Join the SFWA Games and Comics Committees to see what our members have been working on! Ever wonder what kinds of games and comics your fellow SFWAns are making? Well, no need to wonder – just come to the Spotlight and find out!
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It’s a tough market out there, but crowdfunding is still a powerful way to reach potential audiences for your work. Only, how can you make sure your campaign stands out? What are some critical errors in campaign-planning that might not seem obvious at first?
We’re going to spend a morning getting into the nitty gritty of marketing for excellence. Space is limited! Let’s sharpen our strategies together before the next season of product pitches comes to pass.
Read more about Optimizing Your Next Crowdfunding Campaign (with SFWA Comics)
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Everyone and their pet goldfish thinks they know the one surefire trick to getting funded… but the industry is always in flux, and with the persistent scattering of social media channels, it’s harder than ever to rely on classic crowdfunding strategies to get your latest work to launch.
What other options exist? How do we diversify and innovate on the road to creative success?
We’re going to spend a morning getting into the nitty gritty of marketing for excellence. Space is limited! Let’s sharpen our strategies together before the next season of product pitches comes to pass.
Read more about Constellation Series: Marketing Workshop, Alternatives to Crowdfunding
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SFWA is home to a wealth of talented games and comics creators. However, as with any field in SFF, there are twists and turns to the professional journey – so the road to SFWA status was not easy! Join our panel of mid-career writers for an hour of insights into some of the hardest lessons learned, and the best places to find joy, in these wild and wonderful professional paths.
Read more about Hard Knocks and Hidden Gems: A career panel with SFWA Comics and Game Writing
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Please join the SFWA Board of Directors, staff, and key volunteers on Thursday, December 11, at 5:00pm Pacific Time for our annual business meeting. They will share about SFWA’s ongoing projects, where the organization is going, and respond to your questions at our annual business meeting.
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Libraries and bookstores are an integral part of the reading community, and they’re a great way to reach people who might otherwise never find your books. Librarians and booksellers are your friends, and like you, they love engaging with delighted and excited readers. That said, they are also bombarded with sales pitches and author requests. They want to support your book. You just have to make it easy and give them a reason why it belongs on their shelves. Misha Stone (Reader Services Librarian, Seattle Public Library), Paula J. Gallagher (Adult and Community Engagement Specialist, Baltimore County Public Library), and Jennifer Marchisotto (Mysterious Galaxy) will help participants develop tools to successfully partner with libraries and bookstores. At the end of the session, participants will understand how to successfully pitch collaborations with bookstores and librarians. In break out sessions, participants will get feedback on outreach emails to bookstores and libraries.
Read more about Seminar 2.3 The Business of Writing: Working with Bookstores and Libraries
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Horror and dark fantasy are having a real time to shine in middle grade and young adult fiction—but we all know the love of scary transcends age. Check out this discussion of how to make the story scary. What tricks and tips do authors use? How do they know it’s scary enough—or when it might be too scary? Whether an author is amplifying suspense, giving gothic flair, or just plain spilling blood across the floor, attendees are sure to shiver hearing these authors share their experience of writing scary.
Read more about Panel 2.5 It’s a Scream: Writing Horror Across the Ages
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Ever moderated a panel where some of your panelists were seasoned pros and others were just getting started? What should panelists do to optimize their time on a bigger platform? Is there a difference in presentation style for peer-based and reader-facing industry events? And how can moderators and panelists support each other better, to provide a thrilling and memorable experience wherever they may roam in the genre? Join Day Al-Mohamed, Joyce Reynolds Ward, and Fran Wilde for a rich conversation with seasoned presenters from a range of promotions contexts, and take your panel game to the next level!
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Where does “the poetic” begin and end? What differentiates a prose poem from flash fiction? And why are we so hung up on dividing lines in genre in the first place – and not on the power of hybrid storytelling? In this panel, members of SFWA’s Poetry Committee are in conversation with a dynamic creator of flash and other experimental SFF forms, to explore the liminal in speculative writing – and to encourage fellow writers to make full use of whatever medium best reflects the idea they wish to convey.
Read more about Panel 2.3 Poetry, Flash, & the Power of Hybrid Storytelling
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Nonfiction science writers love a good tall tale as much as anyone – but that doesn’t mean they don’t wince when a beloved subfield is poorly represented in SFF! So here’s a terrific opportunity, brought to us by the brilliant minds at the National Association of Science Writers, for speculative writers to sharpen their game. Join moderator Takara Small, in conversation with Corey Powell, Jane C. Hu, and Tara C. Smith to shake off misconceptions about a number of key scientific concepts for our most far-ranging and “out there” prose.