Help: RSS Feed?
Archive for July, 2008
Matthew Hughes - writing workshop in Ripon
Posted by Paul Raven on July 31st, 2008 at 9:45
Attention, aspiring writers! How would you like to spend three hours in the company of a talented and renowned science fiction author, and have them run you through some of the tricks of the trade?
Yeah, me too. Unfortunately I live too far from Ripon, North Yorkshire, which is where Matthew Hughes will be sharing his writerly wisdom:
I'm doing a three-hour writers workshop for the Ripon Branch of the North Yorkshire County Library at 10 a.m., 18th August. I'll be talking about elementary story mechanics, i.e., how stories work and how the pieces fit together, and the ins and outs of writing scenes, i.e., the dreaded "show, don't tell."
For more information, contact team leader Karen Thornton at 01765 604799. The general email address for the library is: ripon[dot]library[at]northyorks[dot]gov[dot]uk
If you're located in (or even just conveniently passing through) the north of England, why not drop in and pick up some tips from the top? After all, no less a luminary than Robert Sawyer described Matthew Hughes as "sf's best-kept secret", which is a weighty accolade.
If you can't make it to Ripon for whatever reason, you can at least console yourself by pre-ordering a copy of Template, Hughes' imminent science fiction novel from PS Publishing. Click on through to the Store:
- Template (slipcased hardcover) - £50.00 ($100.00 approx.) 200 copies
- Template (hardcover) - £20.00 ($40.00 approx.) 500 copies
Ray Bradbury interviewed by Steve Wasserman
Posted by Paul Raven on July 30th, 2008 at 7:07
Via the ever-vigilant Ed Ashby (and the Forbidden Planet blog) comes news of a video interview with Ray Bradbury on the TruthDig website.
Bradbury has never been short of things to say, and it's good to see that's still true. Here are his thoughts about reading book reviews:
"... as a writer, I’ve always ignored the reviews, because they’re always wrong. And even the right ones are wrong. They love you for the wrong reasons. So you mustn’t read them. So I turned down 200 reviews in the last 40 years, because I knew they couldn’t help me. It’s too late. I’m already me! The book’s out—you can’t change that book by criticizing it. It’s too late! You’re too late for me. If you could help by looking over my shoulder when I’m throwing up, you could teach me to throw up better. But those reviews can’t help me throw up, you see?
There's a full-length transcript available below the four video players, for those who prefer to read instead of watch, but here's the first quarter as a taster:
If that's left you feeling that there aren't enough books by Ray Bradbury sat on your shelves, feel free to remedy the situation by browsing through a selection of his titles in the PS Publishing catalogue!
Sarah Pinborough interviewed by Dark Scribe Magazine
Posted by Paul Raven on July 29th, 2008 at 7:26
Over at Dark Scribe Magazine they're running an interview with the very lovely Sarah Pinborough, whose novella The Language Of Dying will be published by PS Publishing early next year - a book she describes as being "definitely a bold departure" from her current body of work.
In this little snippet Sarah - who is also a full-time teacher - discusses how much hard work is involved in writing for a living:
"I think I’m now very aware of what hard work it is, and that for most writers in this market, you need a second income or you have to be very, very prolific. I’ve met very talented writers who’ve had huge advances for a book then couldn’t sell one for years. If you’re in this business for the money then get out - there are easier ways to earn a living. I think you just have to write the stories you want to write and hope for the best.
But I’ll always watch other people’s careers and see what’s working and what’s not and keep pushing myself in order to reach a place where I can write full-time. If I was married, I think that would be easier, but as a single person, where you can only rely on your own income, you have to work very hard to be at that level. However, I can’t imagine not writing. My brain doesn’t get the concept, so I’ll just keep on producing and hopefully the hard work will pay off one day."
We don't have a catalogue page for The Language Of Dying yet, but rest assured we'll let you know when we do. In the mean time, you can find out more about Sarah Pinborough and her books on her website.
Full disclosure: in addition to being a PS author-in-waiting, Sarah Pinborough is also one of my clients.
Edward Miller’s cover art for Ian R MacLeod’s Song of Time
Posted by Paul Raven on July 24th, 2008 at 6:33
We just got our hands on the finished jacket art for Ian R MacLeod's forthcoming PS Publishing novel, Song of Time. It's based on a striking painting by Edward Miller (a.k.a. Les Edwards):
It's an arresting image... which means it matches well with Ian MacLeod's writing. Those of you waiting patiently on your pre-ordered copies have only till the end of the year to wait - but don't forget that Fantasy Book Spot are exclusively hosting an extract from the start of Song of Time that you can read right now.
If you've not placed an order yet, click through below to reserve your copy ahead of the stampede:
- Song of Time (slipcased hardcover) : £50 (US$100 approx.) - 200 copies only
- Song of Time (hardcover) : £20 (US$40 approx.) - 500 copies only
The Fix reviews Jeschonek’s Mad Scientist Meets Cannibal
Posted by Paul Raven on July 23rd, 2008 at 8:59
Over at The Fix Online, Fábio Fernandes pulled on the asbestos gloves and got to grips with PS Publishing's third short fiction showcase collection, Mad Scientist Meets Cannibal by Robert T. Jeschonek. As is usual with The Fix, it's an in-depth review that treats each story individually; here's the closing few paragraphs discussing the final story, "Playing Doctor":
Naturally, the main goal of any mad scientist is to conquer the world, or to destroy it. Hildegarde Medici has just finished the construction of a doomsday weapon, which she fully intends to use—if she has the time to. The problem is that she’s discovered that she has cancer.
But what if her assistant has a plan of his own? Madly in love, he will do anything to make her happy. Even if it means turning himself into a guinea pig again. But it’s okay to be mad, as he tells her later, “Mad is good.”
And if you are Robert T. Jeschonek, then mad must be truly an excellent thing, because this collection is pretty good. May he uphold the legacy of Lafferty and Tenn for a very long time.
So, Jeschonek gets a clean bill of health from Fernandes... but maybe you'd like to experiment with this Showcase yourself, hmm? Click through below and place your order!
- Mad Scientist Meets Cannibal - jacketed hardcover - £25.00 ($50.00 approx.) - 100 copies only
- Mad Scientist Meets Cannibal - hardcover - £10.00 ($20.00 approx.) - 300 copies only
Keynote address by Ray Bradbury
Posted by Paul Raven on July 21st, 2008 at 8:56
If you've ever wondered how much-loved elder statesman of genre fiction Ray Bradbury approaches his life and his writing, then the following video should be of great interest to you. It's footage of Bradbury's keynote address titled "Telling the Truth", delivered at The Sixth Annual Writer's Symposium by the Sea, sponsored by Point Loma Nazarene University.
We can thank Ed Ashby and the SF Signal gang for spotting that one for us. Don't forget we've got a whole bunch of Ray Bradbury specials in the pipeline here at PS, as well as numerous titles either featuring Bradbury or exclusively by him...
... far too many to list here, in fact. So I'll just direct you to a search of the PS Publishing catalogue using the search terms "Ray Bradbury". Enjoy!
PS Publishing titles in the running for International Horror Guild awards
Posted by Paul Raven on July 13th, 2008 at 15:21
The nominations for the International Horror Guild Awards have emerged, and we're pleased as punch to see some PS Publishing titles in the running. The full list can be found over on the International Horror Guild website, but here are the ones from our own stable:
Best Novel:
- Grin of the Dark by Ramsey Campbell [slipcased hardcover £50 / $100; hardcover sold out!]
Best Fiction Collection:
- Dagger Key and Other Stories by Lucius Shepard [jacketed hardcover £25 / $50; slipcased hardcover sold out!]
Best Long Fiction:
- The Scalding Rooms by Conrad Williams [jacketed hardcover £25 / $50; hardcover £10 / $20 - low stock on both editions]
Best Mid-length Fiction:
- "Closet Dreams" by Lisa Tuttle [from Postscripts #10 - unsigned hardcover £12 / $24]
Best Periodical:
- Postscripts [current issue #14: paperback £6 / $12; hardcover £25 / $50; subscriptions]
A pretty good showing, I think you'll agree! On behalf of the whole PS Publishing team, I'd like to pass on our very hearty congratulations to the nominated authors -- without whom we'd never be nominated for anything, and who make it all worthwhile.
If you've not already sampled any of these acclaimed works, click through on the links next to the titles and bag yourself a copy before the rush - some of them are pretty close to sold out already!
Excerpt from Ian R MacLeod’s Song of Time
Posted by Paul Raven on July 11th, 2008 at 7:32
The irrepressible Fantasy Book Spot is running an exclusive excerpt from Ian R MacLeod's forthcoming PS Publishing title Song of Time - so if you're hungering for the launch of the book, that should whet your appetite nicely.
Here's the opening few paragraphs:
Something white's lying on the shore as I cross the last ridge of shingle. Seagulls rise as I trudge towards it. I’d walk on if I could be sure that it was merely a salt-bleached log, but I can’t simply turn away. The ground slips and a bigger wave breaks over my knees. A hand flails, limbs unravel, bubbles glitter, and a human face stares up from the retreating sea, masked with weed.
I grab a hand, an arm. A sudden backwash almost claims us, then, in a heave, I and the body are free. I look around. Splinters of dawn light part the clouds, but there’s nothing else here along this shore but me, this man and the grey Atlantic. There are bruises, scratches, gouges, beneath the stripes of weeds which cover him, but otherwise he’s naked. And he’s obviously young, clearly male, and still alive — if barely. I struggle to turn him over and attempt to pump the water from his lungs, but already I’m exhausted. He struggles against me and blinks.
“Who are you?”
He blinks again.
“Where are you from?”
The blued lips shape to say something, then he vomits up the sea.
So, go read the whole thing already! Or alternatively you can trust that Song of Time will be just as good as MacLeod's other books - which is to say distinctive and excellent - and click through below to place your pre-order right away:
- Song of Time (slipcased hardcover) : £50 (US$100 approx.) - 200 copies only
- Song of Time (hardcover) : £20 (US$40 approx.) - 500 copies only
PS Newsletter, July 2008
Posted by Peter Crowther on July 10th, 2008 at 8:00
Hi everyone!
I'm writing this on a fairly blustery but sunny afternoon on Hornsea seafront, about 500 yards from the PS offices (and, more importantly, from the telephones!). I hope the weather and the world is treating you just as kindly wherever you call home.
Out-of-office alert - 6th to 28th July
First off, I'm going to be away for three weeks starting Sunday 6 July. There'll be someone in the office acknowledging website orders but no books will be sent out until week commencing 28 July. There'll probably (from my mouth to God's ear!) be a bit of a build-up of orders but rest assured that they'll be dealt with in the strict sequence they were placed. I'm expecting us to be caught up by the start of the following week.
Stock arrivals
Just yesterday, Robert Jeschonek's Mad Scientist Meets Cannibal, the third Showcase volume, arrived at the PS warehouse -- along with Jack Dann's The Economy of Light. We'll be sending orders out as soon as we get back from the US.
Feel free to place orders in our absence, though! Mad Scientist Meets Cannibal is available in regular hardcover (£10 / $20) or jacketed hardcover (£25 / $50); The Economy of Light comes in unjacketed (£10 / $20) and jacketed hardcover (£25 / $50) flavours, too.
Crimson Guard proofreading problem
The dust has pretty much settled on the Crimson Guard proofing debacle, with free books going out to all who'd ordered a copy of Cam's wonderful novel. My thanks to everyone for their understanding and their generous comments on the way in which we dealt with the problem. Further proof -- if any were needed -- that we truly have the best customers in the business. If anyone is still missing their free book then please do drop us a line to service@pspublishing.co.uk (In fact, please make sure that, in future, all order queries, enquiries and inquiries are sent to that address and not to me personally, or any other address. Huge thanks for that.)
Postscripts #15 - the all-SF issue
All systems are go for the trade copies of the big blustering bug-eyed monster that is our special all-SF 15th edition of Postscripts magazine to be at WorldCon in Denver for when the Con begins on 6 August. We were hoping that we'd also have the special signed editions there as well but, alas, the signing sheets -- five of the blighters! -- are still going the rounds and so won't be ready in time. You'll have to order your copy either direct from us or from your usual high quality outlet of superior literature.
To order directly from us, follow these links: it's available in super-special signed and slipcased hardcover (£75 / $150), signed hardcover (£30 / $60) and regular hardcover (£15 / $30).
FantasyCon novella launches
James Barclay - VAULT OF DEEDS
Talking of superior literature (though what else would we be talking about?!), James Barclay has handed in his new novella, Vault of Deeds . . . and it's a total blast. We're aiming to get the whole thing edited (correctly, this time!), proofed up and printed so that we can launch it at FantasyCon in September -- James is one of the Guests of Honour. We'll be doing 300 signed jacketed hardcover copies (£25 / $50) and 500 unsigned unjacketed hardcover copies (£10 / $20). (Of course, if you're at the Con then you'll be able to buy one of the £10 copies and get James to sign it. Just one of a myriad great reasons to be at the Convention.)
Stephen Erikson - REVOLVO
Another reason to attend FantasyCon this year is Steve Erikson's new novella, Revolvo. We're launching that there, too. Again, there'll be 300 signed jacketed hardcover copies (£25 / $50) and 500 unsigned unjacketed hardcovers (£10 / $20). Steve and his wife and son have been staying with us here at PS Towers while Steve built up his strength for the signing tour Transworld organised for Toll The Hounds, the eighth volume in the truly epic Malazan Book of the Fallen series... and just to give him a little practice, we presented him the sheets for Revolvo.
Both of these are remarkable novellas and we recommend you place your order as soon as you're able, particularly for the jacketed hardcover editions. Don't say we didn't warn you!
Mark Samuels - GLYPHOTECH
Also launching at FantasyCon will be Mark Samuels's Glyphotech, the fourth in our increasingly popular Showcase series of short story volumes. Jason Van Hollander will be providing cover art and Ramsey Campbell is handling the introduction duties. For this title there'll be 200 jacketed hardcover copies (signed by Mark and Ramsey) (£25 / $50) and 300 unjacketed hardcovers (signed by just Mark) (£10 / $20)... and both Mark and Ramsey will be at the Con, so a nice crisp £10 note will secure a fully-signed copy of the cheaper edition.
Ray Bradbury - THE DAY IT RAINED FOREVER
We're in the final stages of designing our edition of Ray Bradbury's The Day It Rained Forever. We had a little hold-up because we were trying to secure something extra-special for the deluxe edition ... and we've done it. The top set of 100 copies will include a special PS edition of the author's A Medicine for Melancholy. As I'm sure you'll already know, Medicine and Rained were essentially the same book re-titled for the split between UK and US audiences... but with four stories different in each title (ie. there are four in Rained that are not in Medicine and vice versa). This has been on the stocks for a long time, so a hearty Bravo! to all those who pre-ordered when we first announced it. So, in addition to the two editions we'd already advertised -- an unsigned unjacketed hardcover (£20 / $40) and a 200-copy jacketed and slipcased hardcover signed by Ray (£50 / $100) -- there'll be a 100-copy special two-book set signed by Ray and Caitlin Kiernan, who wrote the intro -- the price will be £250 / $500.
Ray Bradbury - SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, THE HALLOWE'EN TREE & THE OCTOBER COUNTRY
And finally, at least for this note, we've secured a real gem of a three-book set that we're aiming to bring out just in time for Christmas. Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Hallowe'en Tree and The October Country . . . all three of them in one slipcase, only 300 copies -- 26 lettered (£375 / $750) signed by Ray Bradbury himself (and possibly others involved) and 274 unsigned sets (£100 / $200). And that's the lot -- just 300 copies and then they're gone. There'll be some extras included but we can't say what they'll be at this stage. For the record, this project came about because Ray called to say how much he liked what we'd done with Dandelion Wine and he wondered if we'd like to do the same with Wicked, Hallowe'en and October. Well, need I say more?!
And that's about it. There are other things I could mention but we'll leave those for another time. Suffice to say that both Nick Gevers and I are pursuing some exciting new projects and, of course, we've been making great progress on some we've announced previously. But it's always nice to have something to tell you all about another day.
Enjoy your summer, make sure you wear your sun cream and if you're aiming to be at this year's NeCon then be sure to say Hi. Until we chat again, look after each other . . . and happy reading!
Pete
Jeffrey Ford interview excerpts at Locus Online
Posted by Paul Raven on July 3rd, 2008 at 7:27
For those of us who aren't full subscribers to the print magazine, Locus Magazine likes to chum the waters a little with online teaser snippets of their content. This month's offering includes some excerpts from a much longer interview with Jeffrey Ford, whose quasi-mythological talking-animal novella The Cosmology of the Wider World was published here at PS Publishing back in 2005.
Here's Ford talking about the writing process, revealing that he breaks a lot of the rules and guideline that those teach-yourself-writing manuals will try to instil in you:
“I never take notes, never write outlines, none of that. I like it to mix in my head. I'm working when I'm at the grocery store picking out melons. It's all up there, and I figure if I forget about it, it probably wasn't worth remembering anyway. That's the way I work. I don't think things like journals are bad; I just don't use 'em. Some people have special little notebooks and pens -- whatever works for you.”
Sounds like a much more liberated way to work, doesn't it? Personally I find I need rigid discipline to get anything done... maybe that's what separates the pros from the rank amateurs, eh?
We still have a few copies of The Cosmology of the Wider World ferreted away (arf!) in the PS Publishing warehouse, by the way - click on through to pick one up:
- The Cosmology of the Wider World (jacketed hardcover) - £25 (US$50 approx)
- The Cosmology of the Wider World (paperback) - £10 (US$20 approx)
Peter Crowther interviewed by Gareth D Jones
Posted by Paul Raven on July 2nd, 2008 at 6:39
Short-story author Gareth D Jones has been running a series of posts on his blog wherein he talks to the editors of short fiction venues to get a feel for how they do their job ... and what they look for in a story!
Gareth had some questions for PS Publishing's very own Peter Crowther, and the results appeared yesterday. Here's Gareth asking Pete about whether Postscripts is an an attempt to compete against 'The Big Three':
GDJ: Do you think you could eventually compete with the big-selling professional mags, or would you even want to?
PC: I didn't and still don't set out to compete with anyone, either as a publisher or as a magazine. I set out to publish exactly what I wanted to publish. Let's not forget that we're small fry next to the likes of F&SF, Asimov's and Analog but yes, we'd like to build our reputation so that some of the readers of those fine titles decided to try our wares. But I don't want any success for us to result in a reduction in take-up for them -- we need more mags not fewer, and there's room for all of us. We need to get back to the halcyon days of many, many venues for the short-form.
On that point, I'm sure most Newsroom regulars can agree! If you feel the urge to support a bespoke short fiction market and acquire a highly collectable item in the process (not to mention a huge selection of quality science fiction stories), you could do far worse than pre-order a copy of Postscripts #15:
- Postscripts #15 (multi-autograph slipcased hardcover) - £75 (US$150 approx) - 100 copies only
- Postscripts #15 (signed hardcover) - £30 (US$60 approx) - 300 copies only
- Postscripts #15 (hardcover) - £15 (US$30 approx) - 600 copies only
Or take out a subscription, and receive four issues of Postscripts in a year plus the bonus end-of-year chapbook - a plan with no drawbacks!
Ian MacLeod’s Song of Time reviewed at Booklist
Posted by Paul Raven on July 1st, 2008 at 7:24
We're pleased as punch to see yet another PS Publishing title receive a starred review from Booklist, the magazine of the American Library Association. This time it's the turn of Ian R MacLeod with his forthcoming full-length novel Song of Time.
Here's what reviewer Ray Olson had to say:
"Near the end of the twenty-first century, an old woman in Cornwall rescues a nude young man from the ocean, somehow dragging him from the beach to her well-appointed house. She is a world-famous violinist, who, despite having taken full advantage of life-prolonging therapeutics, knows death is near. He is obviously educated but lacks all personal knowledge. She calls him Adam. It suits her needs to reminisce and his to listen. Her remembrances are punctuated by daily life with Adam until she has told him all. [...] Another book, equally fascinating, could be written just to fully describe and explain MacLeod’s envisioned twenty-first century. This book forefronts a personal story within that vision and artfully suggests that, in human terms, the personal trumps the historical every time.
MacLeod's unique talent is to straddle fantasy and science fiction in a way that uses each to embellish and expand the possibilities of the other, and it sounds like Song of Time showcases that storytelling mojo to great effect. I'm looking forward to this one!
Song of Time will be published around the end of the year, but you can pre-order right now to make sure you get a copy as soon as it arrives in the PS warehouse:
- Song of Time (slipcased hardcover) : £50 (US$100 approx.) - 200 copies only
- Song of Time (hardcover) : £20 (US$40 approx.) - 500 copies only