Planets Publication Day!

July 28, 2026

Planets is officially out today! If you haven’t preordered a copy for some strange reason, go get it now! It’s available most places, though a couple of audiobook vendors are still behind in making the files available.

If you DID preorder it and you read it, would you please take a moment to review it, especially on Amazon and Goodreads? The number of reviews is a significant factor people who are not already familiar with the work or the author take into account when choosing to buy.

Order direct: [Ebook] [Mass Market Paperback] [Premium Hardcover]

[Amazon] [Bookshop.org] [Barnes & Noble] [Apple] [Google] [Kobo]

[Audible] [Spotify] [Chirp] [Audiobooks.com]

You can also read me talk about the big idea behind this book on John Scalzi’s Whatever blog:

The Big Idea: Alex Shvartsman

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Obligatory Book Promo Stuff

July 27, 2026

Ahead of the book launch tomorrow, I am doing loads of cool media stuff. Two podcasts dropped between Friday and today where you can listen to me talk about writing humor, Voltaire, and other fun things:

Writers of the Future Podcast:

Episode 390

Amusing Jews Podcast:

Enjoy and don’t forget to snag a copy of Planets if you haven’t already. But, more on that tomorrow!

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The Seriously Funny Bundle

June 22, 2026

I am curating a humor Storybundle! It features funny books from some of my favorite authors, and you can get the entire bundle for as little as $30! That’s just $2 per book, or the price of a cup of coffee (in 2019). Seriously you can get all of these for the price of like three Starbucks drinks.

There are several anthologies, but also novels (and one novella) that range from cozy to urban fantasy to military fantasy to space opera … There’s something for every taste here. And on top of that, some of the proceeds will be donated to a non-profit Deep Vellum (they do fantastic work publishing translations, both SF/F and literary, and deserve support!)

Please check out the bundle at the link below:

https://www.storybundle.com/humor

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Unidentified Funny Objects 10 is published!

May 27, 2026

Happy book birthday to Unidentified Funny Objects 10! With nearly 1000 copies preordered via Kickstarter, our own website, Amazon, and book stores, this may be the strongest launch in the series yet.

The ebook is presently live on all of the platforms below (and I will edit the post as more platforms approve it). The paperback can be ordered directly from us and will go live on Amazon and elsewhere in a few days.

Paperback – Direct order:
https://www.kingsgames.com/online-store/Unidentified-Funny-Objects-10-TPB-p811124853

Ebook – Direct order:
https://www.kingsgames.com/online-store/Unidentified-Funny-Objects-10-e-book-p811098249

Amazon:
https://amzn.to/4uxADYi

Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=kBLdEQAAQBAJ&pli=1

B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/unidentified-funny-objects-10-alex-shvartsman/1150260175?ean=2940185207871

Apple:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/unidentified-funny-objects-10/id6773780858

Bookshop.org:
https://bookshop.org/p/books/unidentified-funny-objects-10-unidentified-funny-objects-10-alan-dean-foster/436c44b4eb4e5fbe?ean=9798233591518&next=t&digital=t

Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/unidentified-funny-objects-10

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/249030983-unidentified-funny-objects-10

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Event Appearance: Literary Festival in Ruse, Bulgaria

May 19, 2026

I will be a guest at the literary festival in Ruse this coming weekend, where I will participate on panels, do a reading and a kaffeeklatch. If you happen to be in that part of Europe, I hope you will consider attending!

https://fantasyriver.libruse.bg

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New publication: “Origin Story” in Nature Futures

May 6, 2026

I have a new story out at Nature today. It’s about AI, unhinged billionaires, and goldfish. You know; science fiction.

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01077-8

ETA: Use the link below to read the story for free, without a subscription:

https://rdcu.be/fimZC

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The Digital Aesthete published in China

April 5, 2026

The Digital Aesthete, an anthology about the intersection of AI and art (written by humans!) is now available in China from the Shanghai Translation Publishing House and in collaboration with the Future Affairs Administration.

The Mandarin Chinese edition of the book is called AI Masters and here’s the cover:

If, for some reason, you cannot read this version of the book, this is a good time to grab yourself an English language copy!

Direct from UFO Publishing – Print – $19.99
Direct from UFO Publishing – E-book – $5.99
Amazon / B&N / Kobo / Apple / Google / Audible

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Last Chance – Planets

March 25, 2026

The Kickstarter ends tomorrow (Thursday) evening, so this is your last chance to get on board. Backers will receive the ebooks significantly ahead of the release date, with print and audio books to follow as they are completed. Don’t miss out on the rewards (and the opportunity to support me as the author as well as the artists and narrators involved) without giving away a huge percentage to an equally huge third-party company.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ufopublishing/the-best-of-all-possible-planets

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Planets – Final Week on Kickstarter

March 20, 2026

The Best of All Possible Planets has entered its final week on Kickstarter and as I write this we’re presently at 71% funded.

Kickstarter is all about the first 48 hours and the last 48 hours and everything else is a slog, but it’s still tough to watch the numbers climb slowly, not knowing whether the all-or-nothing campaign will fund or not. If you plan on getting this book, Kickstarter is the best way to do it. Not only are there unique rewards, but the highest percentage of the money will actually go to me (and to paying the artists, designers, audiobook narrators and the printer) as opposed to selling a copy on Amazon which often results in a royalty of only $1-2, the rest eaten up by all the middlemen. So if you want to support me rather than Jeff Bezos, please order your copy at the link below instead.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ufopublishing/the-best-of-all-possible-planets

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BSFA Awards 2026

March 9, 2026

This weekend the Translated Short Stories finalists for the British Science Fiction Awards have been announced and I am proud to report that “Pollen” by Anna Burdenko is one of the nominees. This story was also a Clarkesworld Reader’s Poll finalist,which is great for Anna’s first English language publication!

This is my third time as a translator finalist for the BSFA Award. Will the third time be the charm? Who knows: the competition is always stiff, which is actually wonderful news because I love to see many great translations getting recognized. Either way, it feels wonderful to make it into the finalist circle. The award ceremony will take place in Birmingham, UK over the Easter weekend.

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