I had three boxes of UFO4 books ship directly to the hotel so we’d have them in time for Capclave! My first time holding one of those babies will be tomorrow. You can be among the very first to get your hands on it as well as receive two free e-books: Funny Science Fiction and H. G. Wells: Secret Agent. That’s right, free. I will give those two e-books to everyone who attends the launch party.
The launch party will take place at Capclave, in the Gaighersburg Hilton Hotel Suite 1209 this Saturday 5pm-7pm. Authors Fran Wilde, Lawrence B. Schoen and Andrew Kaye will be on hand to read from their works published in UFO and Funny Science Fiction volumes. Copy editor Elektra Hammond and I will talk about the editorial side of things at UFO and, of course, answer any questions folks might have. And there will be books!
I’m doing readings, signings, MCing an award ceremony and otherwise planning to have a great time at Capclave. Here’s where you can find me this weekend:
| Friday 5:00 pm: Crowdfunding & Alternative Funding for Writers (Ends at: 5:55 pm) Bethesda Panelists:Bill Campbell, Neil Clarke, Barbara Krasnoff, Alex Shvartsman (M) Traditionally, publishers gave authors an advance on royalties in exchange for the completed manuscript. Today, some writers are receiving alternate revenue streams including crowdfunding of anthologies and novels in advance by the public, serialization in which the author releases a chapter (or story) as long as readers continue to fund it, and electronic self-publishing. What methods have you used and what works? What new methods do you see in the future? How will this change the creation of books? |
| Friday 7:00 pm: Translating Speculative Fiction (Ends at: 7:55 pm) Bethesda Panelists:Neil Clarke, Jim Freund (M), Shahid Mahmud, Alex Shvartsman Many non-English countries get much of their science fiction in translation. And English readers are finally being given access to more Chinese, Japanese and other non-English works. Why is this happening now? What are some of the special challenges with translating genre works? How do translators cope with invented words and concepts? What about different storytelling methods and literary techniques? |
| Saturday 1:00 pm: Reading – Alex Shvartsman (Ends at: 1:25 pm) Frederick Author:Alex Shvartsman |
| Saturday 4:00 pm: Non-Western Influences In Fantasy (Ends at: 4:55 pm) Salon B/C Panelists:Day Al-Mohamed, Ann Chatham, Alex Shvartsman, Michael Swanwick (M) Traditionally, most fantasy has been based on Western folklore, usually with a medieval-inspired setting. However, alternative settings and concepts are becoming more common with writers mining Asian, African, Native American, and Middle Eastern sources. What writers do this most effectively? How do you decide what traditions/concepts to adopt and how do research/use them? Is it cultural appropriation when writers incorporate themes from other traditions, and how do you so appropriately? |
| Saturday 5:00 pm: Book Launch – Alex Shvartsman (Ends at: 6:55 pm) Suite 1209 Author:Alex Shvartsman Unidentified Funny Objects 4 |
| Saturday 9:00 pm: WSFA Small Press Awards (Ends at: 9:55 pm) Salon A Presenter:Alex Shvartsman The WSFA Small Press Award winner will be announced. The Guest of Honor Gifts will also be presented. |
| Saturday 10:00 pm: Fiction With A Laugh Track (Ends at: 10:55 pm) Bethesda Panelists:Brenda W. Clough, Andrew Fox (M), Larry Hodges, Alex Shvartsman What are the tips and tricks in writing humorous SF and fantasy? What can an author do to avoid the obvious pitfalls, and spot the not-so-obvious ones? How do you maintain a reputation for writing humorous SF or fantasy, and what is the benefit of doing so? |
| Sunday 11:00 am: Is the Anthology Dead? (Ends at: 11:55 am) Bethesda Panelists:Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Bill Campbell (M), Bernie Mojzes, Alex Shvartsman DAW used to put out an anthology a month, now they seem much less common. What happened? Did the themes get too esoteric or were too many stories mediocre? Why are they more common among small press and Kickstarter books? Have online magazines taken their place? |
| Sunday 12:00 pm: What To Do After The Rejection Letter (Ends at: 12:55 pm) Bethesda Panelists:Sunny Moraine, Alex Shvartsman, Allen Wold (M) You’ve written the best thing ever. But the editor sent it back rejected. Now what? |
Alex Shvartsman's Speculative Fiction 