Futurismic

Personal Information is a serial sci-fi webcomic from Sarah “Does Not Equal” Ennals. Wondering what’s going on? Try winding back and reading from the start…

Personal Information is a serial sci-fi webcomic from Sarah “Does Not Equal” Ennals. Wondering what’s going on? Try winding back and reading from the start…

Heads up, writers – I bring news from ian Sales. The Rocket Science anthology reading period is now open, so get yer subs in! Take it away, Ian:

Rocket Science, the anthology of authentic and realistic hard science fiction, opens its doors today to submissions. I’m looking for stories which realistically depict space travel and its hazards. But not exclusively: stories covering other areas of science and technology are welcome. Just as long as they are authentic and realistic.

Both fiction and non-fiction are wanted – between 1,000 and 6,000 words. Payment is GBP 10.00 per 1,000 words. See the guidelines page at Mutation Press and the antho’s own news blog for further information.

Well, you heard the man – get to it! I’ve got a couple of pieces in mind of my own, but – as usual – they have yet to be written. Better get a move on, hadn’t I?

Heads up, science fiction short story writery types: the James White Award has announced its judging panel for the 2011 contest! What’s the James White Award? I’m glad you asked…

The James White Award is an annual short story competition open to non-professional writers with the winner chosen by a panel of judges made up of professional authors and editors. This year’s award will be judged by the novelists Jon Courtenay Grimwood and Juliet E McKenna and by the publisher of Interzone, Andy Cox. Stories entered into the competition must be original and previously unpublished. Entry is free.

The James White Award was instituted to honour the memory of one of Ireland’s most successful science fiction authors, James White. To learn more about James White and his writing, visit www.sectorgeneral.com.

The prize for winning this year’s James White Award 2011 is £200 plus publication in Interzone, the leading UK science fiction magazine.

The closing date for this year’s competition is midnight (GMT) 31 January 2012.

Open to any writer from any country on the planet, though your story does need to be written in English. The other competition rules (and some helpful advice for folk thinking of entering) can be found on the JWA website. So go read, and then get writing. Good luck!

Here’s some news from sf small press Phoenix Pick; they’re doing a series of books pairing up established names in the genre with newer writers. From the press release:

The Phoenix Pick program pairs a veteran author with a newer writer, each contributing a story for a single, stand-alone edition within the series. Each of the two stories may be set in the same universe, or complement the other in some other manner.

This project offers less-established authors a new venue to sell their stories and also provides them with an exceptional opportunity to have their work introduced to science fiction and fantasy fans by current masters in the field.

It allows veteran authors the opportunity to provide newer authors of their own choosing a distinctive platform to launch or re-ignite their careers.

Mike Resnick, the series editor, is considered one of the most distinguished writers and editors in the genre. He has been nominated for a record 35 Hugo awards and has won the award five times. He is first on Locus magazine’s list of all-time award winners, living or dead, for short fiction, and fourth on the magazine’s list of science fiction’s all-time top award winners in all fiction categories.

Good to see people still trying new ideas in the dead-tree sphere. As I’ve said before, I don’t think print media is anywhere near over, though it’s definitely moving into a twilight phase… and as mass market models fade away, there becomes space to try new things with niches. One to keep an eye on.