The Complete Idiot's Guide to Publishing Science Fiction & Fantasy (Paperback)

The use of the term "science fiction" is a catch-all for all of the spec-fi genres, which includes science fiction, fantasy, horror/gothic, or any story that has some sort of "fantastic" element. Some of the topics authors Cory Doctorow and Karl Schroeder include are the history of the genre, conventions, writers' workshops, tips on the craft, submission, marketing, awards, agents, electronic publishing, contracts, taxes, and associations. It is a survey of just about everything the writer encounters regarding the craft of producing spec-fi for the print media.

Dealing with so many subjects in one volume limits their depth. For instance, as someone who's been heavily involved with writers' workshops, I noticed a couple of types the authors missed were those at conventions and others led by selling professionals. These are the only exceptions where it's usually worth paying a fee. Frankly, though, this reviewer is a little more knowledgeable on that particular subject than this book's intended audience. The advice it gives in locating a writers workshop, what it's all about, and how to deal with the criticism is obviously coming from people who have been there and have a rational perspective. Most of the points they raise, especially how important it is to critique other people's work, come from experiences common to many writers.

Likewise with the other subjects of the book. Of timely concern is the background on "e-rights," which has risen to controversial levels in the whole writing community during the past decade. Doctorow and Schroeder basically state this is an emerging field where a lot of the bumps they elaborate are still being worked out, thus making clear that any further research done on the issue can be valuable.

The information they impart on agents, associations, contracts, and even conventions just makes good sense. However, they're also quick to admit that the market is in a perpetual state of flux, that some of their information can turn obsolete by the time their camera-ready copy goes to press, meaning if the publisher keeps this book in print very long it will require revisions every few years to update the data it supplies, especially its contact information.

THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE TO PUBLISHING SCIENCE FICTION serves as an excellent springboard for newcomers to the spec-fi print industry. It whets the appetite for information on the topics it covers and encourages the reader to look for more. Members of Chicon 2000 and Millennium Philcon, the 58th and 59th World Science Fiction Conventions (a.k.a. Worldcons 58 and 59) respectively, ought to consider nominating this title for the Best Related Book Hugo in 2001. It will definitely be recommended reading for any workshops I coordinate in the future.