Lee Harris promoted to Senior Editor at Angry Robot Books

FantasyCon 2012 - The Aftermath

This morning I find myself feeling a little tired, with aching legs and a strange sense of displacement... Ah, yes, it was FantasyCon this past weekend. That'll explain it...

I arrived at Friday lunchtime in time to have a pint* practically put straight into my hand and then it was off to the 'How Important Are Blogs?' panel, which due to the vagaries of people's travel plans meant it became dubbed the 'Angry Robot How Important Are Blogs?' panel. The general consensus of opinion was that blogs are important**, although Emelyn Rees isn't a fan of author blogs****.

Straight after the Angry Robot panel it was time for 'Blurring Genre Boundaries' which was the first FantasyCon panel I've sat on. It was moderated my m'editor Jonathan Oliver and was a really fun panel, with a great atmosphere****. It is always pleasing when other well-known writers and editors attend panels and on this occasion is was Joe Abercrombie who came up with a great question from the floor.

The rest of the day became a blurring of catching up with old friends and making more new ones. (Just don't search for #JonCon on Twitter, whatever you do!) But the main event was yet to happen.

Saturday was, to use the vernacular, 'full on'. The day began with a very necessary hearty breakfast and then it was straight off to 'What Makes A Good Short Story?' with m'colleagues Cavan Scott and Mr Kit Cox. During the course of the panel I'm pleased to say that my one-time roomie Simon Bestwick was recommended as a master of the horror short.

The rest of the day involved various book launches - Angry Robot as well as the already legendary Solaris/Abaddon Give-Away, the launch of the new Solaris anthology Magic - not meeting James Herbert in the bar, not meeting Mark Gatiss in the bar, and making plans for a new anthology...

At the Solaris/Abaddon Give-Away.

Now that's Magic!

The Angry Robot's less angry meat-slaves.

Then it was time for 'Is Steampunk Here To Stay?' my second panel of the con, moderated by Jared Shurin, and with Yours Truly as the only author on the panel who seemed happy to have his work described as steampunk. To sum up the panel Kim Newman thinks steampunk has had its day and is on its way out, I think it's here to stay, and Eastern literature may be the source of its salvation.

Can you feel the tension in the room? I could!

After going for dinner with friends, there's not really very much to say about Saturday evening other than...

DISCO!

Gollancz challenged the FantasyCon attendees (which included writers, editors and publishers, as well as book-bloggers and other fans of the genre) to drink their free bar dry. After about half an hour that challenge had been met.

Pimms, you say? Why thank you, sir! That's my five-a-day sorted anyway.

I have to say there's nothing quite like a room full of authors and the like dancing (and shouting along to) The Beatles' Paperback Writer.

Need I say more?

There's also nothing quite like doing a reading at 10.30am on the Sunday morning after the disco with very little voice but I'm delighted to say that despite being up against the BFS AGM and the Sunday Morning Hangover, including myself my reading's attendance made double figures. Thanks again for those who came to listen (including David Tallerman) and for the kind comments afterwards.

Yes, that is a throne I'm sitting upon.

Congratulations to all involved in the organisation of the event and a big thank you to Marie O'Regan, Paul Kane, Alex and Emma Davis in particular. Here's to World FantasyCon 2013!


* The first of many.

** Which was a relief, otherwise what's the point in me typing this first thing on a Monday morning?

*** I would have liked to have caught up with him later to discuss his comments and set out an argument for the defence but there just wasn't the time - it really was that busy.

**** At least I thought so.

JG at the SFX Weekender 3

In case you've been snowed in or were without the Internet for the past few days, like me*, then you may not know that this past weekend somewhere in the region of 6,000 SF and Fantasy fans invaded Prestatyn Sands holiday camp** to celebrate their love of all things genre - from movie screenings and celebrity appearances, to author panels and young ladies wearing stilts (and not much else).

A packed pub for the Abaddon/Solaris Fun (or should that be 'Pun'?) Hour

If I had to sum up my 67 hours in Prestatyn in one word it would have to be 'Awesome'***. Alternatively I could write screeds about all the wonderful people I met, new fans and old friends, all the bizarre and totally unreal things I witnessed****, and all the debates embarked upon. But the next Pax Britannia book won't write itself and, having spoken to a number of fans over the course of the weekend, I know that there are a lot of people already desperate to get their hands on Time's Arrow Part 2*****.

The 'How do you put the punk into steampunk?' panel

So instead I'll just say a massive thank you to Dave Bradley, Rich Edwards, Jordan Farley, Dave Golder, Nick Setchfield and the rest of the SFX team for a fantastic event; to Jon Oliver, David Moore, Keith Richardson, Pye Parr and James Newton for doing such a good job of selling my Pax Britannia books; to my fellow steampunk panelists; and to everyone who stopped me to say hello over the course of the weekend. Hopefully we can do it all again next year.

Yours Truly signing with Guy 'I never thought I'd be Craig Charles's back dancer' Haley on the Abaddon/Solaris stand

In the mean time, here's my Top Ten list of things I didn't know before the SFX Weekender 3, but which I do know now.

1) If you're a big name you don't have to queue in the freezing cold. (My name was big enough to qualify. Which was nice.)

2) Darth Vader won't serve Rose Tyler alcohol without photo ID.

3) Some of the recently refurbished chalets at Pontin's come with interesting internal water features.

4) When the Zombiepocalypse****** comes, lock yourself in the loo.

5) Lavie Tidhar is so steampunk he [blank] cogs.*******

6) Designers address people as 'Dude'.

7) Being Human appeals to BBC 3's Twilight crowd, allegedly.

8) Craig Charles finished filming the new series of Red Dwarf at 7.00pm on Saturday evening.

9) Brian Blessed is a fully trained cosmonaut.

10) Apparently, I am the King of Steampunk.

* Nightmare!

** Or, as author Simon Bestwick put it, "the housing estate from Mordor."

*** Although 'Flooded' came a close second.

**** Which are totally normal for the SFX Weekender, of course.

***** A.k.a Black Swan.

****** Copyright and Trademark Jonathan Green, 2012!

******* You can work this one out for yourself. After all children read this blog, you know.

Angry Robot Open Submissions Month

It happened last year and it's happening again in 2012.

However, this year the Angry Robot overlords are narrowing the focus and are specifically looking for classic fantasy (high, epic, medieval, magical, etc), and Strange Chemistry (their new YA imprint) will be looking for all forms of SF and fantasy YA.

The doors will be open from April 16th through April 30th. You can find out more details here.

An Angry Update

From Angry Robot Books that is, or rather Marc Gascoigne. You can read an interview with my World Fantasy Award-winning former landlord here at Left Lion.

Small world, isn't it?

The demise of Floor to Ceiling Books and the birth of Strange Chemistry

So, Floor to Ceiling Books is closing its doors after over two years of sterling service to both the world of publishing and the book-buying public. It's been a great read, a fantastic source of information and, I'm pleased to say, I even got to guest post on it once.

The reason? Amanda Rutter is setting up a brand new YA imprint under the watchful eye of the mechanoid masterminds behind Angry Robot Books. This is very exciting news indeed (for all sorts of reasons) and you can read more about it here.

Happy Belated Birthday Angry Robot

Late to party as ever, I just wanted to let you know that (if you're as bad at remembering birthdays as me) it was Angry Robot's second birthday on Friday.

"Only the second?" I hear you cry, and that's exactly what I thought too. They've made such a huge impact on the genre publishing scene in such a short time, surely they must have been going for longer. I mean they've changed masters once and had an Arthur C Clarke winner. Two years? Really?

Anyway, you can join the celebrations here. Just steer clear of the punch.

R is for Robot

As in Angry Robot.

This March, Angry Robot Books - publishers of SF/F and WTF - opened their doors to unsolicited submissions for the first time.

The results of the Angry Robot Experiment are interesting, if not exactly uplifting for the unpublished author (or even the already published but not yet massively established author).

You can read what Lee Harris (editor at ARB) has to say about it here.

Dan Abnett - Embedded

So, Dan's pre-publication signing of Embedded (published by Angry Robot Books) went ahead at the Forbidden Planet Megastore in London last night, and, if you couldn't make it*, you can fortunately still get your signed copy here.

As one of Gaunt's Ghosts would say, thank feth for that!

* Like me!

Dan Abnett signing Embedded - new date announced

Dan's signing of pre-publication copies of his new future war epic from Angry Robot Books Embedded at the Forbidden Planet Megastore in London, has now been rescheduled for 7 April 2011, between 6.00-7.00pm. Click here for more details.

So thanks a lot, you so-called 'protestors'*, as I can't make the new date and won't be getting my signed hardback of Embedded as a result. Yeah, thanks for that. It's not enough that you have to bring chaos to the streets of the capital...

* I prefer the terms 'vandals' and 'hooligans'.

Forthcoming Dan Abnett events

If, like me, you're a fan of Dan Abnett's writing then you may be interested to hear about the following...

Dan is going to be signing pre-publication copies of his new future war epic from Angry Robot Books Embedded at the Forbidden Planet Megastore in London, tomorrow, 26 March 2011, between 1.00-2.00pm. Click here for more details.

UNFORTUNATELY THE FORBIDDEN PLANET EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED! I WILL BE RESCHEDULED FOR A LATER DATE. More news as and when...

However, via the Black Library website, you can still enter a competition to win dinner with the man himself. You can find out more about this here.

Embedded by Dan Abnett

Angry Robot Books have released the first four chapters (some 40 odd pages) of Dan Abnett's brand new sci-fi thriller future war romp Embedded.

The colony planet of Eighty-Six looks as dull as all its fellow new worlds to veteran journalist Lex Falk, but when a local squabble starts to turn violent, and the media start getting the runaround from the military high command, his interest is seriously piqued.

Forbidden from approaching the battlezone, he gets himself chipped inside the head of a combat veteran – and uncovers the story of a lifetime. When the soldier is killed, however, Falk must use all his resourcefulness to get back home again… and blow the lid off the whole damn thing.

And you can read them for yourself here! And if you like what you read (which you surely will) you can buy the book here.

So, you wanna be a writer?

If the title of this blog post applies to you, and you've done a little more than just talk about how much you want to be a writer and have actually written something, and what you've written is a science-fiction, fantasy, horror or genre-crossing alien-invasion, faerie-living in the London Underground, crime-thriller mash-up but you've never been able to get it in front of an editor because your work is unsolicited and you don't have an agent - (breathe!) - then this might just be for you.

Marc Gascoigne (one-time editor, co-writer, landlord and publisher of mine) is opening the big airy Open Submissions window in the Angry Robot Books office just for you. You can find out more about this initiative on the AR Submissions page here, and at the Literary Project here.

And all that there remains for me to say is - "Good luck!"

Writing routines

For anyone who is interested in the process of writing for a living, whether they aspire to be a freelance writer themselves or not, you may be interested in the following pieces.

Here Colin Harvey talks about his typical (or otherwise) writing day, while here Nik Vincent talks about Dan Abnett's routine for Deadline Day from the Other Half's point of view. And here, Dan Abnett talks a bit about his working day...

Angry Robot Open Submissions Month

Good news for any budding, but unrepresented, authors out there. For the entirety of March 2011, Angry Robot Books will be open to unsolicited submissions.

You can read more about this exciting opportunity here. You can also find out more on Angry Robots submissions page here.

24 Hours in Nottingham - or - How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Metal

So, last Friday lunchtime (with still some way to go on my latest Pax Britannia novella Proteus Unbound*) I packed in work for the day and headed up to Nottingham for FantasyCon 2010. Due to other commitments I would have to hit the motorway again at 2pm Saturday so arriving in Robin Hood's hood at 2pm on the Friday, I had 24 hours in which to experience all that FantasyCon had to offer.

Friday 17 September 2010

2pm - Arrived in Nottingham in need of a comfort break and so stopped at GW HQ and popped into Bugman's Bar... Where who should I run into but Christian Dunn and Alex Davis from Black Library editorial. Chris is holding a handful of Fighting Fantasy gamebooks and was about to sit down with Alex to discuss... I wish I could tell you more, but I can't. Not yet, anyway. Suffice to say it was a very exciting moment!

Relaxed and ready to take on the world again, I had a good nose around the Warhammer World miniatures hall which gave me a few ideas for... But again, alas my lips are sealed for the time being.

3pm - Checked in to my hotel where I discovered that complimentary Wi-Fi in all rooms didn't actually mean free. Settled down to do some more work on Proteus Unbound.

8pm - Headed into the city, to The Salutation Inn, semi-ready for a night of Abaddon Books-sponsored metal karaoke. The first fifty to the bar received a complimentary** copy of Al Ewing's I, Zombie while David Moore judged the metal karaoke-ists, the winner receiving a complete set of his chosen Abaddon series!

10pm - David took the mike himself and I wondered why I don't do this sort of thing more often. David's hat gets passed round, photos are taken, and reputations are ruined, all at the click of a shutter lens.

Just for the record, I am not in any way metal - as this photograph proves most effectively.

11pm - Tinnitus kicks in and I realise why I don't do this sort of thing anymore.

12am - Head back to my hotel while the hardcore (a.k.a. Jon and David) rock into the wee small hours of the morning.

Saturday 18 September 2010

8am - Stumble out of bed, ears still ringing. Swear never to go to another metal karaoke as long as live (or until the same time next year, whichever is sooner).

9am - Back to the laptop. Proteus Unbound is starting to come together quite nicely now.

10am - Head off to the Britannia Hotel to experience FantasyCon for myself for the first time. Conclusion: It's basically a load of mates (who happen to be writers, artists and editors) all getting together for a pint*** and a chat.

Barely through the door when I'm met by Mark and Liz of My Favourite Books (go check it out!) and Mark Charan Newton of Nights of Villjamur fame. Then run into Jonathan Oliver, who's looking a lot worse than I am (see above).

Head off into the dealers' room and meet Lee Harris of Angry Robot Books and pick up Guy Adams' The World House along with Lavie Tidhar's The Bookman while I'm about it.

Check out the Art Show upstairs and display incredible self-control and great restraint in managing not to purchase a print of Les Edwards' cover for Creature of Havoc or a piece of original Bryan Talbot comic artwork.

Go back downstairs to the bar where I run into Marc Gascoigne (Angry Robot overlord, former BL publisher, my first FF editor and former flatmate) followed by Bryan Talbot. I even get to shake the great man's hand****.

1pm - The End of the Line book launch. Twelve authors arrayed to sign Solaris Books' latest horror anthology. Take pity on Jon Oliver and David Moore (who are both looking worse than me) and buy them a re-hydrating Coke each. Manage to pick up the last copy and get it signed by all present, in the process meeting such luminaries as Simon Bestwick and Stephen Volk in the flesh for the first time.

2pm - Leave FantasyCon with a bag full of books, Doctor Who toys for the kids and safe in the knowledge that I'll earn a few Brownie points for leaving on time!

Here are the books I picked up at FantasyCon. Some were freebies, some I parted with my hard-earned cash for.

Nice one, FantasyCon. See you next year down in Brighton.

* I can say that now that it's finished and in with my editor. ;-)

** Complimentary here does mean free.

*** The definition of 'a pint' that I'm using here is 'Anywhere between 2 and 10 pints, but most definitely not just the one'.

**** Bryan Talbot's, that is.

Angry Robot Books UK Launch

Yesterday I spent a very pleasant hour or so at the Forbidden Planet Megastore in London at the official UK launch of Angry Robot Books. Head honcho (and my old partner-in-crime) Marc Gascoigne was there, as was Triumff author (and me old Black Library mucker) Dan Abnett and his wife, ace editor, Nik Vincent. Had a great time catching up, briefly saw James Swallow and said 'Hi!' to Steven Savile.

It all seemed to go very well and I even bagged myself a Triumff poster.

Evidence that Dan Abnett really is a writer, with pen in hand...

Triumffant

Tomorrow (October 1), Dan Abnett's original fiction debut hits the shelves of bookshops across the country. I have been among the privileged few who have already got to read it and you can read my review below...

Triumff: Her Majesty's Hero is Dan Abnett’s long-awaited and much-anticipated original fiction debut. He’s been writing for years, of course (which is patently apparent in Triumff), and is already a multi-million-selling author, but outside of 2000AD, Games Workshop and various other comic-writing and tie-in novelisation gigs, he is still, unbelievably a relative unknown. But all that is about to change with the publication of this truly original work of fiction.

The setting is the present day, only it’s a world very different to our own, the sun never having set on the glories of the first Elizabethan Age. In this alternate reality the Renaissance saw a re-emergence of the Magick Arts and hence the arresting of significant technological development. Against this backdrop of Shakespearean thesps, wily cardinals and duelling noblemen, Sir Rupert Triumff – dandy, drinker and dueller – is catapulted into a revenger’s tragedy’s worth of intrigue as he tries to uncover and put paid to a nefarious and damnably traitorous scheme.

Abnett’s world-building is assured and satisfyingly detailed, although none of this detail ever swamps the plot which moves at a rollicking rate. In fact, it reads like a Blackadder-inspired cinematic blockbuster. As a result, the alternate Elizabethan setting is instantly recognisable, populated with pastiches of historical figures as well as characters that have walked right out of your television set. There’s even a nod to hardcore Warhammer fans. Humour, action and intrigue abound in equal measure, and combine with Abnett’s idiosyncratic clockpunk stylings to create a wholly satisfying read.

To dismiss Triumff: Her Majesty's Hero as a Pratchett clone is to do it a disservice; this is classic Abnett. From the economy of description – which nonetheless conjures a vivid and fascinating backdrop – to the grand set-piece action scenes and frequent, pun-tastic humour – that extends to a scene right out of Bond – it could hardly be anything else.

If you want your buckles well and truly swashed and derring done, you know where to come. Triumff is, in a word, a triumph.

You can pick up a copy of Triumff: Her Majesty's Hero here! (You really should, you know.)

The Pitch is the Thing!

Writing a novel is one thing. Being able to get someone else to read it or even, heaven forbid, publish it is another thing entirely.

Many doubtless fantastic writers never get to see their dream of becoming a published author realised (remember - there's no such thing as an unpublished author) because they don't make it easy enough for the Powers That Be (i.e. editors) to see how good they are. In other words, they don't pitch their Pitch properly. (Did you see what I did there?)

Lee Harris, one of the editorial team at Angry Robot Books, has written a piece for SFX Magazine about how to help yourself on the road to authordom (if that's a word), outlining twelve handy hints (a.k.a. The Twelve Commandments Of Preparing A Pitch That Thou Shalt Stick To) to make sure that you do all in your power to get someone else to read the labours of countless hours of blood, sweat and tears-style toil.

Then it's up to The Work itself to sell you The Writer. Gulp!

A story in six words? Really?

I spotted this on the Angry Robot blog* the other day:

The concept of Six Word Stories apparently started, or at least gathered a great apocryphal origin, when someone bet Ernest Hemingway he couldn’t tell a story in such a short space. The response of the great man - “For sale: baby shoes. Never worn.” - still carries a real punch today, where in these times of Twittering and Flash fiction the six worders have made a real comeback.

You can find the best recent Science Fiction entries here. My personal favourite has to be this one by Watchmen scribe Alan Moore:

Machine. Unexpectedly, I’d invented a time

* BTW - on the same blog was this exciting news!