Category Archives: Fantasy Fiction News

Top Blog Posts of 2013

It’s traditional at this time of the year to take a look back – a review of the best bits if you like of 2013!

Highlights for me were getting 2 1/2 novels published – although Hell has its Demons still needs some work doing to it, plus getting a number of short stories sent off to professional magazines.

With regards to blogging, some of the most popular posts have been old ones – the one on Dante below has had over 1,000 hits and I wrote it a few years ago now. An oldie but a goodie!

So here are my top 5 blog posts of 2013:

“Midway along the journey of our life” – Great Medieval Verses (this is from Dante’s Inferno)

What did people believe in the Middle Ages, Part 1

Why George RR Martin is NOT an American Tolkien

So You Want to Draw a Dragon?

Favourite Fantasy Fiction Characters: Logen Ninefingers (aka the Bloody Nine)

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Free Preview of Robin Hobb’s Blood of Dragons

Blood of DragonsTor have posted a free preview of the prologue for Robin Hobb’s new novel Blood of Dragons.

Interesting to see that this is the fourth book in the series – usually Hobb does things in threes!

Years ago, the magnificent dragon queen Tintaglia forged a bargain with the inhabitants of the treacherous Rain Wilds. In exchange for her protection against enemy invaders, the humans promised to protect an unhatched brood of dragons. But when the dragons emerged as weak and misshapen hatchlings unable to fend for themselves, dragonkind seemed doomed to extinction. When even Tintaglia deserted the crippled young dragons, the Rain Wilders abandoned the burden of caring for the destructive and ravenous creatures. They were banished to a dangerous and grueling journey in search of their ancient dragon homeland, the lost city of Kelsingra, accompanied by a band of young and inexperienced human keepers, also deemed damaged and disposable.

Against all odds they have found the fabled city, yet myriad challenges remain.

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Science Fiction Magazines Increase Contributor Pay Rates

For quite a while now the contributor pay rate for a professional Science Fiction and/or Fantasy Magazine has been 5 cents per word. So if you were to write a 5,000 word story you should be making $250. This rate has been pretty much the market standard and fixed as the sign of a professional sale as the SFWA only recognizes a magazine market as professional if it pays this rate or over.

Now it seems economic factors such as inflation have finally caught up with this figure. Asimov’s and Analog are both increasing their rates. SFScope reports that these two publications are actually increasing their rates from 6-8 cents per word to 7-9 cents per word. The other major market is Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine – their website reports that they are offering 6-9 cents per word.

How long I wonder until the SFWA increases the criteria for the qualifying markets it lists? I would imagine they might look at increasing it to at least 6 cents per word? Although it doesn’t sound like a lot, when you calculate the payment for a 5,000 word story then it does add up: $300 instead of $250. These magazines must be taking quite a hit at the moment to their costs. I hope they can cope, as we definitely need these publications to stay vibrant and profitable for the sake of the SFF writing and reading community.

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Fantasy short stories publishes its first issue

One of my guises is as editor of a new
publication called Fantasy Short Stories. The first issue of which is now available. Hope you enjoy it!
Fantasy Short Stories Issue 1 Cover

I think we’ve got an excellent selection of stories available for you here, so please do take a look. To get hold of a copy please see the links at the end of this post – at the moment just available from Smashwords and Amazon, but once the distribution channels kick-in it will be available for your Nook or iPad, iPhone, and via a variety of other eBook retailers.

The first issue of Fantasy Short Stories contains the following great new short stories:

  • ‘The Dying Elf’ by Mike Pielaet-Strayer: Oberon the swordsman watches a young elf die on the battlefield and tries to come to grips with his own humanity.
  • ‘The Empty Dark’ by C. L. Holland: Korix and Leveri are far from home, farther than either of them could have imagined. As they search for a way back they discover it’s not only children who should be afraid of the dark.
  • ‘Demon Stone’ by Jake Scholl: when his kingdom and his wife are held ransom by an evil sorcerer, King Dagr goes on a quest to give the sorcerer what he wants. At what cost is Dagr willing to go to save his kingdom?
  • Noeleen Kavanagh’s ‘The Pivot’: two boys who are thrown together in a chance encounter that turns their world upside down.
  • ‘Sparrows Falling’ by Gretchen Tessmer: a black sorcerer and a foreign enchantress practise their arts in a castle on the borderlands. But when the lady locks herself in her tower, even the servants know something’s amiss in Grendl Castle.

Fantasy Short Stories Issue 1 is available as an eBook either via Smashwords, or for Kindle via:

Amazon US
Amazon UK
Amazon Germany
Amazon France
Amazon Italy
Amazon Spain

Soon Fantasy Short Stories Issue 1 also be available from a variety of other retailers such as Barnes & Noble and Apple – stay tuned for more information!

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Fantasy Fiction News Daily April 29, 2012

Here’s a daily update of the latest news about fantasy fiction

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Fantasy Fiction News Daily April 28, 2012

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Fantasy Fiction News Daily April 27, 2012

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Fantasy Fiction News Daily April 26, 2012

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Fantasy Fiction News Daily April 25, 2012

Here’s a daily update of the latest news about fantasy fiction

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Fantasy Fiction News Daily April 24, 2012

Here’s a daily update of the latest news about fantasy fiction

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