More from @scalzi

John Scalzi

@scalzi

5 Aug

The major editorial note in my latest work is "you sure have people nodding a lot."

Yes, I do, he said, nodding.

(The extraneous nods are being taken out. But they will still be implied, I assure you.)

Also, stuff like this is why it's good to have editors. They're reading the manuscript for the first time so every little tic and textual inconsistency your brain has longed paved over stands out for them. Some they can fix for you; others they need you to fix. Useful.

Responded to my edit notes for Dispatcher 3 and sent the manuscript back. It's now roughly 800 words shorter, a smidgen more clear, and with quite a bit less nodding.

Read 4 tweets

John Scalzi

@scalzi

27 Jul

1. Team Scalzi was approached today with a query about a "shopping agreement" for one of my properties. A "shopping agreement" is basically where a film/TV producer asks permission to pitch a work in a room without having paid an option up front...

2. ... with the idea being that if they get a studio/streamer/network/etc excited about it, they can quickly put together a package and then an option would follow after. And if not, well, then... not.

So, I'm not a fan of shopping agreements, and let me tell you why.

3. (Disclaimer: What follows is a disquisition about a first world problem told from the perspective of someone with a non-trivial amount of privilege, etc BUT which I still think will be useful to other writers and such. Mileage may vary, and all that. We good? Okay then.)

Read 16 tweets

John Scalzi

@scalzi

14 Jul

@torbooks

Hey, remember when @torbooks and I told you my upcoming book would be out on March 22, 2022 and then you were all like UUUUNGH WHY DO I HAVE TO WAIT SOOOO LOOOONG?!? Well, good news: we've moved up the release date! One week! To March 15! Yes! Now the Ides of March has monsters!

(Audio and ebook will be out the same day. If you're in the UK, it'll be out March 17. The Broadway musical will be out in 2025. One of these release dates is not (yet) accurate. You guess which one.)

@torbooks

To those asking UNNNNGH WHY CAN'T YOU MOVE IT UP SOOOOONER?!? Because @torbooks already has the rest of its 2021 releases scheduled and me cutting into another Tor author's release date would be a real dick move. I do not wish to be a dick to other authors! Also, marketing, etc.

Read 4 tweets

John Scalzi

@scalzi

10 Jul

1. Fun fact: lots of men have won Hugos in the last several years. Last year alone: Max Gladstone, James SA Corey (who counts as two), Neil Gaiman and John Picacio among others. Men are not notably underrepresented with rockets these days.

2. Mind you, this person seems to think "The Hugos" are limited to only the Best Novel category; they're not. Also, that category has been amply represented by excellent works; it's hard to gainsay, from a creative or technical point of view, any individual finalist work.

3. This person lists authors whose novels they feel should be finalists, and finds it curious they weren't. The fact is, however, there are only six finalists in any year; there will always be worthy works that don't show up on the finalist list. It's the nature of awards.

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John Scalzi

@scalzi

28 Jun

After literally years of seeing this advertised on the highway, we finally stopped off the road to check this place out. Because who doesn't like candles?