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Planet Pulp Magazine Issue #1
By Joseph M. Nassise
Last
edited: Friday, April 05, 2002
Posted: Friday, April 05, 2002
This is the first issue of Planet Pulp Magazine - Genre Fiction from the Inside Out. Planet Pulp gives an insiders look at the genre publishing industry, be it sci-fi, horror, mystery, thrillers, or fantasy, with indepth interviews with authors, agents, publishers, editors, and producers.
Visit the official website at www.planetpulpmagazine.com
Planet Pulp Magazine
Genre Fiction from the Inside Out
Issue 1 - April 2002
In This Issue:
1. Point
2. In The News
3. Subscriber & Staff Success
4. The Breakout Agent - An Interview with Donald Maass
5. Down & Dirty - InterReviews
6. Making Waves - An Interview with Horror Publisher John Turi
7. Monthly Question for the Pros
8. Upcoming Events & Conventions
9. Resources
10. Next Issue Preview
11. Tail-End Charlie
********
Point
By Jon F. Merz
Welcome to Planet Pulp Magazine.
I was going to write an editorial about how much Joe and I believe in
helping out fellow writers striving for the contracts, the pub dates,
the shelf space, and the sheer joy of it. I was going to talk about how
lucky I am to have a guy like Joe helping me out on this venture.
But this issue is just too much fun to bog you down with that kind of
stuff. So instead, let me tell you about the mag. Think of this as
your Julie McCoy Love Boat Cruise Director editorial.
Simply put, Planet Pulp is your monthly intelligence dump, your compass,
your north star, your cairn, your spray-painted graffiti, and your
source for connecting with some of the biggest names in genre fiction.
In each issue we'll be featuring great interviews, smaller combo reviews
and interviews we call InterReviews, convention listings, signings,
resources, subscriber success stories, and more. Each month, Joe and I
will be swapping positions for our respective editorials. He's got
Point next month and I've got Tail-End Charlie.
In future issues we'll be doing a Q&A column, featuring subscriber
questions. Joe and I will try our best to answer them or we'll go and
find the answer from our list of extensive industry contacts.
Another future feature will be a random drawing for one of our
subscribers to have their book proposal, query letter, development
pitch, logline, etc. professionally critiqued by one of the pros we
interview. We'll publish the results in Planet Pulp so we can all learn
from it. And who knows - if the pro happens to like your idea, they
just might sign you. Wouldn't that be cool? We'll try to do this
feature at least four times a year.
Check our resources guide at the end of the mag for a list of handy
Planet Pulp Magazine email contact addresses for various mag business.
We'll also list a few other nuggets for you to check out.
That's it. Now sit back, kick the feet up, order a cold one and enjoy -
I'm damned glad you're along for the ride. Shuffleboard's on the
Promenade Deck at 1300 hours.
*********
In The News
Marvel Comics continues to get its feet back under it. The company has
recently launched a series of oversized hardcovers that have been
welcomed by fans everywhere. Ultimate Spider-Man has already sold
100,000 copies in feverish anticipation of the movie's premiere this
Spring. Marvel's president Bill Jemas says that while in the past they
almost never did hardcovers."everytime we've done one, it's been
spectacularly successful. It's like watching a whole new category
develop." Marvel is also adopting a universal look for the hardcovers,
which retail around $39.95 as spearheaded by head designer Matty Ryan.
June will see the unveiling of a new line of books based on the TV
classic The Prisoner. Byron Preiss Visual Publications/ibooks has
licensed the show and will launch with original title reissues and new
novels. The company has also recently acquired rights to TNT's
Witchblade series from Top Cow Productions, debuting original novels
back in February.
Revenues at Books-A-Million rose 5.8% to $442.9 million last year and
net income jumped 29% to $4.0 million. BAM has also recently added more
book vendors, which lessened the company's dependence on discounted
bestsellers. Clyde Anderson, BAM Chairman, says a few new initiatives
have begun to take hold. Among them, a new POS system throughout the
chain and major facelifts for around two dozen superstores. While BAM
previously had announced that it would open roughly ten new superstores,
it has since scaled that number back to between six and eight.
Boris Akunin, author of a series of turn-of-the-century
pre-Revolutionary mysteries set in Russia, was snapped up by Random
House's Modern Library imprint by editor M. J. Devaney. Devaney
pre-empted North American rights for four books as represented by Linda
Michaels acting on behalf of Akunin's publisher Frassinelli in Italy.
Akunin has had sales of three million plus copies sold in Russia as well
as incredible numbers elsewhere in Europe.
*********
Subscriber & Staff News
(Listed alphabetically by last name, except Joe & Jon who always go
last)
Planet Pulp Magazine gladly lists paying/professional credits for its
subscribers. Send your news to subnews.planetpulpmagazine.com Please
be sure to include all relevant contact information, website URLs, email
addresses, etc. etc. Please list titles in full caps. Deadline for
subscriber news is always the last day of the month before the next
issue.
Michael Oliveri has fiction appearing in the anthologies Dark Testament
from Delirium Books and EXTREMES 4: DARKEST AFRICA from Lone Wolf
Publications. Both anthologies are currently available. 4X4, a fiction
collection featuring solo and collaborative efforts from Oliveri, Geoff
Cooper, Brian Keene, and Michael T. Huyck, Jr., has sold out the
hardcover edition and the trade paperback is almost gone. Order your
copy today! For more information, or to read an excerpt of Oliveri's
debut novel, DEADLIEST OF THE SPECIES, visit http://www.mikeoliveri.com
today!
Medium Rare Books will be publishing Harry Shannon's first novel, NIGHT
OF THE BEAST, as a limited edition (500, signed and numbered) hardcover.
The deluxe book should be out in late August or early September. Shannon
has received advance praise from IHG 2002 Grand Master William F. Nolan
("a bravura performance") and Ed Gorman ("fun from the first page to the
last"). Anyone interested in reserving a copy should go to
http://www.mediumrarebooks.com
John Urbancik writes: "WHC 2002 will see the release of my first novel,
SINS OF BLOOD AND STONE (a trade paperback by Catalyst Press), and my
first collection, SHADOWS, LEGENDS & SECRETS (a chapbook by Flesh &
Blood Press). And I'll be in a number of anthologies debuting there:
Decadence, Dreaming of Angels, and Random Acts of Weirdness, as
examples...oh, and the WHC freebie chapbook, A Darker Dawning II."
Check out John's website for more info at http://www.darkfluidity.com
Planet Pulp's co-editor, Joe Nassise, recently signed on with top agent
Bob Diforio of Diforio Allen O'Shea Literary Agency in New York. Joe
has also appeared on a local NBC affiliate to promote his first novel
RIVERWATCH - a top finalist for both the 2001 International Horror Guild
Award and 2001 Bram Stoker award for the First Novel category. Joe's
new series, THE TEMPLAR CHRONICLES is being shopped around top
publishers in New York City by Diforio, who is also representing the
mass market rights for Joe's editorial debut, VERTE BRUME ? THE
ANTHOLOGY OF ABSINTHE coming in 2003 from Medium Rare Books. More news
at Joe's website: http://www.josephnassise.com
Planet Pulp's co-editor, Jon F. Merz, also signed on with agent Bob
Diforio of Diforio Allen O'Shea Literary Agency in New York in March
after parting ways with his previous agent. Jon's debut novel THE FIXER
(Book 1 of the Lawson Vampire series) hits shelves everywhere May 1st.
Jon also delivered the manuscript for Book 3 in the series, THE
DESTRUCTOR, to editor John Scognamiglio at Kensington for a May 2003
release date. VICARIOUS - an unrelated supernatural thriller, is under
consideration out at Dimension Films/Miramax for film development and
several top NYC pub houses. Jon also recently celebrated the birth of
his first child, Jack, on March 22nd. More news at Jon's website:
http://www.zrem.com
*********
The Breakout Agent - An Interview with Donald Maass
A Planet Pulp Exclusive
By Jon F. Merz
Donald Maass is president of the Donald Maass Literary Agency in New
York, which he founded in 1980. He represents more than 100 fiction
writers and sells more than 100 novels per year to top publishers in
America and overseas. Recently he has obtained six- and seven-figure
advances from publishers such as Warner, Ballantine, Penguin Putnam
and others for authors like mystery writer Anne Perry, fantasy author
David Zindell and science fiction writers David Feintuch and Todd
McCaffrey. He is himself the author of fourteen pseudonymous novels and
of the books The Career Novelist (Heineman, 1996) and Writing the
Breakout Novel (Writers Digest Press, 2001). He is currently president
of the Association of Authors' Representatives, Inc. (AAR).
Some of his agency's top clients include the following:
*Anne Perry, mystery
*Parnell Hall, mystery
*David Fentuch, science fiction
*Diane Duane, young adult fantasy
PPM recently contacted Donald Maass and found the uber-agent willing to
indulge our industry questions.
PPM: From your perspective, what are the best genre areas for a new
author to break into today?
DM: Romance, science fiction, fantasy and mystery have been, and remain,
publishing categories receptive to new authors. Westerns, horror, men's
action/adventure are somewhat moribund as publishing categories. That
is not to say that anything romantic will sell, while anything scary and
supernatural will not. In all categories, it comes
down to effective storytelling.
PPM: With so much of the industry dominated by a "bestseller mentality,"
what are the chances of a first novel doing really well?
DM: First novels rarely get advertising and promotional support, yet
many get noticed and sell well anyway. Others do not. How to account
for the difference? There is only one explanation, and it is similar to
that above: Whether or not a first novel does well has much to do with
effective storytelling. (Are you noticing a theme, here?)
PPM: Along those lines, do you feel a book you represent has a better
than average chance of exceeding expectations?
DM: Of course! I think my success rate is pretty darn good. However,
that is because I work editorially with my clients. Consumers do not
care who your agent is. They do not buy novels just because they were
represented by Donald Maass. (Sad to say.) They buy good stories. I
help writers make good stories.
PPM: Genre fiction has suffered from a "midlist" label for years, and
yet everyday, the bestseller lists seem dominated by works that might
well fall into a genre classification. Do genre novels really get the
biggest advances and royalty rates despite the "midlist" misnomer?
DM: Now, that is a large question with a complex answer. In a nutshell:
Yes, genre novels do become best sellers. And, literary novels that
become best sellers often have an underlying structure that one could
describe as genre: a mystery plot, a romance, what have you. (Think
"Snow Falling on Cedars.") But that does not mean that genre plot is a
ticket to the best seller list. Far from it. A solid story structure
is just the start. Far more is involved: depth of character, strong
inner conflict, high public and personal stakes, powerful themes.to name
a few. Those qualities can be present in non-genre stories, too,
obviously. Thus, if the best seller list is your goal an underlying
genre structure is helpful, but overall one has got to write far, far
better and work far, far harder than the typical genre novelist does in
order to reach the best seller list.
PPM: In your work "Writing the Breakout Novel," you site several methods
for improving a midlist novel and elevating it to "breakout" status. If
you had to choose one of those methods as most important, which would it
be and why?
DM: Constructing memorable, larger-than-life characters.
PPM: Most publishing houses employ readers to help cut down the
manuscript pile. Do literary agents do the same thing that you know
of? How many manuscripts do you personally read or scan in a given work
week and how quickly do you know if you'll reject it?
DM: Some do. Manuscripts requested by me usually are first read by
members of my staff; however, I always take my own look and sometimes
disagree with what the others have to say. Believe it or not, we
discuss in detail what we read! We analyze. We debate. It's fun!
PPM: How quickly does it take you to determine if you want to represent
a client when you read their work?
DM: I generally know within a few pages. A novelist either has gripped
me, or has not.
PPM: Publicity, by and large, is an area that falls to most authors
these days, unless the publishing house spearheads them. If you had to
pick three publicity techniques that could make a huge impact without
shredding the author's purse, what would they be?
DM: Websites, conference appearances, local signings.
PPM: What's the lowest advance you've gotten for an author in the last
year? What is the highest?
DM: The range is mid-four-figures to mid-seven-figures. Quite a spread!
PPM: Say a great manuscript lands on your desk and you know it would do
well at auction. How long does it take to set up one - take us through
the procedure and sale.
DM: Timing of the auction is critical and tricky. You wouldn't want to
set up an auction over spring break or the Christmas holidays. Once a
time is found when all the key players are present, the actual time
frame of an auction is anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.
Generally (but not always) the process culminates on a nail-biting
closing date when all the bids come in.or don't.
PPM: A great many literary agents are no longer located in New York City
as a result of the Internet, email, faxes, etc. Yet many of the top
agents still work in either New York or Los Angeles. From your
perspective, does this help when it comes to selling manuscripts?
DM: Honest answer: the New York advantage mostly is in the minds of
authors. It's perception. There's a certain benefit to being a few
subways stops from the publishing corporations, I guess, but I'm not
paying Manhattan real estate prices for that. I'm paying because many
authors expect me to be in New York. So I am.
PPM: Do you sometimes forego a large advance even if you believe the
book will sell, or do you always try to get the best possible advance?
DM: I always try to get the best possible advance. That's my job. That
said, I will not turn down a good deal with the right publisher just to
chase a marginally better deal with the wrong publisher.
PPM: Beginning novelists sometimes sign on with less powerful agents who
may manage to get them a deal, but not always the best advances or
terms. Do you see a lot of agent jumping once the author realizes he/
she needs someone more powerful in their corner and what's your opinion
on agent jumping?
DM: You know, if an agent is any good - I mean, is more than a mail drop
- they probably will not be doing terrible deals. Better advances are
not the only or the best reason to change agents. Plenty of times I
have observed authors "trading up" to big name agents, only to find that
their careers do not improve. Why? Partly it is because they become
smaller fish, but partly it is because novelists' fortunes depend only
in
part on their agents. The biggest factor is.(drum roll).effective
storytelling. (Is there an echo in here?)
PPM: On that same note, as in any business there must be a type of caste
system within the literary agent business. Are there any hard and fast
rules a beginning novelist can use to determine whether their agent is a
somebody or a nobody?
DM: Boy, if that is the main basis on which you are choosing an agent
then your career is already in trouble. The best agent is the best
agent for YOU. And that may not mean the agent with the most name
recognition. I hope that is obvious? But you asked about guidelines.
I would recommend that authors looks for agents who are members of
AAR (Association of Authors' Representatives, Inc.)
PPM: Please give us your personal market forecast for the following
genres: horror, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, and thrillers.
DM: Horror remains difficult. Mysteries are perennial, although new
series are having a tougher time than ever surviving. "SF" (never
"sci-fi" to insiders) is less popular than fantasy today. Thrillers
remain widely popular, but are the hardest to write successfully. But
why are you asking this? Write what you love!
PPM: Everyone dreams of seeing their books made into movies. From your
experience, how long does it take a production outfit or movie studio to
figure out if they'll option rights or purchase outright a book you've
represented?
DM: Two days? Two decades? Gosh, it varies! I've done option deals
for thirty-five year old books and watched those films go into
production. I've done option deals prior to publication and watched
those projects die the true death. It's the passion of a producer
(sometimes director) that makes it happen. Sometimes that's quick,
sometimes it's slow.
PPM: Beginning writers often find their footing through anthologies.
When evaluating a client, how much weight do you give to sales that do
not include book contracts? (For instance, if a potential client has
been in fifteen anthologies all by big name publishers, is this a good
thing or does it have very little weight?)
DM: Short story sales matter a great deal. We are FAR more likely to
request a
manuscript from an author who has such a track record.
PPM: The rumor mill says that mass market is doing considerably less
volume lately than it has in the past. Do you agree with that
statement, and if so, how does that affect your job in terms of seeking
hardcover versus mass market or trade deals?
DM: That statement is true . It is also true that novels continue to
backlist in trade paperback and mass market paperback. In other words,
it's just original paperback publication that has gotten more
problematic. Today, I am less likely to pursue that strategy in
launching an author than ten years ago. Today I go first for a trade
hardcover deal if I can get it. SF and fantasy are possible
exceptions. Category romances generally are not published in hardcover.
PPM: Subsidiary rights are one way for an author and an agent to make
additional income on a property - what countries do you see as active
markets at this time for genre fiction with regards to horror, mystery,
sci-fi, fantasy, and thrillers?
DM: The opportunities have shrunk. Publishers in other languages are
doing more fiction by writers in their own language. Western Europe and
Japan remain the strongest markets for translation rights. We are also
doing a lot of deals in Eastern Europe. The advances are small, but
they add up.
PPM: Still on subsidiary rights - when do you actively market those
rights - before or after the novel comes out?
DM: Depends. In Britain, always before. In translation territories,
mostly
after in order to capitalize on good reviews, awards, etc.
PPM: Stories abound of novelists getting published without agents in
their corner, but do you personally think having an agent is a vital
step along the path to becoming a published novelist?
DM: Vital? Clearly not. Smart? Definitely.
PPM: While the major publishing houses have gone through serious
consolidation, a few indie presses still continue to publish some
surprising titles - some which hit the bestseller lists. Are there any
indie houses that you feel match the respect that major houses get among
literary agents? Do you take indie houses seriously at all?
DM: Oh, definitely. Soho. Four Walls, Eight Windows. Steerforth. The
list
of good small presses is growing.
PPM: Finally, what's the best way for a prospect to wow you with a novel
query/proposal? (in other words, what's the best way to submit to your
agency?)
DM: Keep it short and businesslike. Trust me, that stands out.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS for the Donald Maass Literary Agency:
No e-mail of fax queries are accepted. Start with a one-page, snail mail
query letter and SASE. If you like, you may include a synopsis and the
first five pages of your novel. If we like the sound of your novel, we
will request sample chapters and an outline. If we like your sample
chapters and outline, we will request the whole manuscript. If we like
the whole manuscript, believe me you will hear from us! No reading fees
or expenses are charged at any time.
Donald Maass Literary Agency
160 West 95th Street, Suite 1B
New York, NY 10025
**PPM would like to thank Donald Maass for taking time out of his hectic
schedule to answer our questions. His generosity and time are greatly
appreciated.**
*********
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Down & Dirty InterReviews
Gothic.Net - InterReviewed by Joseph Nassise
Ask Peter Straub what he considers one of the premiere Internet sites
devoted to the horror genre today and he'll tell you to drop by
Gothic.net; as he recently did for thousands of online readers when he
called it one of his favorite sites during his interview in recent issue
of The Guardian. Wanting to see what all the fuss was about, I decided
to take some time and scope the site out myself.
I'm happy to say that Peter was right.
Devotees of horror fiction and poetry alike will find something special
at Gothic.net, as will those looking for information on films, goth
culture, and industrial & experimental music. The webzine has a weekly
publication schedule. Mondays are reserved for fiction, Tuesdays for
editorials, Wednesdays for columns, Thursdays for fan mail and Fridays
are for poetry. Reviews of books, movies, and music are published on a
regular basis and the casual reader can easily see what's hot by
checking out the Ten Most Popular and Ten Most Recent Reviews sections.
I thoroughly enjoyed the fiction area, and feel it is well worth the
$15.00 subscription price. Some of the best newcomers to the genre have
an opportunity to be seen here, including Michael T. Huyck Jr., Mark
McLaughlin, David Whitman, Maria Alexander, along with such talented
veterans and such genre greats as David Schow, Tom Piccirilli, Richard
Matheson, Caitlin Keirnan, and Ramsey Campbell.
The serial fiction section includes the first several chapters from
ASSUME THE PORT OF MARS by International Horror Guild and Bram Stoker
Award winner Mike Marano. Anyone who's read DAWN SONG knows that Mike's
lyrical style is worth checking out and I'm happy to say that the
samples from his new work as just as enjoyable.
For those who are into collecting or just want a better understanding of
how horror fiction arrived at its present place in literature should
look no further than John Pelan's column Cool Old Stuff. A collector
himself, John critically examines a number of acclaimed works that are
important to the genre from a historical perspective.
While I'm not regularly a reader of poetry, after delving into the
selections that Gothic.net's poetry editor Rain Graves brings to the
'zine, I just might start doing so.
After tackling the site on my own for a bit, I dropped a note to
Gothic.Net founder Darren McKeeman for a bit more of the inside scoop...
PPM: What made you start Gothic.net?
GN: It was a drinking contest with Ramsey Campbell that I was
completely unaware of at a WHC in Niagara Falls. Rumor has it that he
got thrown out of his own reading, but I don't remember that bit. I just
remember thinking "If all horror writers are this cool, I want to meet
as many of them as possible" and of course the best way to do that is to
publish a whole bunch of them. The heavy drinking and memory loss is an
added bonus.
You also have to understand -- being in the soulless dot-com boom made
all the people on our staff yearn for an outlet. We had to do this to
keep our sanity. We really had no choice. Now that the boom is over, we
want to keep doing it.
PPM: What do you hope to achieve with the site?
GN: Honestly, going into it we didn't know. Now, we want to be able to
pay people more money to write short form fiction. That, or using our
considerable influence in publishing to become filthy rich off our own
writing. In other words, we're doomed to failure. I guess that's our
goal. Doom. Doom doom doom.
PPM: What has the response been to the subscription section?
GN: It's been fairly good. It's nowhere near what a porn site would
make, but then again I don't want to run a porn site. Based on the
response, we know what we have to do to increase our membership -- but
your next question addresses this issue
PPM: Where do you plan to take Gothic.net in the future?
GN: We are going to be on the bleeding edge, of course.
At the World Horror Convention this year, we're going to be introducing
our retail subscription package -- an envelope with a subscription code,
stickers, and a basic user
manual for all the technologically challenged out there. It'll retail
for $15, same as on the website. The difference is that we'll be able to
push our subscriptions through distributor channels to retail outlets
(think 'Barnes and Noble' or your neighborhood genre bookstore) and use
that evil, firmly entrenched system for our own nefarious purposes --
for example, paying writers 10 cents a word or more. We'll be the first
online publication to try something like this.
Once we have the distributor contacts from this venture, we are going to
publish a yearly 'best of' anthology, and publish original novels from
authors we think are good. For example, we just serialized the first
four chapters of Mike Marano's 'ASSUME THE PORT OF MARS' -- I'd love to
be the publisher to bring that to the world in print form.
Oh, and it's a lifelong dream of mine to convince Stephen King to fund
my giant pet project. Get me drunk and I may tell you all about it,
after you sign a non-disclosure form.
**PPM wants to thank Darren for giving us access to the site and being
willing to answer our interroga.er, uhm, I mean, questions. We also
want to suggest you stop by Gothic.net to check it out for yourself.
http://www.gothic.net.
After all, there is a very good reason why Gothic.net was just nominated
for the 2001 Bram Stoker award in the Alternative Forms category from
the Horror Writers Association.**
^^^^^^
Publishers Marketplace.com - InterReviewed by Jon F. Merz
Imagine a cyberspace venue where editors, producers, agents, and writers
all swirl around the same waters, swapping contact information, perusing
book proposals, rights offerings, and signing contracts and agreements.
Welcome to Publishers Marketplace, a website that boasts over 9,000
industry professionals as members.
Launched late last year, PM is definitely helping modernize the
publishing industry. Thousands of unique visitors are welcome to peruse
the site for free, examining pages, rights offerings, deals, and more.
Paid members ($15 per month) are able to establish their own page out on
PM listing their credits, cover art, synopses, agent contact info, and
much more. That information is then viewable by anyone who visits,
potentially resulting in some truly great contacts.
How good are the contacts? Planet Pulp's editors Joe Nassise and Jon
Merz both have pages out at PM. Joe recently signed on with a powerful
agent who contacted him through PM, as did top editors at Pocket Books,
Dell, and others. Jon also met his agent through PM, and has been
contacted by editors at Pocket Books, Sourcebooks, foreign publishing
houses Frassinelli in Italy and Parslow Rights in Australia, and two
producers out in Hollywood. While these results may not be typical,
they certainly reflect one thing: the pros are out there - and they're
looking.
For ease of use, number of contacts, and the amount of business
happening because of this site, it's hard to beat PM. Some folks might
be wary about parting with $15 bucks per month, but the potential to
recoup that cost in terms of business is always present. The
possibility of signing with an agent who then sells your books makes the
service priceless. And since your webpage becomes a sort-of shortcut
through query letters and proposals, the timesaving quotient is truly
remarkable. Having industry pros contact you about your work is a
180-degree turnaround from the ways things usually work - and it's a
damned fine one at that.
Michael Cader, head of Cader Books - the company that owns and operates
both PM and Publishers Lunch, took some time out to speak with Planet
Pulp about PM and its goals for the future.
PPM: First, give us a little bit of background on where PM came from,
its connection to Publishers Lunch, and to Cader Books.
MC: PM is a spin-off of our very successful Publishers Lunch program. It
both archives and makes live a lot of the most popular and essential
business data from Lunch--thousands of deal transactions, thousands of
industry contacts, new deal information--and presents ways for people
within our community to promote themselves and do business with each
other more directly through the electronic space. So the rights and
proposal board is a great low-tech way of exposing manuscripts and
proposals to a wider group of potential buyers; the posted pages both
allow people to bring their work and skills to the attention of the
company, and are slowly building a unique searchable database of
industry professionals. And we've thrown in some neat extras, like the
scripts that track your books at Amazon and BN.com and cross-check
against 11 bestseller lists.
And we'll continue to add more features and posting categories. And
little things, like our Page of the Day, Deal of the Day, and most
visited pages features, are bringing even more focused attention to
certain elements.
PPM: How many industry pros cruise your site on a daily basis?
MC: The site receives 1,000 to 2,000 visitors a day, with visits and
page views increasing all the time. The primary initial driver is
Publishers Lunch; what makes PM unique among all other sites that have
some component which allows writers and/or freelancers to post
information about themselves is that through Lunch, we can deliver the
attention of the trade publishing community (our readership exceeds
14,000 people daily) to PM. Word-of-mouth is kicking in, though, as the
site was very busy even when Lunch was on vacation last week.
PPM: If you had to put a dollar number on how much business you believe
PM has personally paired up between writers and industry people ? what
would that figure look like?
MC: Really impossible to say; but we know that in just a few months many
people have found agents and/or sold rights and proposals--and some of
those proposals have sold for significant sums--so it wouldn't surprise
me if it were seven figures.
PPM: Right now, its possible to view rights postings. Are there any
plans to show how many times a rights posting has been looked at ? along
the same lines as the top visited pages at your site?
MC: Haven't thought of that one yet.
PPM: How do you pick the site of the day?
MC: We try to vary the mix, pick interesting pages, and ultimately give
most if not all of our members a shot. It definitely has helped the
people selected so far make deals and/or get queries and representation.
PPM: What are PM's plans for the future? Will you continue to expand
and offer more services?
MC: More of everything. We're going to keep expanding the community of
people posting, as well as the data and interactive features offered to
members. We're in the process of integrating a high-end database of
special interest to the film and TV community, and we're developing
posting features that should prove very useful to publishers and help
aggregate a lot more information of real business utility for trade
publishing people.
PM will continue to be about helping people do business better, and more
efficiently, through the electronic space, but without a lot of fancy
technological overkill.
I think all of the features we've constructed so far, and the incredibly
positive response they've generated in the inaugural few months, is just
the beginning of what the site can accomplish in being a regular
"connector" and very efficient utility for all kinds of people within
publishing.
**PPM thanks Mike Cader for his time in answering our questions. Visit
Publisher's Marketplace at http://www.publishersmarketplace.com **
*********
Making Waves - An Interview with John Turi, Publisher of Medium Rare
Books
A Planet Pulp Exclusive
By Joseph Nassise
If you are a collector of horror fiction, you've no doubt heard of
specialty press publishers like Cemetery Dance, Subterranean Press, and
Gauntlet Press. But what about Medium Rare Books? Debuting in 1999 and
set to make a very big splash on the scene in 2002, Medium Rare Books is
the publisher to watch. Recently Planet Pulp Magazine sat down with MRB
owner and publisher John Turi to talk about his company, its authors,
and the future of horror.
PPM: In your opinion, what role does the small / independent press
sector of the genre market play and how does it affect the dynamics of
the overall market?
JT: Well. one second. you don't mind that I do this interview in the
nude do you? I tend to get more honest that way. Thanks. The small
independent presses, much like the small independent film companies,
care about their art - more than they care about being on the bestseller
list or the top box office film. Don't get me wrong, every author would
love to have that book of his or hers hit it out of the park, but it's
about creating a wonderful piece of art, which hopefully carries a
message. In the big picture the small presses are where the real writers
of today are and have been. One example: Charles Bukowski and Black
Sparrow Press. Black Sparrow was essentially started for Bukowski, thank
goodness. There will always be corporate novels that make great birdcage
lining and there will always be small presses that for the most part,
publish truth.
PPM: When you first started MRB, what were your expectations, and to
what degree have those expectations been fulfilled so far?
JT: Do I get any more whiskey. or is this just a one drink interview?
Thanks. hey, just leave the bottle. and bring another one, just in case.
Within two months of having the website up I received 50 submissions
from authors wanting to get published. Not treatment outlines, but
actual books people wrote. I was overwhelmed to say the least. Sorry,
can I get some ice? Thanks. I decided then to publish just horror
related material if for no other reason than I love reading it myself.
That and my design talents are in that field. I only expected to publish
three or so books a year, but the material coming in was so good that I
bumped it up to 10 books for our second year. For 2003, we might even
double that number.
PPM: You were a book collector for many years before becoming a
publisher. Can you tell our readers what influenced you to make the
switch?
JT: You know the only bad thing about smoking while naked, is when the
ash falls and burns a most private area. Do you have a wet towel?
Thanks. No, just leave the bottle. When MRB first started way back in
1998 it was a rare book business. I was a book collecting junkie; Rand,
Steinbeck, Hemingway, Salinger, etc. My collection was then and is still
to this day, marvelous. I don't sell anymore, just collect. If you want
a collectible piece of fiction, look towards the small specialty
presses; Cemetery, Subterranean, Grant and the like. That's where you
will find the new rare books. Did I just say an oxymoron? New rare
books? LOL! As I collected, I also wrote speculative fiction and like
everyone out there I wanted to get published. Besides being a collector
of books, I had a degree; in graphic design.at least I think I did.
Whether or not I actually ever finished college has always been a bit
fuzzy. Anyway, my mentor of many years now, Harry Shannon, told me to
get off my ass and do something that will benefit mankind. So I decided
to bring my talents together with what I loved to do and Viola .I become
a publisher. My first author was Harry Shannon. He had a bunch of short
stories published all over the Internet and in various magazines, so I
started the company to publish his work. It was the least I could do,
since he's mentored me for the last seven years. It was a way of giving
back to a man who taught me the value of marriage, manhood and
responsibility. He still calls me a few times a month to yell at me.
PPM: You are a well-respected author in your own right. Do you prefer
the role of writer, editor or publisher?
JT: I would have to say that I am legally drunk! This is not a bad
thing, since after this interview I am off to write the great American
novel. What was the question? Oh, yeah, a well-respected writer, I must
send this interview to my parents. When I was in college I was a
Mortuary Science major (my grandfather was a mortician) and while in an
English class one day I looked up and saw how beautiful my English
professor was. I was in awe of her and was compelled to write an erotic
short story about her. I turned it in for a grade, of which I got an A-.
When my paper was returned, she had written a note. It said, "You have a
wonderful way with words and your prose is a gift! Whatever you are
majoring in, it should be changed to English." She saw that I not only
had a gift for words but that I had a love for it. She knew that was her
only chance to help me not waste it, so I switched immediately, much to
the dismay of my parents, and I became an English major, with a minor in
Graphic Design. Writing is what I have always wanted to do. It really
started at the age of 16 when I would write poetry to Gothic girls. I
could not play an instrument or sing in a band, so I became a poet. I
had my own groupies. It was very powerful. Writing is number one for me,
publisher in second. I do love the editing process. but hate fighting
with authors on what should be removed and or added. They are so
sensitive.
PPM: In deciding to create Medium Rare Books, what existing publishers
were your role models and why?
JT: Do you have a driver to take me home? I would hate to stop drinking
at this point if I don't have to drive later. Is the room upside down or
is it me? Hmm .I really did not have a role model for the company. I
took what I learned from Harry Shannon and added my own mix of knowledge
from my years in corporate advertising. What I do, do. did I just say
doo-doo? LOL! What, I do is look at what the smaller presses are putting
out there and try to be one step ahead. I do not feel I am competing
with them, but rather the idea of what makes a GREAT publisher. I do not
want to be a lemming but rather set the pace and differentiate MRB in
the market place. Was that too profound for this interview? Bartender
can you bring me another one and make this one a double!! Aww, forget
it. I am on a roll. Let me just finish this thought. When I put on my
publishers hat, all the silliness stops, as does the drinking and crazy
lifestyle that comes out when I am writing; The writing devil. Medium
Rare Books is as serious to me as anything I have done in my life. This
company is my fulltime job and I show up everyday doing my best. It also
helps to have a wife who encouraged me to stop working a year and a half
ago to follow my dream of being a full time writer. Thanks, Shawn.
PPM: What do you think makes Medium Rare Books different from some of
the other small press publishers out there?
JT: The quality of our books is the first thing. We do not print P.O.D.
garbage and buy them in mass quantity. Our books are offset printed with
runs ranging from 200 ? 2000, depending on the author. I have an office
filled with our authors' backlist, which is how it should be done.
Second, I take care of my authors. MRB pays the highest royalty out
there. Period! Our website is updated daily and I make it a point to
have personal and friendly relationship with the authors I publish. I'm
a writer after all and I know how fragile we writers are. My wife is a
marketing genius, having worked with Disney's Imagination, Xerox, H.P.,
Hustler and the list goes on. She leaves me alone to create and I leave
her alone to get the name out there. And on Sunday nights we have our
weekly business meeting in the tub, with candles and Mozart.
PPM: What advice would you give a new writer looking for that
all-important first publication?
JT: Is there any food? Beef jerky or some chocolate cake? I'm dancing
with pink elephants and they wanted something to snack on. Advice,
advice. I will tell you what Robert McKee the screenplay genius told me,
"Always write the truth!" and then rewrite rewrite and rewrite. When you
are tired of looking at your manuscript, rewrite it again.
PPM: Take our readers through the process of actually creating a book.
What happens once you've accepted a manuscript?
JT: Ugh. let's not bore your readers. let's talk about the process of
creating the best Martini; 1/2 Vermouth, 1/2 Gin, a splash of Absinthe
and a jalapeno; Assaulted not stirred. That is much more interesting.
But if we must, I will keep it simple. After acceptance I send a
contract out. Get the manuscript in a digital form, put it in
QuarkXpress, call up Barry Barnes at Trained Eye Graphics and send him
the book, so he can create the cover. Do some Photoshop and Quark magic
and send it off to the printer. Get the books back, ship them to all of
the specialty bookstores out there and have a party. This takes about 6
months to a year. We are doing 10 books this year, so I am quite busy.
PPM: What is the best way for a writer to approach you with regard to
publication?
JT: If you see me at a bar, buy me a drink. Or send me a bottle with
your submission.
PPM: You must see a tremendous amount of submissions; can you comment on
some of the do's and don'ts in submitting to you?
JT: One day I am going to publish a book on the queries I get. One of my
favorites was."It's like Terminator meets the Graduate." I laughed for
two days. The only thing I can stress is follow the guidelines of the
publisher. If it says no Science Fiction, do not send Science Fiction.
If it says 45,000 words, do not send 40,000. Follow the rules and do not
take yourself so serious and you'll do fine. Remember what Churchill
said, "Never surrender!"
PPM: Are there any particular themes or types of manuscripts you are
highly interested in at this moment?
JT: By the time this interview comes out, MRB will have inked a three
book deal with Alex Severin. She is writing a trilogy: The Lily Transyl
Chronicles. The book(s) are very ghastly and erotic. A novel only a
female writer can get away with. Alex also has a book coming out in
August, that also includes the works of Hertzman Chimera and Wrath James
White titled 'Broken'. She is a writer that will be going places. as
soon as we transport her out of Scotland and to the US.
PPM: Right now you seem to be heavily focused on the horror genre. Do
you have any plans to break into other genre publishing, say noir
mysteries or sci-fi?
JT: If all goes well in 2003, we will be introducing a noir mystery
division. That will be in mid-2003. Do not inquire until the information
is posted. Someone of course will.
PPM: Can you tell us which authors you've got lined up for future
projects?
JT: Hang on. damn, Zippo won't light. Good thing I'm not playing 'The
Man from Rio', I would have lost a few fingers by now. The author to
look out for is Edison McDaniels. By day he is a neurosurgeon and by
night he is an excellent, well researched writer, who can mix
psychological prose with medical idioms. He is what Robin Cook has
always inspired to be. His book 'Touching the Hand of God' will be out
in early 2003. I am also doing a limited edition of Harry Shannon's
novel, 'Night of the Beast'. It is a blood soaked tale that will make a
great movie one day (hint, hint).
PPM: You must come into contact with the work of innumerable new and
aspiring writers. Is there anyone you would like to single out as
someone to watch in the future?
JT: Keep this glass full for another hour and I will tell you about a
great writer by the name of Joe Nassise, whose selected works will be
available in a few weeks. Joe and Drew Williams contacted me about six
months ago with a collection idea and knowing their previous books, I
bought it before reading it. Also John R. Platt, Candace McBride, and
Brian Keene are making a name for themselves in the Horror world. What I
like best is watching the new writers work with the established writers.
I believe very highly in mentoring.
PPM: Many of our readers are new to genre writing/collecting. Due to
this, some are not familiar with terms such as limited edition,
slipcased edition, deluxe lettered edition, etc. Can you explain the
major differences between the editions of the books that Medium Rare
publishes?
JT: Price! Coming from a book collecting background, I will explain in
simple terms what a Limited Edition is. Seeing as there is not enough
booze for me to explain the collecting world, I'll deal just with the
Limited Editions. I will soon post something on my site for those who
are really wanting to learn the art (and believe me, it is an art) of
collecting. Limited Edition: A book whose publication is restricted in
number. Limited editions are typically signed and numbered by the author
and have a colophon indicating the total number of books printed.
Limited editions whose print runs are short (1,000 or less) are
considered more desirable and lower numbered volumes of a limited run
are generally more desirable than their higher numbered volumes.
PPM: Where do you see the company going in the next few years?
JT: Medium Rare Books will continue its growth as a small press,
increasing the books published per year. By 2004 we will be 60% agent
work and 40% unsolicited. When the dust settles in the coming years MRB
will be on top of the Horror stack. We feel that some of the best
writing today is coming from Horror authors.
PPM: You currently have a high profile work underway; Verte Brume : The
Anthology of Absinthe; which will include the work of both well-known
and respected authors next to that of several new up-and-comers. Can
you tell us about your expectations for this book?
JT: After a night of profound Absinthe drinking in a far away city, with
strange people pouring me drinks and even stranger people who could fly,
I woke up, or rather. I came to and had a vision; an epiphany if you
will. What if you could have your favorite writers, write a short story
about Absinthe? Within minutes I redesigned the website and wrote one of
my favorite writers about the idea. The next day Ramsey Campbell agreed
to the introduction. It snowballed from there. almost everyone I've
asked has said 'Yes'. Poppy Z. Brite, Doug Clegg, Yvonne Navarro, Tim
Lebbon, Caitlín R. Kiernan and a few surprise authors that I cannot
mention yet. The submissions and queries started pouring in, so to help
out I asked Joe Nassise to take over as editor, which has been a
blessing. Being an Absinthe drinker I know the power of that damn liquid
and yes. the Green Fairy does exist. The book will be sold as a trade
hardcover, a limited slipcased edition and a deluxe edition that the
book collecting industry has never seen. The deluxe is still a secret,
but it will be a true collector's item, priced around $800.
PPM: Any last comments you'd like to offer our readers?
JT: Write the truth. Always write the truth.
**A big hearty thanks to John Turi for taking the time out to speak with
PPM about Medium Rare Books while simultaneously launching Joe's bar tab
into the stratosphere!**
*********
Monthly Question for the Pros
Each month Planet Pulp Magazine poses a question to the many great folks
who make up some of the top spots in the publishing world. We'll post
as many varied and great responses as we can right here. Since
marketing is an area a lot of writers hate with a passion, have no idea
how to do, or a bit of both, we decided this month we'd ask some top
authors what they did when they started out. You never know what you're
going to get when you try to pick the mind of a bestselling author.
Here are the responses we received.
The question: When you began writing, what was the single best
marketing/publicity technique you used to get your name out in the
public eye? What did you do to get your books read by the masses?
The answers:
**Lawrence Block Edgar Award Winner and bestselling author the Evan
Tanner books, the Matthew Scudder mysteries, and many others. His
latest two books, Hit Man and Hit List are already breaking new ground
and climbing bestseller lists everywhere.**
I just wrote the books. That's all anybody did, and the fact that you
could routinely ask a question like this shows how the business has
changed.
**F. Paul Wilson - Bestselling author of the Repairman Jack novels, The
Keep, The Healer, Implant, Nightkill, Sibs, Black Wind, An Enemy of the
State, and many others.**
You won't believe this, so let me give you a little background first.
When I started writing, seriously writing for publication (I'd been
writing stories since second grade) I was 20 years old and a junior at
Georgetown. That would be 1967. I made my first magazine sale in 1970
as a medical student. Others followed. Years later I decided to expand
one of those magazine stories into my first novel, Healer.
Now you've got to understand that writing was something I wanted to do,
had to do, but I never thought of it as a career back then because I
never dreamed I could make a living as a writer. So, in regard to the
realities of publishing, the word "naive" doesn't quite
capture my state at the time. As you'll see, we need a new word to
properly gauge my level of naivete.
I took the original novelette, attached an outline of how I wanted to
expand it, then looked around for a publisher. I decided to start at
the top and work my way down. Agentless, I sent the proposal off to
Doubleday, the folks who published Isaac Asimov. A couple of months
later I received a contract offer for world rights for a whopping
$2,000.
Wow. My first book proposal, accepted by the first publisher I'd sent
it to. As the saying goes: How long has this been going on and why
didn't anybody tell me about it?
You want to know how I went about inserting my name in the public
consciousness? What I did to get that first novel read by the masses?
Nothing.
Why should I do anything when the publisher would soon be mounting a
huge publicity blitz? (I hadn't checked this out with the publisher. I
just assumed.)
So for months I scanned the New York Times Book Review, waiting for the
full-page ads trumpeting the arrival of Healer. I searched the
Bestseller List every Sunday for my title. (As I said, "naive" doesn't
cut it). I went to bookstores and couldn't find my book. Finally I
gathered the courage to ask the manager of a Doubleday Bookstore (owned
by Doubleday, my publisher) why he of all people wasn't carrying my
book. He looked up Healer and informed me that it was out of print.
Out of print? It was published in June and this was only November!
There had to be some mistake!
I staggered home and called my editor who patiently explained that as
soon as the libraries have their copies and paperback rights have been
sold (Dell had picked up Healer almost as soon as it was published),
Doubleday remainders most of its science fiction books. I'd be getting
a letter soon allowing me to buy leftover copies for pennies on the
dollar.
Welcome to the wonderful world of big-time publishing.
**Thanks to Lawrence Block and F. Paul Wilson for taking the time to
answer our debut Monthly Question for the Pros!**
*********
Upcoming Events
(H) - horror (SF) - science fiction (F) - fantasy
(M) - mystery (C) - comics (MO) - media other (MA) - media
anime
Note: Planet Pulp lists conventions & events for the current and
following month unless we are specifically contacted and requested to
include a con happening at a later time. This is because Jon and Joe
had no idea there were so many freaking conventions happening around the
world and listing them all would drive us absolutely insane. Also, we
will only list conventions that have firm dates at the time we check our
resources for the listings. If you would like advance listing for your
con, please contact us at conventions.planetpulpmagazine.com
(SF) April 5-7, 2002 Jersey Devil Con
Edison, New Jersey - http://www.jerseydevilcon.hypermart.net
(SF) April 5-7, 2002 Omnicon
Cookeville, TN - http://www.tntech.edu/www/life/orgs/app/omnicon/
(MO) April 5-7, 2002 Weekend with the Night Owl
Vancouver, BC - http://members.tripod.com/~The_Nightowl/VAN_2002.html
(SF) April 5-7, 2002 Willycon IV
Wayne, NE -
http://www.wsc.edu/student/activities/clubs/sfclub/willycon/willy04/
(H) April 11-13, 2002 World Horror Convention
Chicago, IL - www.whc2002.org
(SF) April 12-14, 2002 OdysseyCon 2002
Madison, WI - http://www.venture-1.com/~oddcon/
(SF) April 19-21, 2002 erieCon Three
Niagara Falls, NY - http://www.geocities.com/Area51/9159/eeriecon.html
(SF) April 19-21, 2002 I-Con 20
Stony Brook, NY - http://www.iconsf.org
(MA) April 19-21, 2002 Port Con Maine
Portland, ME - http://www.portconmaine.com
(MA) April 26-28, 2002 Fanime Con 2002
Santa Clara, CA - http://www.fanime.com
(C) April 26-28, 2002 Pittsburgh Comicon
Pittsburgh, PA - http://www.pittsburghcomicon.com
(MA) April 26-28, 2002 Sakura-Con 2002
Tacoma, WA - http://sakuracon.org
(F) April 27-28, 2002 Elf Fantasy Fair
Utrecht, Netherlands - http://www.elffantasy.com
(MO) May 3-6, 2002 Dame Fine Convention
London, England - http://www.DamnFineConvention.org.uk
(SF) May 3-5, 2002 Demicon XIII
Des Moines, IA - http://www.demicon.org
(M) May 3-5, 2002 Malice Domestic XIV
Washington, DC - http://users.erols.com/malice
(SF) May 17-19, 2002 Keycon 19
Winnipeg, MB - http://keycon2002.tripod.com
(SF) May 17-19, 2002 LepreCon 28
Phoenix, AZ - http://www.leprecon.org/lep28
(SF) May 17-19, 2002 Roc*Kon 2002
Little Rock, AR - http://www.rockon.org
(MA) May 24-26, 2002 Animazement 2002
Durham, NC - http://www.animazement.org
(SF) May 24-27, 2002 Balticon 36
Baltimore, MD - http://www.balticon.org
(SF) May 24-27, 2002 BayCon
San Francisco, CA - http://www.baycon.org
(SF) May 24-26, 2002 Conduit 13
Salt Lake City, UT - http://conduit.sfcon.org
(SF) May 24-26, 2002 ConQuesT 33
Kansas City, MO - http://www.kcsciencefiction.org/con33.htm
(SF) May 24-26, 2002 Marcon 37
Columbus, OH - http://www.marcon.org
(MO) May 24-27, 2002 MediaWest*Con 2002
Lansing, MI - http://members.aol.com/mdiawstcon/mwc22.htm
(SF) May 24-26, 2002 Oasis 15
Orlando, FL - http://oasfis.org/oasis15.html
(SF) May 24-27, 2002 Wiscon 26
Madison, WI - http://www.sf3.org/wiscon
(MA) May 31 - June 2, 2002 A-Kon XIII
Dallas, TX - http://www.a-kon.com
(C) May 31 - June 2, 2002 Comics 2002
London, England - http://www.sitsvac.org/C2001.html
(SF) May 31 - June 3, 2002 Con With the Wind
Wellington, NZ - http://con-with-the-wind.sf.org.nz
(MA) May 31 - June 2, 2002 Jacon 2002
Orlando, FL - http://www.jacon.org
(H) August 21-23, 2002 Horrorfind Weekend 2
Baltimore, MD - http://www.horrorfindweekend.com
*********
Resources ? The Stuff You Need
Got a resource we don't have listed here? Email us the link at
resources.planetpulpmagazine.com
Planet Pulp Contact Info:
Joe Nassise: joe.planetpulpmagazine.com
Jon Merz: jon.planetpulpmagazine.com
Advertising: ads.planetpulpmagazine.com
Convention Listings: conventions.planetpulpmagazine.com
Letters to the editors: letters.planetpulpmagazine.com
Questions & Answers: questions.planetpulpmagazine.com
Subscriber Success News: subnews.planetpulpmagazine.com
Websites for InterReviews: intrev.planetpulpmagazine.com
Problems with billing or subscriptions? custserv.planetpulpmagazine.com
*********
Next Issue - May 1, 2002
Our next issue will feature interviews with author Karen Taylor of the
Vampire Legacy series (Pinnacle Books) who will tell us what it takes to
create a lasting and memorable series. Producer Shannon Fitzgerald of
Mindstorm Creative out in Los Angeles will talk to us about pitches,
development deals, and how to get your book made into a film. Plus, our
monthly question, convention listings, our soon-to-be-famous
InterReviews, subscriber news, industry gossip, and a few surprises as
well!
*********
Tail-End Charlie
By Joseph Nassise
The time has come the walrus said..
You've reached a historic moment - the end of the debut issue of Planet
Pulp Magazine. Like all good things this, too, must end. But fear not,
for we will be back next month with more insider information from the
genre publishing industry, just as we've promised.
When Jon and I first announced this project, I was asked on several
occasions just what it was we hoped to accomplish with it. I think now
is an appropriate time to respond to that question.
Being a writer is hard work. There is no doubt about that. Long hours,
low rates, and way too much competition can discourage many a beginning
writer from chasing their dream. But if you combine the right amount of
talent with the right amount of preparation, it can be done. New
writers are discovered every single day. Recognizing that Jon and I are
good examples of this combination of talent and preparation, we wanted
to give back to other writers in the same fashion that our own mentors
gave to us, except on a larger, more public scale.
This magazine is designed to help you advance your careers, no matter if
you are a beginner or a veteran. The author interviews are designed to
highlight how those who have gone before have succeeded and to provide
tips and suggestions that might help you follow in their footsteps. The
editor/publisher interviews will help you understand who is publishing
what and the best way to approach them with your own projects. The
agent interviews are designed..well, I'm sure you get the idea. Take
the information you will find in these pages over the next year, think
about how it fits into the larger picture of the publishing industry as
a whole, and find some way to apply it in your own career.
Jon and I both believe you might be pleasantly surprised at the results.
Looking ahead, we've got several terrific issues lined up and ready to
go. For the sci-fi fans and writers among us, we've got an in-depth
interview with five-time Nebula nominee Jack McDevitt, author of Deep
Six, A Talent for War, Moonfall, and others. We've also got an interview
with SciFi.com editor Ellen Datlow, whose list of accomplishments is too
long and varied to include here. For our fantasy fans we have
interviews with Robert Weinberg, author of The Ascension War trilogy,
who also happens to be a leading figure in the comic book market.
Horror fans can look forward to interviews with Karen Taylor, author of
the Vampire Legacy series, as well as a talk with F. Paul Wilson, author
of the famed Repairman Jack series. (Mystery fans can look forward to
an interview with Lawrence Block and a few surprise authors as well -
Jon, poking his nosy nose into Joe's editorial)
And that's just the beginning. You can rest assured that each month Jon
and I will be working to bring you the best insider information we can
find, the kind of information we've used to advance our own careers, and
we know it will help you with yours.
Sit back, enjoy the ride, and look for us next month.
Oh, and don't forget to practice your shuffleboard game.
Warmest regards,
Joe Nassise
*********
Planet Pulp Magazine - copyright 2002, all rights reserved. No part of
this magazine may be reproduced in any way without the express written
permission of Planet Pulp Magazine. Planet Pulp is published monthly.
A one-year subscription to Planet Pulp Magazine is $24 payable using
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payable to Jon F. Merz at 44 Prince Street, Boston, MA 02130 USA.
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STAFF:
Editors: Jon F. Merz Joseph Nassise
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