Michael Swanwick's Blog, page 145
August 21, 2014
Gardner Dozois -- GEEK of the WEEK!!!
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Gardner Dozois has received many honors, not all of which he welcomed. Once, Philadelphia Magazine named him one of the One Hundred Most Intelligent People in Philadelphia. And if you can't imagine what he had to say about that, then I guess you don't know Gardner half as well as you think you do.
But now at last, he's received a local honor he can accept with pleasure. Geekadelphia has named him this week's Geek of the Week!
Here's an excerpt from the interview by Chris Urie:
Which is, every word of it, the pure and utter truth. Seriously, if God offers you the choice between talent and stubbornness, the wise writer will choose the latter every time.
You can read the entire interview with the Great Man here.
Oh, and . . .
The interview more than once mentions Rogues , the anthology with a self-explanatory title which Gardner and George R. R. Martin created and which is fresh out on the stands. I have a story in there, and as a result I signed about a metric hundred copies of the book over the course of last weekend's Worldcon. Since I'm only halfway through reading it, I asked a lot of the autographees their opinion of the book.
They all said that every story in it was great.
Those of you who read for pleasure, may want to take note.
*
Gardner Dozois has received many honors, not all of which he welcomed. Once, Philadelphia Magazine named him one of the One Hundred Most Intelligent People in Philadelphia. And if you can't imagine what he had to say about that, then I guess you don't know Gardner half as well as you think you do.
But now at last, he's received a local honor he can accept with pleasure. Geekadelphia has named him this week's Geek of the Week!
Here's an excerpt from the interview by Chris Urie:
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers and editors?
Persevere. Often persistence and determination are as important as talent, if not more so. There have been many writers of talent who have given up and fallen by the wayside, and are never heard from again. The writing life, after all, is not a series of gentle encouragements; it’s more like a series of kicks in the teeth. I can guarantee you that any “overnight success” you’ve heard of has been through years if not decades of rejection and discouragement. If they’re tough enough, if they have a thick enough skin, if they believe in themselves enough, if they want it enough, they persevere. Otherwise, they vanish.
Which is, every word of it, the pure and utter truth. Seriously, if God offers you the choice between talent and stubbornness, the wise writer will choose the latter every time.
You can read the entire interview with the Great Man here.
Oh, and . . .
The interview more than once mentions Rogues , the anthology with a self-explanatory title which Gardner and George R. R. Martin created and which is fresh out on the stands. I have a story in there, and as a result I signed about a metric hundred copies of the book over the course of last weekend's Worldcon. Since I'm only halfway through reading it, I asked a lot of the autographees their opinion of the book.
They all said that every story in it was great.
Those of you who read for pleasure, may want to take note.
*
August 20, 2014
The Greatest Award Ellen Datlow Will Never Literally Receive
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I was present at Loncon last Sunday when Ellen Datlow won a Hugo, her fifth. Ellen and I have been friends since she was a new-minted assistant fiction editor at the late, lamented Omni . She rose to the position of fiction editor, which we all expected would be the peak of her career – not because any of us had any doubts about her abilities, but because there simply was no higher position as a genre short fiction editor available. When Omni folded, she became the fiction editor of Event Horizon and then Sci Fiction , both webzines. Meanwhile, she was co-editing The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (she chose the horror while the fantasy was handled by first Terri Windling and then Gavin Grant and Kelly Link). When that volume ceased to be she began editing The Best Horror of the Year . And simultaneously with all that, Ellen was editing many, many original SF, fantasy, and horror anthologies. For which she has won, in addition to the aforementioned Hugos, three Bram Stoker Awards, two Shirley Jackson Awards, and nine World Fantasy Awards.
Oh yeah, and she’s slated to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Fantasy Convention in D. C. this year.
Did I mention that she’s my pal? Marianne and I have known her for (cough) years and we enjoy her company immensely. She's definitely one of the good guys.
But for all that, I was caught by surprise Sunday when the slate of nominees for Best Editor (Short Form) was read out. All the editors were popular with the crowd. But the applause for Ellen was not only louder but warmer than the applause for all the rest. And when she was announced the winner the entire room roared.
All these years I've known Ellen, liked her, sold her stories, and admired her editing. But now, in amazement, I realized that she was not just an extremely good editor -- she was a legendary editor.
There is no official mechanism for achieving this status, no trophy, no ceremony, not even a certificate. It is something that can be only given spontaneously by the readership at large. And for this reason it is worth more than all the other awards put together.
Legendary. Wow.
Congratulations, Ellen! I'm proud to be your friend.
And I really must say . . .
Thank you to everyone who congratulated me on being chosen as a guest of honor for MidAmeriCon 2, the 2016 Worldcon. I was delighted by the honor and am deeply grateful for your good wishes. Particularly those of the writers who (you know who you are, most of you) deserve that same honor yourselves.
Um... and that's all, really. I'm going to slip back into obscurity now.
Above: Everybody's favorite photo of Ellen, created by the brilliant J. K. Potter.
*
I was present at Loncon last Sunday when Ellen Datlow won a Hugo, her fifth. Ellen and I have been friends since she was a new-minted assistant fiction editor at the late, lamented Omni . She rose to the position of fiction editor, which we all expected would be the peak of her career – not because any of us had any doubts about her abilities, but because there simply was no higher position as a genre short fiction editor available. When Omni folded, she became the fiction editor of Event Horizon and then Sci Fiction , both webzines. Meanwhile, she was co-editing The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (she chose the horror while the fantasy was handled by first Terri Windling and then Gavin Grant and Kelly Link). When that volume ceased to be she began editing The Best Horror of the Year . And simultaneously with all that, Ellen was editing many, many original SF, fantasy, and horror anthologies. For which she has won, in addition to the aforementioned Hugos, three Bram Stoker Awards, two Shirley Jackson Awards, and nine World Fantasy Awards.
Oh yeah, and she’s slated to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Fantasy Convention in D. C. this year.
Did I mention that she’s my pal? Marianne and I have known her for (cough) years and we enjoy her company immensely. She's definitely one of the good guys.
But for all that, I was caught by surprise Sunday when the slate of nominees for Best Editor (Short Form) was read out. All the editors were popular with the crowd. But the applause for Ellen was not only louder but warmer than the applause for all the rest. And when she was announced the winner the entire room roared.
All these years I've known Ellen, liked her, sold her stories, and admired her editing. But now, in amazement, I realized that she was not just an extremely good editor -- she was a legendary editor.
There is no official mechanism for achieving this status, no trophy, no ceremony, not even a certificate. It is something that can be only given spontaneously by the readership at large. And for this reason it is worth more than all the other awards put together.
Legendary. Wow.
Congratulations, Ellen! I'm proud to be your friend.
And I really must say . . .
Thank you to everyone who congratulated me on being chosen as a guest of honor for MidAmeriCon 2, the 2016 Worldcon. I was delighted by the honor and am deeply grateful for your good wishes. Particularly those of the writers who (you know who you are, most of you) deserve that same honor yourselves.
Um... and that's all, really. I'm going to slip back into obscurity now.
Above: Everybody's favorite photo of Ellen, created by the brilliant J. K. Potter.
*
August 19, 2014
After The Good Advice...
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So many people congratulated me on my goh gig at the MidAmericon 2! I'll write something tomorrow to thank them all, when I'm not so washed-out and weary from travel. For today, though, the following brief thought...
My last conversation in London was in Heathrow with a writer (one who, as you'll see in a sec, would not thank me if I used his name) who told me his stories were all beginning to sound alike, climax in the same place and so on, and asked me how to mix it up.
So I did my best. I checked and found he was reading the magazines voraciously, which was good because you want to compete with the very best of the contemporary writers. I suggested he go back and reread some of the classic Fifties and New Wave stories to see if any of them sparked a response. ("This is so wrong-headed!" is an even better story-sparker than "how dare this person write something cooler than I'm working on!") And I suggested he go out and look at things he's never seen before, stuff that has not much to do with narrative art, and try to daydream a story out of them. (I've gotten whole stories out of Picasso and Miro exhibitions and many tweaks and details out of individual paintings.) It was a short conversation -- I had a plane to catch -- but I did my honest best to be of use.
Afterward, though, I thought of one thing I had not said. It was not advice, so I would not have given up any of what I'd told him to make room for it, but it might be of a lesser usefulness. So I'll address him directly here:
It's a good sign that you saw this problem, that it disturbed you, and that you're looking for a solution to it. Every serious writer I know has these kinds of problems, is disturbed by them, and looks for solutions. It's part of the job.
That's all. I just thought he -- and by extension a lot of other young writers, both published and someday to be -- could use a word of encouragement.
Above: Paul Klee's Fish Magic. A wonderful painting, far better and more profound than the image above makes it look, now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I've spent hours staring at it. It was a big influence on "Slow Life."
*
So many people congratulated me on my goh gig at the MidAmericon 2! I'll write something tomorrow to thank them all, when I'm not so washed-out and weary from travel. For today, though, the following brief thought...
My last conversation in London was in Heathrow with a writer (one who, as you'll see in a sec, would not thank me if I used his name) who told me his stories were all beginning to sound alike, climax in the same place and so on, and asked me how to mix it up.
So I did my best. I checked and found he was reading the magazines voraciously, which was good because you want to compete with the very best of the contemporary writers. I suggested he go back and reread some of the classic Fifties and New Wave stories to see if any of them sparked a response. ("This is so wrong-headed!" is an even better story-sparker than "how dare this person write something cooler than I'm working on!") And I suggested he go out and look at things he's never seen before, stuff that has not much to do with narrative art, and try to daydream a story out of them. (I've gotten whole stories out of Picasso and Miro exhibitions and many tweaks and details out of individual paintings.) It was a short conversation -- I had a plane to catch -- but I did my honest best to be of use.
Afterward, though, I thought of one thing I had not said. It was not advice, so I would not have given up any of what I'd told him to make room for it, but it might be of a lesser usefulness. So I'll address him directly here:
It's a good sign that you saw this problem, that it disturbed you, and that you're looking for a solution to it. Every serious writer I know has these kinds of problems, is disturbed by them, and looks for solutions. It's part of the job.
That's all. I just thought he -- and by extension a lot of other young writers, both published and someday to be -- could use a word of encouragement.
Above: Paul Klee's Fish Magic. A wonderful painting, far better and more profound than the image above makes it look, now in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I've spent hours staring at it. It was a big influence on "Slow Life."
*
August 17, 2014
In Which I Invite You To Be Happy For Me
.As always, I am on the road again. Tonight I'm in London, in a hotel with limited Internet access, which is why there's no picture above. Tomorrow morning I begin the long journey home, which is why my Monday post is being put up on Sunday.
And I am feeling particularly happy.
Some of you will already know why: I have been chosen to be a guest of honor at MidAmeriCon 2, the 2016 World Science Fiction Convention. This is a serious honor, and one that particularly delights me because the 1976 MidAmeriCon was my first Worldcon ever. I went there with friends hoping, of course, to have a good time -- but also hoping to learn something from the many panels that would improve my writing and bring me a little closer to being a published writer.
Looking back, my plan seems to have worked.
That's all for now. I'm exhausted and I'm going to sleep.
I hope your day was good also.
.
And I am feeling particularly happy.
Some of you will already know why: I have been chosen to be a guest of honor at MidAmeriCon 2, the 2016 World Science Fiction Convention. This is a serious honor, and one that particularly delights me because the 1976 MidAmeriCon was my first Worldcon ever. I went there with friends hoping, of course, to have a good time -- but also hoping to learn something from the many panels that would improve my writing and bring me a little closer to being a published writer.
Looking back, my plan seems to have worked.
That's all for now. I'm exhausted and I'm going to sleep.
I hope your day was good also.
.
August 13, 2014
My London Schedule
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A Worldcon! In London! The heart beats faster.
As always, I'm on the road again, this time to Loncon, the 2014 World Science Fiction Convention.
I have a light schedule this con, in part because I took my time about answering the questionnaire, and in part because I've been so busy lately that I wasn't eager to add to my workload.
But if you see me, feel free to say hi. Meanwhile, here's my light schedule:
RA Lafferty Roundtable
Thursday 19:00 - 20:00, Capital Suite 5 (ExCeL)
A roundtable on the works and legacy of R.A. Lafferty, in celebration of his centennial year, and in recognition of his return to publication in the hands of the Locus Foundation.
Katie Lynn Daniels (Moderator) , Stefan Rudnicki, Michael Swanwick, Andrew Ferguson
Kaffeeklatsch
Saturday 12:00 - 13:00, London Suite 4 (ExCeL)
And I'm also doing a signing. (Loncon gave me a signing time but, mea culpa, I had to beg off because of an early flight home.) It's at:
Signing
Sunday 2:00 p.m., Tachyon Publications table, huckster room.
*
A Worldcon! In London! The heart beats faster.
As always, I'm on the road again, this time to Loncon, the 2014 World Science Fiction Convention.
I have a light schedule this con, in part because I took my time about answering the questionnaire, and in part because I've been so busy lately that I wasn't eager to add to my workload.
But if you see me, feel free to say hi. Meanwhile, here's my light schedule:
RA Lafferty Roundtable
Thursday 19:00 - 20:00, Capital Suite 5 (ExCeL)
A roundtable on the works and legacy of R.A. Lafferty, in celebration of his centennial year, and in recognition of his return to publication in the hands of the Locus Foundation.
Katie Lynn Daniels (Moderator) , Stefan Rudnicki, Michael Swanwick, Andrew Ferguson
Kaffeeklatsch
Saturday 12:00 - 13:00, London Suite 4 (ExCeL)
And I'm also doing a signing. (Loncon gave me a signing time but, mea culpa, I had to beg off because of an early flight home.) It's at:
Signing
Sunday 2:00 p.m., Tachyon Publications table, huckster room.
*
August 11, 2014
Nine Hundred Authors United
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I don't have a horse in this particular race. But I signed the Authors United petition because:
A) Fair is fair.
and:
B) Bullying is bullying.
Except that in this case Amazon's bullying is ensuring that a lot of working writers will get significantly less money for their books and in some cases suffer significant damage to their careers.
On a related note, if you want to make the world a better place . . . buy a book from an independent bookstore. Browsing in a local store run by pleasant people is so much more fun than clicking on an icon. And you might well find something you weren't looking for! That's how I discovered Daniel Wallace's slim and delightful Big Fish .
Here's the text and signatories to the two-page ad that ran in yesterday's New York TImes . If you want to have some fun, see how many of authors you're familiar with.
A Letter to Our Readers:
Amazon is involved in a commercial dispute with the book publisher Hachette , which owns Little, Brown, Grand Central Publishing, and other familiar imprints. These sorts of disputes happen all the time between companies and they are usually resolved in a corporate back room.
But in this case, Amazon has done something unusual. It has directly targeted Hachette's authors in an effort to force their publisher to agree to its terms.For the past several months, Amazon has been:
--Boycotting Hachette authors, by refusing to accept pre-orders on Hachette authors' books and eBooks, claiming they are "unavailable."
--Refusing to discount the prices of many of Hachette authors' books.
--Slowing the delivery of thousands of Hachette authors' books to Amazon customers, indicating that delivery will take as long as several weeks on most titles.
--Suggesting on some Hachette authors' pages that readers might prefer a book from a non-Hachette author instead.
As writers--most of us not published by Hachette--Many of us have supported Amazon since it was a struggling start-up. Our books launched Amazon on the road to selling everything and becoming one of the world's largest corporations. We have made Amazon many millions of dollars and over the years have contributed so much, free of charge, to the company by way of cooperation, joint promotions, reviews and blogs. This is no way to treat a business partner. Nor is it the right way to treat your friends. Without taking sides on the contractual dispute between Hachette and Amazon, we encourage Amazon in the strongest possible terms to stop harming the livelihood of the authors on whom it has built its business. None of us, neither readers nor authors, benefit when books are taken hostage. (We're not alone in our plea: the opinion pages of both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal , which rarely agree on anything, have roundly condemned Amazon's corporate behavior.)We call on Amazon to resolve its dispute with Hachette without further hurting authors and without blocking or otherwise delaying the sale of books to its customers.
We respectfully ask you, our loyal readers, to email Jeff Bezos, CEO and founder of Amazon, atjeff@amazon.com, and tell him what you think. He says he genuinely welcomes hearing from his customers and claims to read all emails at that account. We hope that, writers and readers together, we will be able to change his mind.
Sincerely,Megan AbbottRobert H. AbelRachael AcksWilliam M. AdlerElisa AlbertWilliam AlexanderSherman AlexieMike AllenJonathan AmesLaurie Halse AndersonRoger AngleCarol AnshawAnne ApplebaumDebby ApplegateKelley ArmstrongRilla AskewRick AtkinsonJames David AudlinPaul AusterEllis AveryAviBarbe AwaltGillian BagwellBlake BaileyDeirdre BairJo BakerKevin BakerMishell BakerDavid BaldacciMelissa BankLinwood BarclayEvelyn BarishJuliana BarnetRebecca BarnhouseNevada BarrQuentin BatesElif BatumanDouglas BauerErica BauermeisterCris BeamGreg BearJames BeauregardAntony BeevorAdam BegleyLouis BegleyHilari BellMadison Smartt BellMartine BellenSam Bellotto Jr.Aimee BenderKaren E. BenderLou J. BergerDaniel BergnerBob BermanAnne BernaysSuzanne BerneSteve BerryLauren BeukesClara BinghamLisa BirnbachMichael BishopLauren BjorkmanHolly BlackShayla BlackGrant BlackwoodLinda M. BlandMeredith BlandDavid W. BlightCarole BloomCas BlombergDeborah BlumJudy BlundellCharles BockAmy BoeskyPaul BogardJohnny D. BoggsChris BohjalianRobert M. BolstadMarianne BoruchJoanna BourkeBetsy Connor BowenWalt BoyesBen Bradlee Jr.Mike BradleyJess BrallierTaylor BranchH.W. BrandsKylie BrantGary BraverCatherine BrennanMarie BrennanAlan BrennertMorgan S. BrilliantDouglas BrinkleyPope BrockLaura BrodieLora BrodyGeraldine BrooksHarriet BrownJennifer BrownLisa BrownSandra BrownBliss BroyardCathy Marie BuchananMarina BudhosChristopher BuehlmanKate BufordJan BurkeCherie BurnsBenjamin BuschSarah Shun-lien BynumPat CadiganSusannah CahalanChelsea CainKenneth CainSusan CainWayne CaldwellPhilip CaputoJacqueline CareyPeter Ames CarlinRon CarlsonRobert A. CaroDavid CarothersCynthia CarrH.G. CarrilloBetsy CarterMary E. 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LevineJudith LevineJim LewisMichael LewisNorma LibmanKatia LiefTerr LightAlan LightmanJane LindskoldElinor LipmanLaura LippmanJonathan LittellAimee LiuMalinda LoMichaele LockhartLois LowryDavid LubarJason Erik LundbergSteve LuxenbergWilliam LychackBarry LygaAnne LyleLarissa MacFarquharKaren MackKenneth MackElizabeth MacklinKathy MacmillanGreg MandelTim ManleyAnnam ManthiramJo-Ann MapsonMeredith MaranDavid MaranissAndrew MarblePaul MarianiRegina MarlerMelissa MarrWilliam MartinValerie MartinMichael J. MartinezJudith MatloffMark MatousekSuzanne MatsonJohn MattesonAlice MattisonClaudia MauroLaurie McBrideErin Lindsay McCabeDonald McCaigT.C. McCarthyLyn McConchieJack McDevittRichard P. McDonoughHeather McDougalMichael McGarrityCelia McGeeErin McGrawJay McInerneyWill McIntoshMaryn McKennaChris McKitterickTerry McMillanMaggie MeadeMarion MeadeJodi MeadowsJillian MedoffMameve MedwedBrian MeehlEdie MeidavBrad MeltzerDaniel MenakerDaniel MendelsohnSusan Scarf MerrellT.M. 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OsorioWhitney OttoElizabeth OberbeckRuth OzekiAnn PackerZZ PackerNell PainterAnn PancakeSara ParetskyT. Jefferson ParkerThomas Trebitsch ParkerJonathan ParshallAnn PatchettDorothy PatentGreg PatentSusan PatronJames PattersonRichard North PattersonPaula PaulJackson PearceIain PearsShelley PearsallRidley PearsonKira PeikoffGeorge PelecanosSharon Kay PenmanSara PennypackerBenjamin PercyTom PerrottaJoan K. PetersAndrew X. PhamRodman PhilbrickArthur PhillipsLeslie PietrzykSteven PinkerJorge PintoValerie PlameLetty Cottin PogrebinLesley Poling-KempesMichael PollanNeil PortMaximillian PotterRon PowersWilliam PowersDouglas PrestonBill PronziniAlex Prud'hommePhilip PullmanTom PurdomJoyce PurnickAnna QuindlenJulia QuinnKaren QuinnElizabeth RabyLinda F. RadkeHope RamsayJay RaynerVictoria RedelChristopher ReichPaul ReidAndrea ReusingAdam RexPaul RhettsJanet R. RhodesDr. Sonya RhodesJerome RichardMichelle RichmondCynthia RiggsMargaret RoachDavid RobertsNora RobertsMadeleine RobinsKim Stanley RobinsonRoxana RobinsonMichaela RoessnerBarbara RoganMorgan Callan RogersKatie RoipheCarl RollysonRobin RommRonald RosbottomJoel RoseDavid S. RoseWilliam RosenLucinda RosenfeldBenjamin RosenbaumElizabeth RosnerInez RossDeborah J. RossDavid RothenbergPat RothfussChuck RothmanElizabeth RoyteCharlie RubinMichael RuhlmanRichard RussoShawna Yang RyanCynthia SaltzmanMartin A. SamuelsLynda A. SánchezJames SandersLuc SanteEsmeralda SantiagoMark SarvasGeorge SaundersSam SavageJoan SchenkarRon SchickStacy SchiffCathleen SchineSusan SchneiderDaniel SchulmanDeborah SchupackChristine SchuttLynne Sharon SchwartzEdward SchwarzschildJohn SedgwickMaria SempleLinda Gray SextonBob ShacochisLawrence ShainbergKamila ShamsieDani ShapiroSusan ShapiroBruce ShapiroKathleen SharpJudy SheehanGail SheehyAaron ShepardMike ShevdonJody ShieldsCharles J. ShieldsPeggy ShinnerGary ShockleyJennie ShortridgeElaine ShowalterAnita ShreveSusan ShreveAlix Kates ShulmanHampton SidesLarry SiemsJoan SilberKenneth SilvermanDan SimmonsApril SinclairLeora Skolkin-SmithHolly Goldberg SloanGillian SlovoJane SmileyAnne Easter SmithApril SmithDwayne Alexander SmithLane SmithMark Haskell SmithSally Bedell SmithSharon SnyderAndrew SolomonDeborah SolomonSherri SomervilleDebra SparkScott SpencerMario SpeziDana SpiottaHilary SpurlingWalter StahrLynn StegnerGarth SteinThomas SteinbeckSabra Brown SteinsiekLeslie StellaJohn StephensSydney Ladensohn SternBrooke StevensIan StewartT.J. StilesAlexander StilleS.M. StirlingJohn E. StithJames StoddardRebecca StottPeter StraubCheryl StrayedElizabeth StroutNancy Rubin StuartElizabeth Stuckey-FrenchNed Stuckey-FrenchAlexandra StyronCheryl SucherMark SullivanEllen SussmanRobert I. SuttonTerese SvobodaKiki SwansonMichael SwanwickAlison SweeneyWill SwiftRachel SwirskySam SwopeDavid TallermanMarc TalbertCecilia TanDonna TarttNick TaylorCatherine TexierPhyllis TherouxEvan ThomasDavid ThurloLynne TillmanAmy TimberlakeM.K. TodPeter TrachtenbergJames TreadwellRose TremainCalvin TrillinLily TuckKenneth TuranWilliam A. TurnageScott TurowFrederic TutenCameron TuttleGene TwaroniteRachel UrquhartRachel VailAmanda VaillNeela VaswaniJohn VernonJudith ViorstMilton ViorstPatricia VolkHelena Maria ViramontesKen WachsbergerDiana WagmanWendy WagnerDan WakefieldAmy WaldmanAyelet WaldmanAllison WallaceBenjamin WallaceCarol WallaceCandace WalshJess WalterGeoffrey C. WardMelanie WarnerFrank WarrenRosanna WarrenElisabeth WatersIan WatsonBeck WeathersEric WeinerKatherine WeissmanRebecca WellsCarol WestonStephen WhiteDean WhitlockThomas A. WilliamsFlorence WilliamsCheryl WilsonRobley WilsonSimon WinchesterTerri WindlingBrenda WineappleKit WohlMary WolfLinda WolfeTobias WolffHilma WolitzerMeg WolitzerPatricia Smith WoodMonica WoodStuart WoodsBarbara WrightLawrence WrightDulce XerachLinda YellinNatasha YimJane YolenLouisa YoungRobert Clark YoungCaroline YourcheckBarry YourgrauCynthia ZarinMichael ZeilikThomas ZigalRichard ZimlerMichelle ZinkMarkus ZusakMaritess ZurbanoThis advertisement was paid for by authors.
Authors United, P.O. Box 4790, Santa Fe, NM 87502
I don't have a horse in this particular race. But I signed the Authors United petition because:
A) Fair is fair.
and:
B) Bullying is bullying.
Except that in this case Amazon's bullying is ensuring that a lot of working writers will get significantly less money for their books and in some cases suffer significant damage to their careers.
On a related note, if you want to make the world a better place . . . buy a book from an independent bookstore. Browsing in a local store run by pleasant people is so much more fun than clicking on an icon. And you might well find something you weren't looking for! That's how I discovered Daniel Wallace's slim and delightful Big Fish .
Here's the text and signatories to the two-page ad that ran in yesterday's New York TImes . If you want to have some fun, see how many of authors you're familiar with.
A Letter to Our Readers:
Amazon is involved in a commercial dispute with the book publisher Hachette , which owns Little, Brown, Grand Central Publishing, and other familiar imprints. These sorts of disputes happen all the time between companies and they are usually resolved in a corporate back room.
But in this case, Amazon has done something unusual. It has directly targeted Hachette's authors in an effort to force their publisher to agree to its terms.For the past several months, Amazon has been:
--Boycotting Hachette authors, by refusing to accept pre-orders on Hachette authors' books and eBooks, claiming they are "unavailable."
--Refusing to discount the prices of many of Hachette authors' books.
--Slowing the delivery of thousands of Hachette authors' books to Amazon customers, indicating that delivery will take as long as several weeks on most titles.
--Suggesting on some Hachette authors' pages that readers might prefer a book from a non-Hachette author instead.
As writers--most of us not published by Hachette--Many of us have supported Amazon since it was a struggling start-up. Our books launched Amazon on the road to selling everything and becoming one of the world's largest corporations. We have made Amazon many millions of dollars and over the years have contributed so much, free of charge, to the company by way of cooperation, joint promotions, reviews and blogs. This is no way to treat a business partner. Nor is it the right way to treat your friends. Without taking sides on the contractual dispute between Hachette and Amazon, we encourage Amazon in the strongest possible terms to stop harming the livelihood of the authors on whom it has built its business. None of us, neither readers nor authors, benefit when books are taken hostage. (We're not alone in our plea: the opinion pages of both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal , which rarely agree on anything, have roundly condemned Amazon's corporate behavior.)We call on Amazon to resolve its dispute with Hachette without further hurting authors and without blocking or otherwise delaying the sale of books to its customers.
We respectfully ask you, our loyal readers, to email Jeff Bezos, CEO and founder of Amazon, atjeff@amazon.com, and tell him what you think. He says he genuinely welcomes hearing from his customers and claims to read all emails at that account. We hope that, writers and readers together, we will be able to change his mind.
Sincerely,Megan AbbottRobert H. AbelRachael AcksWilliam M. AdlerElisa AlbertWilliam AlexanderSherman AlexieMike AllenJonathan AmesLaurie Halse AndersonRoger AngleCarol AnshawAnne ApplebaumDebby ApplegateKelley ArmstrongRilla AskewRick AtkinsonJames David AudlinPaul AusterEllis AveryAviBarbe AwaltGillian BagwellBlake BaileyDeirdre BairJo BakerKevin BakerMishell BakerDavid BaldacciMelissa BankLinwood BarclayEvelyn BarishJuliana BarnetRebecca BarnhouseNevada BarrQuentin BatesElif BatumanDouglas BauerErica BauermeisterCris BeamGreg BearJames BeauregardAntony BeevorAdam BegleyLouis BegleyHilari BellMadison Smartt BellMartine BellenSam Bellotto Jr.Aimee BenderKaren E. BenderLou J. BergerDaniel BergnerBob BermanAnne BernaysSuzanne BerneSteve BerryLauren BeukesClara BinghamLisa BirnbachMichael BishopLauren BjorkmanHolly BlackShayla BlackGrant BlackwoodLinda M. BlandMeredith BlandDavid W. BlightCarole BloomCas BlombergDeborah BlumJudy BlundellCharles BockAmy BoeskyPaul BogardJohnny D. BoggsChris BohjalianRobert M. BolstadMarianne BoruchJoanna BourkeBetsy Connor BowenWalt BoyesBen Bradlee Jr.Mike BradleyJess BrallierTaylor BranchH.W. BrandsKylie BrantGary BraverCatherine BrennanMarie BrennanAlan BrennertMorgan S. BrilliantDouglas BrinkleyPope BrockLaura BrodieLora BrodyGeraldine BrooksHarriet BrownJennifer BrownLisa BrownSandra BrownBliss BroyardCathy Marie BuchananMarina BudhosChristopher BuehlmanKate BufordJan BurkeCherie BurnsBenjamin BuschSarah Shun-lien BynumPat CadiganSusannah CahalanChelsea CainKenneth CainSusan CainWayne CaldwellPhilip CaputoJacqueline CareyPeter Ames CarlinRon CarlsonRobert A. CaroDavid CarothersCynthia CarrH.G. CarrilloBetsy CarterMary E. CarterCarol CassellaBrian CastnerMichael ChabonRebecca ChanceAngie ChauThomas ChavezSusan CheeverRon ChernowHarriet Scott ChessmanJaima ChevalierTracy ChevalierJennifer ChiaveriniLee ChildLincoln ChildMark ChildressKate ChristensenJill CimentSandra CisnerosBreena ClarkeAntoinette Nora ClaypooleMeg Waite ClaytonAndrew ClementsKatherine ClementsRachel ClineMick CochraneDavid B. CoeWilliam D. CohanLeah Hager CohenJames CollinsSuzanne CollinsTom ConnorChristopher D. CookStephanie CookeMartha CooleyEllen CooneyKaren Coody CooperArtemis CooperConstance CooperJen CoraceZizou CorderDouglas CorleoneKelly CorriganBruce CovilleRobert CraisSara CreasySharon CreechElizabeth CrookDave CullenRobert DallekWilliam DalrympleMark Z. DanielewskiLeslie DanielsJack DannEllen DatlowSaul DavidLauren B. DavisLindsey DavisAngela Davis-GardnerJeffery DeaverBarbara DeeJonathan DeeDale DeGroffBarbara DelinskyNelson DeMilleDavid DenbyJerry DennisHannah DennisonWilliam DeresiewiczMary Alice DevenyJulia DeVillersJunot DíazMary Lou DickinsonDavid DobbsAnthony DoerrLinda DonnBeverly DonofrioJames DonovanDavid R. DowBrendan DuBoisAndre Dubus IIISarah DunantAndy DuncanTom DunkelSusan EdmistonJennifer EganMartha EganRobert EggletonBenita EislerAmal El-MohtarKimberly ElkinsElissa ElliottKate ElliottAbby EllinCarson EllisJoseph J. EllisP.N. ElrodKen EmersonAlexandra EndersTerry EnglandHallie EphronCatherine EpsteinMark EpsteinPamela ErensMark EssigSir Harold EvansAnne FadimanSusan FaludiEllen FeldmanJoshua FerrisLucy FerrissAmanda FilipacchiJoseph FinderWilliam FinneganSuzanne FinstadEric FischlJanet FitchStona FitchPaul FleischmanRonald FlorenceNick FlynnTom FolsomAlison Ashley FormentoRichard Thompson FordAmanda ForemanJ.L. ForrestConnie May FowlerKaren Joy FowlerRuth E. FrancisDiana Pharaoh FrancisJudith FrankThaisa FrankLaurie FrankelCaroline FraserLaura FraserIan FrazierJohn FreemanPamela FreemanRu FreemanRichard E. FriesenGregory FrostLaura FurmanNeal GablerPeter GadolMary GaitskillNicole GallandJack GantosNasario GarciaBarbara GarsonHenry Louis Gates, Jr.Jaym GatesAlison GaylinElizabeth GeorgeGiuseppe GerbinoDenise GiardinaElizabeth GilbertSusan Jane GilmanJennifer GilmoreMalcolm GladwellKrystyna Poray GodduPeter GodwinGlen David GoldStephen GoldinBeverly GologorskyLaurence GonzalesArquímedes GonzálezBrad GoochAlison GopnikJim GorantMary GordonMeryl GordonAngeline GoreauSteven GouldPhilip GourevitchMarie GraceCheryl GraceD.G. GraceHeather GrahamLinda GrantElizabeth GraverGeorge Dawes GreenJeff GreenwaldDr. David H. GrinspoonJohn GrishamAndrew GrossMichael GruberLisa GrunwaldTalia GryphonKevin GuilfoileMelissa GuionAllan GurganusBeth GutcheonDan GutmanMark HaddonSteven HahnLoretta HallKaren HallEmma Walton HamiltonJane HamiltonMasha HamiltonMary Stewart HammondPatricia HamplElizabeth HandDaniel Handler a.k.a Lemony SnicketSharon HannaSophie HannahThor HansonAlyssa HaradElizabeth HarlanAnn HarlemanStephan J. HarperStephen HarriganEllen HarrisSam HarrisC.C. HarrisonCarolyn HartAaron HartzlerAdrianne HarunYona HarveyTodd Hasak-LowyMolly HaskellSusan Carol HauserKatherine B. HauthJohn Twelve HawksRoy HayesTerrance HayesToby Fesler HeathcotteJeff HechtTravis HeermannSarah HeggerUrsula HegiCharles Ota HellerMarla HellerKaui Hart HemmingsAmy HempelLauren HendersonJoshua HenkinGreg HerrenPeggy HerringtonRachel HerzCarol DeChellis HillJoe HillAnne HillermanBrenda HillmanHilary HinzmannTom HirschfeldJack HittSylvia Anna HivénValerie HobbsMary Ann HobermanSheri HolmanRachel HolmesWoody HoltonEd HoornaertEllen HopkinsDeborah HopkinsonNalo HopkinsonJames D. HornfischerShel HorowitzTony HorwitzSilas HouseHugh HowardJames HoweDel HowisonMary HudsonLaird HuntCharlayne Hunter-GaultGregg HurwitzNancy HustonSiri HustvedtElisabeth HydeAmy IgnatowGerald Imber, M.D.Susan IsaacsSteve JacksonDiane JacobsLinda JaivinMichael JecksSuzanne JenkinsSarah JensenErika JohansenGilbert JohnFenton JohnsonBrian Jay JonesSteve JonesMichaele JordanSam JordisonMike JungSebastian JungerA.P. Von K'OryJudi KaddenBonita KaleStephanie KallosRobert KanigelAndrew KaplanJames KaplanJim KaplanPaul KarasikMary KarrJohn KatzenbachJoe KellyJudith KelmanJoshua KendallKatrina KenisonBrad KesslerFrances KiernanMartin KihnSarah S. KilborneDaniel M. KimmelA.S. KingDave KingLily KingStephen KingTabitha KingBarbara KingsolverMaxine Hong KingstonDave KinneyFloris M. KleijneChristina Baker KlineAlethea KontisLily KoppelAnne KorkeakiviMichael KorytaSally KoslowAlex KotlowitzStephen KotowychJon KrakauerMark KramerMatthew KresselKatherine KursSandra Gail LambertAnne LandsmanEve LaplanteErik LarsonLee Adair LawrenceRoland LazenbyLinda LearNicole J. LeBoeufCherie LeeVicki T. LeeJoan LeegantDennis LehaneJim LehrerKate LehrerStina LeichtBobbie LeighThomas P. LeikerBrad LeithauserDinah LenneyAnne LeonardPeter LerangisEdward M. LernerJohn LescroartDiane LeslieJonathan LethemTom LevensonPhillis LevinDavid D. LevineJudith LevineJim LewisMichael LewisNorma LibmanKatia LiefTerr LightAlan LightmanJane LindskoldElinor LipmanLaura LippmanJonathan LittellAimee LiuMalinda LoMichaele LockhartLois LowryDavid LubarJason Erik LundbergSteve LuxenbergWilliam LychackBarry LygaAnne LyleLarissa MacFarquharKaren MackKenneth MackElizabeth MacklinKathy MacmillanGreg MandelTim ManleyAnnam ManthiramJo-Ann MapsonMeredith MaranDavid MaranissAndrew MarblePaul MarianiRegina MarlerMelissa MarrWilliam MartinValerie MartinMichael J. MartinezJudith MatloffMark MatousekSuzanne MatsonJohn MattesonAlice MattisonClaudia MauroLaurie McBrideErin Lindsay McCabeDonald McCaigT.C. McCarthyLyn McConchieJack McDevittRichard P. McDonoughHeather McDougalMichael McGarrityCelia McGeeErin McGrawJay McInerneyWill McIntoshMaryn McKennaChris McKitterickTerry McMillanMaggie MeadeMarion MeadeJodi MeadowsJillian MedoffMameve MedwedBrian MeehlEdie MeidavBrad MeltzerDaniel MenakerDaniel MendelsohnSusan Scarf MerrellT.M. MerremontKarla Linn MerrifieldChristopher MerrillAshley MerrymanClaire MessudDavid MichaelisLisa MichaelsDeborah MichelMargaret Dubay MikusJames Andrew MillerSue MillerLyn Miller-LachmannR.J. MirabalRana MitterLaura J. MixonSeth MnookinDavid MolesAnna MonardoElizabeth MoonChristopher MooreHonor MooreCaroline MooreheadHarry MoralesPhyllis S. MorganCourtney MorganDavid MorrellJames McGrath MorrisEleanor MorseJennifer Anne MosesAnka MuhlsteinMarcia MullerMeg MullinsManuel MunozCarol Muske-DukesDonna Jackson NakazawaDavid NasawSena Jeter NaslundAntonya NelsonKris NeriJay NeugeborenCal NewportTravis NicholsKatharine NoelG.E. NordellLeonard NourseElizabeth NunezSigrid NunezCarol O'ConnellBrigid O'FarrellRick O'KeefeJoseph O'NeillMeghan O'RourkeRegina O'MelvenyJames O'SheaPatricia O'TooleAchy ObejasNancy OhlinDaniel OkrentKarl OlsbergMark OlshakerPeggy OrensteinPeter OrnerMary Pope OsborneA.J. OsorioWhitney OttoElizabeth OberbeckRuth OzekiAnn PackerZZ PackerNell PainterAnn PancakeSara ParetskyT. Jefferson ParkerThomas Trebitsch ParkerJonathan ParshallAnn PatchettDorothy PatentGreg PatentSusan PatronJames PattersonRichard North PattersonPaula PaulJackson PearceIain PearsShelley PearsallRidley PearsonKira PeikoffGeorge PelecanosSharon Kay PenmanSara PennypackerBenjamin PercyTom PerrottaJoan K. PetersAndrew X. PhamRodman PhilbrickArthur PhillipsLeslie PietrzykSteven PinkerJorge PintoValerie PlameLetty Cottin PogrebinLesley Poling-KempesMichael PollanNeil PortMaximillian PotterRon PowersWilliam PowersDouglas PrestonBill PronziniAlex Prud'hommePhilip PullmanTom PurdomJoyce PurnickAnna QuindlenJulia QuinnKaren QuinnElizabeth RabyLinda F. RadkeHope RamsayJay RaynerVictoria RedelChristopher ReichPaul ReidAndrea ReusingAdam RexPaul RhettsJanet R. RhodesDr. Sonya RhodesJerome RichardMichelle RichmondCynthia RiggsMargaret RoachDavid RobertsNora RobertsMadeleine RobinsKim Stanley RobinsonRoxana RobinsonMichaela RoessnerBarbara RoganMorgan Callan RogersKatie RoipheCarl RollysonRobin RommRonald RosbottomJoel RoseDavid S. RoseWilliam RosenLucinda RosenfeldBenjamin RosenbaumElizabeth RosnerInez RossDeborah J. RossDavid RothenbergPat RothfussChuck RothmanElizabeth RoyteCharlie RubinMichael RuhlmanRichard RussoShawna Yang RyanCynthia SaltzmanMartin A. SamuelsLynda A. SánchezJames SandersLuc SanteEsmeralda SantiagoMark SarvasGeorge SaundersSam SavageJoan SchenkarRon SchickStacy SchiffCathleen SchineSusan SchneiderDaniel SchulmanDeborah SchupackChristine SchuttLynne Sharon SchwartzEdward SchwarzschildJohn SedgwickMaria SempleLinda Gray SextonBob ShacochisLawrence ShainbergKamila ShamsieDani ShapiroSusan ShapiroBruce ShapiroKathleen SharpJudy SheehanGail SheehyAaron ShepardMike ShevdonJody ShieldsCharles J. ShieldsPeggy ShinnerGary ShockleyJennie ShortridgeElaine ShowalterAnita ShreveSusan ShreveAlix Kates ShulmanHampton SidesLarry SiemsJoan SilberKenneth SilvermanDan SimmonsApril SinclairLeora Skolkin-SmithHolly Goldberg SloanGillian SlovoJane SmileyAnne Easter SmithApril SmithDwayne Alexander SmithLane SmithMark Haskell SmithSally Bedell SmithSharon SnyderAndrew SolomonDeborah SolomonSherri SomervilleDebra SparkScott SpencerMario SpeziDana SpiottaHilary SpurlingWalter StahrLynn StegnerGarth SteinThomas SteinbeckSabra Brown SteinsiekLeslie StellaJohn StephensSydney Ladensohn SternBrooke StevensIan StewartT.J. StilesAlexander StilleS.M. StirlingJohn E. StithJames StoddardRebecca StottPeter StraubCheryl StrayedElizabeth StroutNancy Rubin StuartElizabeth Stuckey-FrenchNed Stuckey-FrenchAlexandra StyronCheryl SucherMark SullivanEllen SussmanRobert I. SuttonTerese SvobodaKiki SwansonMichael SwanwickAlison SweeneyWill SwiftRachel SwirskySam SwopeDavid TallermanMarc TalbertCecilia TanDonna TarttNick TaylorCatherine TexierPhyllis TherouxEvan ThomasDavid ThurloLynne TillmanAmy TimberlakeM.K. TodPeter TrachtenbergJames TreadwellRose TremainCalvin TrillinLily TuckKenneth TuranWilliam A. TurnageScott TurowFrederic TutenCameron TuttleGene TwaroniteRachel UrquhartRachel VailAmanda VaillNeela VaswaniJohn VernonJudith ViorstMilton ViorstPatricia VolkHelena Maria ViramontesKen WachsbergerDiana WagmanWendy WagnerDan WakefieldAmy WaldmanAyelet WaldmanAllison WallaceBenjamin WallaceCarol WallaceCandace WalshJess WalterGeoffrey C. WardMelanie WarnerFrank WarrenRosanna WarrenElisabeth WatersIan WatsonBeck WeathersEric WeinerKatherine WeissmanRebecca WellsCarol WestonStephen WhiteDean WhitlockThomas A. WilliamsFlorence WilliamsCheryl WilsonRobley WilsonSimon WinchesterTerri WindlingBrenda WineappleKit WohlMary WolfLinda WolfeTobias WolffHilma WolitzerMeg WolitzerPatricia Smith WoodMonica WoodStuart WoodsBarbara WrightLawrence WrightDulce XerachLinda YellinNatasha YimJane YolenLouisa YoungRobert Clark YoungCaroline YourcheckBarry YourgrauCynthia ZarinMichael ZeilikThomas ZigalRichard ZimlerMichelle ZinkMarkus ZusakMaritess ZurbanoThis advertisement was paid for by authors.
Authors United, P.O. Box 4790, Santa Fe, NM 87502
August 8, 2014
The Voice of the Wolfe
.
Over at MIT Technology Review , there's an interview with Gene Wolfe by Jason Pontin. Gene never comes to these things with an agenda, so most of the weight in his interviews falls upon the interviewer -- how knowledgeable he or she is, how interesting the questions are. So it's to Pontin's credit that he evoked such open responses as:
and, when asked what self-deceptions being in the Korean War had stripped away from him:
Oh, that I was smarter than other people.
Which I am sure is going to be the source of recurrent arguments among Wolfe scholars for a long, long time to come. Because, speaking as a smart person myself and one who knows many people much smarter than I am, Gene is one of the two or three smartest people I've ever met. And yet... I can hear the sincerity in what he said. He really means that.
I've got two theories as to what's behind that. One is that he means something like "street smarts," the wisdom of one's everyday choices. The other is that he's looking on human intelligence and seeing that sub species aeternatis, the range of human intelligence is not really that broad. Both of these being valid observations.
You can read the entire interview here.
*
Over at MIT Technology Review , there's an interview with Gene Wolfe by Jason Pontin. Gene never comes to these things with an agenda, so most of the weight in his interviews falls upon the interviewer -- how knowledgeable he or she is, how interesting the questions are. So it's to Pontin's credit that he evoked such open responses as:
and, when asked what self-deceptions being in the Korean War had stripped away from him:
Oh, that I was smarter than other people.
Which I am sure is going to be the source of recurrent arguments among Wolfe scholars for a long, long time to come. Because, speaking as a smart person myself and one who knows many people much smarter than I am, Gene is one of the two or three smartest people I've ever met. And yet... I can hear the sincerity in what he said. He really means that.
I've got two theories as to what's behind that. One is that he means something like "street smarts," the wisdom of one's everyday choices. The other is that he's looking on human intelligence and seeing that sub species aeternatis, the range of human intelligence is not really that broad. Both of these being valid observations.
You can read the entire interview here.
*
August 6, 2014
Giving It Away
.
There's this . . . thing going around on the Innertubes, part of a virtual scavenger hunt apparently, where people contact writers they've never met and ask them to write a 140-word flash fiction without offering to pay anything. And a surprising number of writers oblige them.
That's the writer's option -- you're allowed to value your time and talent however you wish. I have no beef with those who decide to do it just for fun or in order to do something nice for a stranger.
But it did occur to me that this might be a good time to provide you the simple rule by which you can decide whether or not to honor a request to write something for free. This happens periodically. Somebody contacts you to ask if you'll write a story for an anthology to benefit Bedbug Relief or whatever. It seems a worthy cause. You scratch your head.
Here's what you do: Calculate how much that story is worth. Ten cents a word is a good guess, if it's just an okay story. (You don't want to donate one of your best because then you're throwing away all chances of being nominated for and possibly winning a major award.) You lose all the intangibles of exposure in Asimov's or Analog , but what the heck. Life is too short to worry about intangibles.
Now ask yourself: Would you write a check in that amount for this particular cause?
If the answer is yes, writing the story makes eminent sense because the story's value is pre-taxes. It won't add to what you have to pay into Social Security and you don't have to keep records in order to deduct it on your Form 1040. Just give it away and forget it.
If the answer is no . . . Well, the answer is obvious.
*
There's this . . . thing going around on the Innertubes, part of a virtual scavenger hunt apparently, where people contact writers they've never met and ask them to write a 140-word flash fiction without offering to pay anything. And a surprising number of writers oblige them.
That's the writer's option -- you're allowed to value your time and talent however you wish. I have no beef with those who decide to do it just for fun or in order to do something nice for a stranger.
But it did occur to me that this might be a good time to provide you the simple rule by which you can decide whether or not to honor a request to write something for free. This happens periodically. Somebody contacts you to ask if you'll write a story for an anthology to benefit Bedbug Relief or whatever. It seems a worthy cause. You scratch your head.
Here's what you do: Calculate how much that story is worth. Ten cents a word is a good guess, if it's just an okay story. (You don't want to donate one of your best because then you're throwing away all chances of being nominated for and possibly winning a major award.) You lose all the intangibles of exposure in Asimov's or Analog , but what the heck. Life is too short to worry about intangibles.
Now ask yourself: Would you write a check in that amount for this particular cause?
If the answer is yes, writing the story makes eminent sense because the story's value is pre-taxes. It won't add to what you have to pay into Social Security and you don't have to keep records in order to deduct it on your Form 1040. Just give it away and forget it.
If the answer is no . . . Well, the answer is obvious.
*
August 3, 2014
Bad News From Japan
.
This is not going to make you happy. Studio Ghibli has announced that they will stop making new movies and focus on simply handling their copyrights. Given the state of animation art today, the loss of The House That Miyazaki Built is far worse than the loss of Pixar or Disney would be.
Apparently, if you can read Japanese there's enough ambiguity in the phrasing of the announcement to hold out hope that the studio might yet rise from the ashes. So I shall. But it's a slim reed nonetheless.
You can read The Telegraph's article here.
The (translated) bare bones announcement can be found here.
And an analysis of the announcement concluding that moviemaking will resume someday can be found here.
And as always . . .
I'm on the road again. Since I'll be traveling all day and exhausted when I finally reach home, I'm posting my Monday blog the night before.
And as a footnote . . .
There remains one Studio Ghibli film yet to be released, When Marnie Was There. The trailer is more lovely than thrilling, but the movie was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi who made The Secret World of Arietty. So it might well be splendid.
There's an article with Japanese language trailer here.
.
This is not going to make you happy. Studio Ghibli has announced that they will stop making new movies and focus on simply handling their copyrights. Given the state of animation art today, the loss of The House That Miyazaki Built is far worse than the loss of Pixar or Disney would be.
Apparently, if you can read Japanese there's enough ambiguity in the phrasing of the announcement to hold out hope that the studio might yet rise from the ashes. So I shall. But it's a slim reed nonetheless.
You can read The Telegraph's article here.
The (translated) bare bones announcement can be found here.
And an analysis of the announcement concluding that moviemaking will resume someday can be found here.
And as always . . .
I'm on the road again. Since I'll be traveling all day and exhausted when I finally reach home, I'm posting my Monday blog the night before.
And as a footnote . . .
There remains one Studio Ghibli film yet to be released, When Marnie Was There. The trailer is more lovely than thrilling, but the movie was directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi who made The Secret World of Arietty. So it might well be splendid.
There's an article with Japanese language trailer here.
.
August 1, 2014
The Brilliance of Satoshi Kon
.
As always, I'm on the road again. But for your entertainment and enlightenment, I'm providing you with a link to Tony Zhou's essay on the editing style of master anime artist, Satoshi Kon.
Satoshi Kon only created a handful of films before he died much too young. Had he lived, there was the very real possibility of his eventually supplanting Hayao Miyazaki as the best animation artist of his time.
If you're not familiar with Kon's work, I strongly recommend Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, and (my favorite) Paprika.
Zhou's essay, abundantly illustrated with clips, should be required viewing for all aspirant film directors. You can find it here.
*
As always, I'm on the road again. But for your entertainment and enlightenment, I'm providing you with a link to Tony Zhou's essay on the editing style of master anime artist, Satoshi Kon.
Satoshi Kon only created a handful of films before he died much too young. Had he lived, there was the very real possibility of his eventually supplanting Hayao Miyazaki as the best animation artist of his time.
If you're not familiar with Kon's work, I strongly recommend Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, and (my favorite) Paprika.
Zhou's essay, abundantly illustrated with clips, should be required viewing for all aspirant film directors. You can find it here.
*
Michael Swanwick's Blog
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