Anyone here published?

[deezelboy]

Yeah, I know what you mean.  It's pretty much the same in the UK... 

It might cheer you up, but British SF magazine Interzone publishes some work by a stunning Czech SF author whom annoyingly I can't remember the name of.  But Czech SF does get some recognition outside of the Czech republic, if that's any benefit.

[Ava]

Yeah, I know what you mean.  It's pretty much the same in the UK... 

It is? That surprises me. I thought the market there is well adjusted to this kind of literture ...

It might cheer you up, but British SF magazine Interzone publishes some work by a stunning Czech SF author whom annoyingly I can't remember the name of.  But Czech SF does get some recognition outside of the Czech republic, if that's any benefit.

It does? Wow, that's cool Hmmm, isn't that Ondřej Neff? He is good. Then I know only few who could be published abroad. I'm glad that there's some recognition, thanks for the info.
Our market is full of the  B-cathegory scifi crap, though there are numbers of really cool authors. Czech and foreign. But who makes decisions? Publishers who mostly don't recognize good book .

[fitzley]

I was going to ask whether you found left-leaning or right-leaning bias, but I was afraid I'd start a flame war. 

But since the question's been asked, I gotta know: what were your conclusions?

No conclusions as of yet...still collecting and coding data. There are some media studies out there that find what people generally expect.

One study puts various news channels and newspapers on a 1 to 100 scale. One being the conservative end and 100 being the liberal end.

Fox News ranked at 37...so a bit of a conservative lean. CNN which is often criticized for having a liberal bias scored 57...so it is actually pretty centrist with a very slight lean. I think CBS Evening News has the most pronounced liberal lean at 60 something.

The methodology varies, some studies try to code key words for liberal or conservative bias. Ours is a little bit different in that we are looking at what news programs choose as their top stories to see if there is any bias there. Basically seeing if there is any bias in what news channels chose to report or chose to report as a their top stories.

So, I am the data guy on this project and have been going through the transcripts of news programs from ABC, NBC, and CBS going all the way back to 1968. Once I got to the 90s, I started adding in CNN and now I am into the 2000s and I am adding in Fox News.

We have not run any sort of formal analysis yet, but a couple casual observations...I just did a bunch of CNN and Fox transcripts and I did notice that CNN ran Katrina as a top story for their evening news far longer than any other news network or program.

Fox News I noticed on a couple occasions...while other news programs where talking about the war or misconduct of American servicemen...other news programs would run it as a top story, but Fox News would run it either much later in the program or not at all.

Again, no conclusions, just some casual observations. I, of course, must guard against bringing in any of my own bias into the research.

It was pretty interesting reading news reports from 20-40 years ago...it seems that the rhetoric between right vs. left has changed very little and the same topics and controversies seem to recur every few years (gay rights, flag-burning, some religious issues, power of the executive, etc...). I think since 9/11, however, that the rhetoric and battles have become more intense...I hope things calm down again in the next 5 years.

[deezelboy]

Interesting!  Thanks for that Fitz!

Do you know if there are there any similar studies across nations?  I'd be very interested in knowing how Channel 4 News came out.

It is? That surprises me. I thought the market there is well adjusted to this kind of literture ...

Nah, SF ghetto.  If you read SF, you're a geek in the UK.  Kinda weird, given the country that gave us HG Wells, 1984, Brave New World, Ridley Walker and so forth.  But people I singuarly unimpressed when they learn I read and write SF. 

But who makes decisions? Publishers who mostly don't recognize good book.

Yeah.  I've got two friends both trying to get a book published.  One of them's a middle-aged guy who's written a pretty impressive take on The Incredible Shrinking Man - it's quite brilliant!  That's not yet been published.  Mt other friends a very attractive, early-30s female who wrote a so-so book about a fictional serial killer, met a publisher in a cafe, and now she's not just having it published but has got a job as an editor in the office. 

I don't think the book's got anything to do with it, to be honest. 

[Ava]

Now that stinks.
Does she do some extra hours in that office ? 

When I, as a girl, say that I read/write scifi .. you can hardly imgine the looks I get. Like 'Hey, you ran away from the nuthouse!' 

This business just sucks.

[deezelboy]

Does she do some extra hours in that office ? 

That was my thought as well! 

Although to be honest, I don't think I'd be any different if I was offered the chance.  Never been into prostitutimng myself for mere money, but to get a novel or two published, I don't think I'd spend that long deliberating it!

This business just sucks.

Agreed.   

[PredBabe]

Yeah.  I've got two friends both trying to get a book published.  One of them's a middle-aged guy who's written a pretty impressive take on The Incredible Shrinking Man - it's quite brilliant!  That's not yet been published.  Mt other friends a very attractive, early-30s female who wrote a so-so book about a fictional serial killer, met a publisher in a cafe, and now she's not just having it published but has got a job as an editor in the office. 

I don't think the book's got anything to do with it, to be honest. 

Wow that... just sucks! I wouldn't doubt it, I would imagine that thats how the film business works as well. You know when you're trying to sell a script that you've written? What a world!

[Hudson]

If you read SF, you're a geek in the UK.

You'd probably get your lunch money stolen in the US as well.

I'm finding a total lack of motivation to finish my short story before I leave for boot camp. I just need to muscle my way through it, or just get drunk and do it. 

[drake]

I publish stories online, but I've never tried sending my stuff to a magazine. I'd like to do it, but I have no real idea how to go about it, or what British magazines actually publish short stories these days.

[deezelboy]

The Third Alternative Press publishes Interzone (SF/fantasy - UK's longest running SF magazine), Black Static (horror/fantasy), and Crimewave (guess!).  Them's the ones I know.

Pick up a copy, and you should find the submissions address in the small print.  Print out your story doublespaced and send it to that address.  Wait. 

Good luck!

[drake]

The Third Alternative Press publishes Interzone (SF/fantasy - UK's longest running SF magazine), Black Static (horror/fantasy), and Crimewave (guess!).  Them's the ones I know.

Pick up a copy, and you should find the submissions address in the small print.  Print out your story doublespaced and send it to that address.  Wait. 

Good luck!

Thanks!

Black Static sounds right up my alley as I mostly write horror. +

[drake]

I am now officially a published author! (sort of)

I just signed a contract with a not-very-big publisher to have my short story put up for electronic download, and they welcomed me to the family. Soon I'll be up there with all the great authors of the 21st century.

Not really, but it's a start. I get 40% of all sales quarterly if I do sell some, which will do me fine if I get a tenner or so every three months.

If anyone's interested the site is www.mysticmoonpress.com.

Laugh at the cheap covers and see why I designed my own.

[Ava]

Yay, drake! Congrats , man!  That's a good beginning! 
Keep us informed if you actually have any benefit out of it 

[drake]

Thanks, Ava! I most certainly will report back once I earn a cheeky £10

[severen76]

So it's about a plane? a murder on a plane?