, it is especially very cool to be part of the relaunch of Amazing Stories. One of my first professional sales was to AS back in the late 90's ("State of Disorder" in issue #595 -- see the cover at the left) when Kim Mohan was the fiction editor. I still remember the thrill of being in an issue with Jack Williamson and Frederic Pohl. Back then, AS was also one of the few magazines with a circulation large enough to be a "qualifying publication" for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. My sale to AS eventually led to me being one of five finalists on the 2001 Campbell ballot (I lost).

Amazing Stories was the world's first science fiction magazine.  Published by Hugo Gernsback, the Father of Science Fiction, the magazine created the genre's first home and was instrumental in helping to establish science fiction fandom – the fandom from which all other fandoms have evolved.

The magazine itself ceased publication in 2005. In 2008 the new publisher, Steve Davidson, discovered that the trademarks had lapsed and applied for them.  The marks were finally granted in 2011.

Phase 1 introduces the social networking aspects of the site and the Blog Team, more than 50 authors, artists, collectors, editors, pod casters, designers and bloggers who will address 14 different subjects on a regular basis – SF, Fantasy & Horror literature, anime, gaming, film, television, the visual arts, audio works, the pulps, comics, fandom, science and publishing. 

If any of you are interested in participating in the Beta Test of the site, you can request an invitation by emailing the publisher, Steve Davidson.

And here is a link to the official press release from Steve.