The Muse & The Marketplace 2024

“Growing up is highly overrated,” says Neil Gaiman. “Just be an author.” That advice might be especially applicable for sci-fi and fantasy writers, who famously enjoy stretching the limits of imagination to infinity—and beyond. The publishing industry, however, isn’t quite so fanciful. If you want to traditionally publish your SFF novels, you’ll have to temporarily sheath your enchanted sword and buckle down with some pre-adventure groundwork. In this session, we will discuss the ups and downs of the SFF publishing journey and delve into a bubbling beaker of specifics: What advice do editors have for writers hoping to break into the SFF realm? What categorizations have publishers created in the genre? What are the first (and second, and tenth) steps a writer should take when querying SFF agents? How does fantasy and sci-fi publishing differ from the rest of the industry? As with any good quest, there are bound to be a few twists and turns along the way. And riddles from the three-headed zombie who lives under the bridge. So saddle up your dragon, pack your trustiest magic wand, and grab your seat in the Spaceship Muse: We’re getting published, people. Unless the zombie gets us first.