Neil Clarke's Blog, page 30
April 22, 2015
The truth about short story titles
The title frenzy continues. If you don’t know what I’m talking about here are posts and about the most common titles and words in titles in the Clarkesworld slush pile.
I posted both sets of data because I found them interesting, nothing more. Some people (here and elsewhere) have opinions about the use of those titles and the people who use them. They do not speak for me.
Here are some facts:
I have never rejected a story because it had a common title
I don’t even pay attention to the title until I’ve decided to purchase a story
Changing a title is EASY, so if I don’t like it, I’ll discuss that with the author
There are plenty of good and bad stories with those titles, but the title is not what made them good or bad
April 11, 2015
Short Story Titles Meet Wordle
I’ve been a bit surprised by all the attention to my list of has received. I spent some time trying to find the most common words used in titles and then it occurred to me… drop all the story titles we’ve ever received into wordle:
April 9, 2015
Top Ten Most Common Short Story Names
I just noticed that we crossed the 50,000 point in our submissions system sometime in the last month. I thought it might be fun to do a quick analysis of the most popular story titles in that pile. Here’s the results:
1st Place – 18
Dust
2nd Place – 16
The Gift, Home, Hunger, Homecoming
3rd Place – 15
The Box
4th Place – 14
Monsters
5th Place – 13
Lost and Found
6th Place – 12
Sacrifice, The Hunt, Flight
7th Place – 11
Heartless, The End, Alone, Legacy, Adrift
8th Place – 10
Red, Reflections, The Visit, Broken
9th Place – 9
The Other Side, Rebirth, Voices, Genesis, Awakening, The Collector, Disconnected, The Wall, The Prisoner, Deus Ex Machina, Hero, Skin Deep, Memories, Skin
10th Place – 8
The Machine, The Tower, Coming Home, Rain, Going Home, The Dark, Inheritance, The Door, The Choice, Happiness, Perchance to Dream, Last Call, The Fall, Night Terrors
More on story titles here.
April 1, 2015
Forever Magazine – April 2015
The April 2015 issue of Forever Magazine is now available!
Editorial by Neil Clarke
The Wedding Album by David Marusek (Novella)
A Few Words with David Marusek (Interview)
The Surface of Last Scattering by Ken MacLeod (Short Story)
Slipping by Lauren Beukes (Short Story)
Cover Art by Ron Guyatt
You can purchase this issue from:
Amazon
B&N
Kobo
Weightless Books
Wyrm Publishing
or subscribe via:
Wyrm Publishing (epub and mobi/Kindle)
Amazon (Kindle), Amazon.co.uk (Kindle)
Weightless Books (epub, mobi/Kindle)
March 27, 2015
The first box
There is something special about that first box, no matter how many book you publish…
Clarkesworld: Year Seven… you can own one too.
March 24, 2015
March 4, 2015
The Best Science Fiction of the Year
I have been contracted to edit the first two volumes of The Best Science Fiction of the Year, which will be published by Skyhorse/Start under their Night Shade Books imprint. The first of these volumes is scheduled for publication in 2016 and will cover science fiction stories originally published in English in 2015. To keep things simple, I will be using the publisher’s copyright or magazine’s cover date to determine eligibility.
Deadlines
Print materials must be received by November 1st. Digital materials must be received by November 15th. If your project is scheduled for publication after that date, please send galleys by the above deadlines so that I will have sufficient time to consider your work.
Rights
I will require non-exclusive World anthology rights in English in print, ebook, and audio formats for stories I select for this volume.
Delivery
I will accept science fiction stories, novelettes, and novellas for consideration in the following formats:
Print – mail to:
Neil Clarke
PO Box 172
Stirling, NJ 07980
EPUB, MOBI, and .DOC – email to:
bestsciencefiction@clarkesworldmagazine.com
I dislike reading PDFs, so please do not send me work in this format unless you don’t have any other options and have cleared it with me in advance.
Publishers: If sending a magazine/anthology/collection that also contains other fantasy/horror/other stories, please list the titles of the science fiction stories in a cover letter or email.
Authors: I will not be able to let you know whether or not your work has been submitted by your publisher. To avoid duplication, please check with your publisher before sending a story. If your work is self-published, please include the date and location (blog, website, Amazon, etc.) your work was originally published.
Sending a book/file/story is a one-way transaction. I will not be confirming receipt or returning materials.
March 3, 2015
Forever Magazine – March 2015
The March 2015 issue of Forever Magazine is now available!
Editorial by Neil Clarke
Dream Houses by Genevieve Valentine (Novella)
A Few Words with Genevieve Valentine (Interview)
The Endangered Camp by Ann Leckie (Short Story)
Mitigation by Tobias S. Buckell & Karl Schroeder (Novelette)
Cover Art by Ron Guyatt
You can purchase this issue from:
Amazon
B&N
Kobo
Weightless Books
Wyrm Publishing
or subscribe via:
Wyrm Publishing (epub and mobi/Kindle)
Amazon (Kindle), Amazon.co.uk (Kindle)
Weightless Books (epub, mobi/Kindle)
March 1, 2015
Clarkesworld – March 2015
The March 2015 issue of Clarkesworld Magazine is now available. You can get the issue:
Online at www.clarkesworldmagazine.com
Via podcast subscription (free)
or help us pay the bills by purchasing Clarkesworld with a subscription at:
Amazon.com
Apple Newsstand (iPad/iPhone)
Google Play (Android Phones and Tablets)
Patreon (epub/mobi/Kindle)
Weightless Books (epub/mobi/Kindle)
MARCH 2015 – ISSUE #102
FICTION
“Slowly Builds An Empire” by Naim Kabir
“Cassandra” by Ken Liu
“The Long Goodnight of Violet Wild – Part 2″ by Catherynne M. Valente
“All Original Brightness” by Mike Buckley
“Coming of the Light” by Chen Qiufan
“The Clear Blue Seas of Luna” by Gregory Benford
“The Bookseller” by Lavie Tidhar
NONFICTION
Dark Angels: Insects in the Films of Guillermo del Toro by Orrin Grey
Music, Magic, and Memory: A Conversation with Randy Henderson and Silvia Morena-Garcia by Jason Heller
Staying Sensitive in the Crowd: A Conversation with Chen Qiufan by Ken Liu
Another Word: A Shed of One’s Own by Chuck Wendig
Editor’s Desk: Reader’s Poll Winners, Nebulas, and Forever by Neil Clarke
PODCAST
This month’s stories will be released in audio form over the course of the month. Read by Kate Baker.
COVER ART
Keter by Peter Mohrbacher
If you enjoy what we do, please consider supporting us by spreading the word about our subscription options or Patreon account on Facebook, Twitter or your blog. Your subscriptions make everything we do possible.
Thanks!
February 20, 2015
2014 Nebula Award Nominees
SFWA has just announced the 2014 Nebula Award Nominees.
So very pleased to see stories from Clarkesworld and Upgraded on the ballot:
2014 Nebula Nominee for Best Novella: “The Regular” by Ken Liu, published in Upgraded. Also available for download in the first issue of Forever Magazine .
2014 Nebula Nominee for Best Novelette: “The Magician and Laplace’s Demon” by Tom Crosshill, Clarkesworld, December 2014.
2014 Nebula Nominee for Best Short Story: “The Meeker and the All-Seeing Eye” by Matthew Kressel, Clarkesworld, May 2014.
Congratulations to all the nominees!
