News & Notes is a weekly Saturday post featuring book- and publishing-related news, links to interesting articles and opinion pieces, and other cool stuff
Book News
- The Locus Award winners were announced at the Locus Awards Weekend (July 22-24). Best SF Novel went to John Scalzi’s The Collapsing Empire, Best Fantasy Novel to N. K. Jemison’s The Stone Sky, Best First Novel to Theodora Goss for The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter, and Best YA Novel to Nnedi Okorafor’s Akata Warrior. You can see the other winners, plus the runners up (and buy/read links) at Tor.com.
- DC Comics to Launch Digital Subscription Service (Publishers Weekly)
- Warner Bros. nixes Harry Potter festivals, claiming copyright infringement. Seriously, Warner Brothers? Are you completely ignorant of the histories of Star Trek and Star Wars? Cons and festivals keep the fan base engaged, enthusiastic, and connected, which means your franchise last longer, acquires more fans, and (hint hint) makes more money. And besides, the festivals are free publicity. Stop being a killjoy.
- New York Rights Fair, BookExpo Sign Partnership Agreement (Publishers Weekly)
Literary Losses
Harlan Ellison (from the Ellison website)
Harlan Ellison (1934 – 2018), award-winning and prolific SFF short-story author who also wrote for television series including Star Trek, The Man from U.N.C.L.E, and The Outer Limits, died in his sleep on June 27, at the age of 84. Ellison was both famous and infamous in the world of speculative fiction. His work, including the award-winning short stories “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the Ticktockman” and “I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream,” was hailed for its originality and sheer talent, but he was combative, feisty, and sometimes outrageous in person. One of the more litigious authors of the 20th and early 21st centuries, Ellison famously sued Gene Roddenberry over changes to his script for Star Trek‘s “The City on the Edge of Forever”; decades later he sued Paramount over merchandising revenue (and won.) He also sued James Cameron, claiming that The Terminator drew on material Ellison had written (which may be true.) He got into an altercation with Frank Sinatra, assaulted author and critic Charles Platt at an awards dinner, and groped author Connie Willis onstage during the Hugo Awards in 2006 while receiving a lifetime achievement award. On the positive side, Ellison marched for civil rights at Selma, fiercely advocated for writers to be paid, was famous for his wit, and inspired admiration and praise from many of his fellow writers and SFF geeks, from Stephen King to David Gerrold, Cory Doctorow, Wil Wheaton, Barbara Hambly, and John Scalzi.
Obituaries & tributes: The Guardian; NPR; Publishers Weekly; Tor.com; Variety; The Verge; File 770 (a tribute roundup.)
Bibliography & Biography: Goodreads; Wikipedia
For Writers & Bloggers
Awesome Lists
- All the New Science Fiction Books Coming Out In July (Tor.com)
- All the New Fantasy Books Coming Out in July (Tor.com)
Bookish Quote
That’s it for this week!
Rita @ View From the Books
Ooh, I totally agree with your badge, above! I’m such a mood reader that I usually start 2 books and then go first with whichever grabs me more.
Interesting links about the fantasy books. Thanks for sharing. And yes, I agree that Harry Potter festivals would bring in much more cha-ching!
Lark_Bookwyrm
I’m still shaking my head over Warner Brothers’ inability to grasp that they’ll make much more with an engaged and loyal fan base than if they try for a monopoly and anger the fans.
And yes, definitely a mood reader here as well.
Lark
Love that Virginia Woolf quote! 🙂
Lark_Bookwyrm
Thanks! Me too. 🙂