SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW SFR INTERVIEWS $I-25 Jmy Poumelle ALIEN THOUGHTS Reject up to 10? of the Completed Mss
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SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW SFR INTERVIEWS $i-25 Jmy Poumelle ALIEN THOUGHTS reject up to 10? of the completed mss. he has contracted for. This is an expensive NOTE FROM W. G. BLISS luxury. Because it is unlikely that any 'JUST HEARD RATHER BELATEDLY THAT AN editor or publisher is going to casually OLD FRIEND AND CORRESPONDENT, RICHARD throw away thousands of dollars in advance S. SHAVER, DIED ON THE 5tt OF NOVEMBER money; rejecting a manuscript under penalty AT THE AGE OF 68. OUTSIDE OF A LARGE of losing or tying up a bundle of cash is LITERARY LEGACY (PALMER HAS KEPT I RE¬ not a happy thing to do. Editors don't MEMBER LEMURIA IN PRINT), HIS MOST IM¬ last long if they have that habit, and pub¬ PORTANT WORK WAS WITH ROCK IMAGES.' lishers who do it or allow it too often end up in bankrupcy court. Because—let's face it: how often will a publisher actually be paid back his ad¬ You probably noticed, as you flipped vance money even if the manuscript is later through this issue before settling down to Not all publishers are ogres... sold to another publisher with perhaps low¬ read this section: no heavy cover, and no And not all writers are saints. er editorial standards who pays less money advertising. even if the later sale is discovered? The So why no cover and ads? It has come to my attention (I get let¬ publisher of the first part is faced with ters, I get phone calls) that some major having to probably sue an author who prob- The cover first: I didn't think the hardcover and pocketbook publishers are now ablt hasn't the money to give back in any cover for SFR 15 would cost as much as it inserting into their contracts with authors event, having spent the second publisher's did. When I got the bill from Times Litho, a provision that if a completed manuscript payments on back bills and current rent, I blenched, and I don't blench easy. That (contracted for on the basis of an opening etc. The legal costs would likely equal or lovely Castilian Gold 80-pound Paramour chapter or two and an outline) is unsatis¬ surpass the money owed. And think of the cover stock doubled the printing cost of factory to the publisher and is either not bad press for the publisher as he "perse¬ the issue over a 48-page self-cover. The wanted under any conditions or the author cutes’’ the poor, abused writer. expense is not so much the paper; it's the is unwilling to rewrite to suit the publish¬ separate two-sides print runs on a smaller er, then the author is obligated to repay to So you see, while there are numerous offset press, and an extra collating cycles the publisher the money given as an advance (and probably far more) horror stories told against royalties upon signing the contract, of non-paying, rip-off publishers, there is The four extra pages and heavy cover i_f the work is later sold to another pub¬ another side to the coin which we rarely don't seem worth all that money. Especial¬ lisher. see: editors and publishers get together ly when it means drawing down the reserve and moan to each other about the sonofa- by $300., which is what I had to do. In other words, the author keeps the bitch writer who is a year late with a book sum paid him but if he sells the rejected Another reason to give up the heavy ...the wri er who sent in a thinly dis¬ cover is weight; it increased the weight of work to somebody else he has to pay back guised rehash of one of his earlier books the first publisher. SFR 15 over #14 by 30?—and that translat¬ ...the writer who moved and cannot be es to a lot of money in postage, especially OUTRAGEOUS! cry some authors; these pub¬ found...the drunk or doper author who sends with the late-December increases t>f 25-30? lishers and editors often reject manuscripts gibberish.... in every class of service. for capricious, unjustified reasons! They (The post office is a good way into a want their money back say ten years later if In writing and publishing, friends, it that work is dug out' of the trunk and sold is always Let The Buyer and Seller Beware, suicidal cycle of declining volume, increas¬ to another company? because too often writer-editor-publisher ed rates to compensate, and consequent fur¬ affairs are conducted by people who don't ther declines in volume.... What will hap¬ Yes. know each other personally. That's why pen, for instance, when local governments and corporations turn to bi-monthly billing Because the money given following the established professional writers are so and mailings, from monthly? I imagine the signing of the contract is an advance. It well liked and well paid by publishers and post office would love to ask congress to is conditional money, every time. And un¬ why writers who are known to be good and de¬ pass a law making monthly bills to consumers til the completed manuscript is officially pendable are usually busy, busy, busy...and mandatory! The p.o. is already spending accepted, that advance money is in essence why beginning, unknown writers of talent in escrow. often have a tough time breaking in. It is big money in an advertising campaign on TV why the established writers can often pick to hype first clash mailing (in competition with the phone company who is urging us to Of course most writers live off the ad¬ and choose to a degree among established, call a friend/relative). vance money as they write the balance of trustworthy publishers and editors, and why the book. the beginning writer must often deal with (The basic problem is the big payrolls. bastard editors and/or rip-off publishers. Eighty-five percent of the post office ov¬ But it has happened that some authors And why poor-but-honest editors and publish¬ erhead is in salaries, and most of us civ¬ during completion of the ms. have radical¬ ers often must deal with unreliable writers. ilians don't think mail clerks and handlers ly changed the plot and action of the out¬ and carriers' jobs are so complicated and/ line. Or have done such a slip-shod job It is ever thus, given the nature of the or onerous as to merit their average $17, the editor has had to reject the finished beast. 000. per year wages (including fringe bene¬ manuscript. Or have even failed to com¬ fits). The postal unions, of course, have plete the manuscript. One major editor has told me he has to 2 (Continued on page 4) SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW P. O. Box 11408 Formerly THE ALIEN CRITIC £ COVER BY JIM SHULL Portland, OR FEBRUARY 1976 Volume Five, Number One BACK COVER BY TIM KIRK 97211 Whole Number Sixteen PHONE (503) 282-0381 RICHARD E. GEIS ALIEN THOUGHTS-4 Editor & Publisher ALL UNCREDITED WRITING IS AN INTERVIEW WITH BY THE EDITOR IN ONE GEIS JERRY POURNELLE-6 OR ANOTHER LOVE, CARELESS LOVE, PUBLISHED QUARTERLY 0 CARELESS LOVE: THE TRUE Feb., May. Aug. Nov. AND TERRIBLE HISTORY OF Single Copy $1.25 SCIENCE FICTION THE GAMESMAH. 16 By Barry Malzberg-17 THE I MORTALS-16 WHEN THE WAKER SLEEPS-16 SUBSCRIPTIONS NOISE LEVEL ALTERNATE WORLDS: The Illustrated UNITED STATES: $4.00 One Year History of Science Fiction $7.00 Two Years A Column By John Brunner-20 Reviewed by Barry Malzberg-17 CANADA*: US$4.50 One Year THE ANIMAL DOCTOR-19 US$8.00 Two Years PROZINE NOTES-22 SHOCKWAVE RIDER-19 'Canadians may pay with personal cheques if the chequing acct. THE LITERARY MASOCHIST ALTERNATE WORLDS: The Illustrated number on their cheques is printed History of Science Fiction in computer numerals. (Thus we be¬ iy^lcRard A. Lupoff-24 THE SCIENCE FICTION BOOK come slaves to the needs of the Machine.) FANTASTIC SCIENCE FICTION ART PLUGGED IN UNITED KINCDOM: £1.98 One Year 2000 A.D.: ILLUSTRATIONS FROM £3.43 Two Years An Essay-Review THE GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCE FICTION To Agent: ttn. Dawsqn & Sons By George Warren- gpl|NCE FICTION ART, THE FANTASIES Cannon House Folkestone, Kent, THE GIMLET EYE ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SCIENCE FICTION CT19 5EE ILLUSTRATION AUSTRALIA and all other Foreign & ffSITSSVFmttsyTf Strange Places: US$4.50 (toe Year Reviewed by Richard A. Lupoff-24 US$8,00 Two Years By Jon Gustafson-32 BLAKE'S PROGRESS-24 All foreign subscriptions must be paid in U.S. dollar cheques or THE COMPUTER CONNECTION money orders, except the U.K. WHATEVER HAPPENED TO Reviewed by George Warren-28 FAY WRAY? PASSAGE TO PLUTO-31 By Michael G. Coney-39 CREATURES FROM BEYOND-31 BEADBONNY ASH-31 COPYRIGHT 0 1976 BY The Publishers-45 NOW YOU SEE IT/HIM/THEM RICHARD E. GEIS FOR THE ALIEN CONCLUSIONS-46 Reviewed by Richard A. Lupoff-36 CONTRIBUTORS AUTIMI ANGELS Reviewed by Dave Wixon-36 THE WINDS OF ZARR Reviewed by Neal Wilgus-37 LETTERS Jerry Pournelle-15 STAR OF DANGER Pearl-31 THE BLOODY SUN Michael 6. Coney-39 Reviewed by Lynne Holdom-37 Harlan Ell ison-41 Isaac Asimov-41 SEEKLIGHT L. Sprague de Camp-41 Reviewed by Lynne Holdom-38 Barry Malzberg-42 BEYOND CONTROL-38 Robert Bloch-42 Rick Sternbach-43 STAR-LORD- 38 Charles W. Runyon-43 THE SCIENCE FICTION HANDBOOK Mike Ashley.43 Reviewed by Darrell Schweitzer-44 Lynne Holdom-44 TIM KIRK 2.