The Dreaded M-word
A recent conversation about self and independent publishing led to me voicing my thoughts on what to do once the book is released. This will also hold true even for the traditionally published, as the […]
Demystifying Contracts #2: Novels – Territories
This will be my third installment about contracts. For reference you can also refer to: Demystifying Contracts #1: Novels – Ownership vs Rights Transfer Pulling Back the Publishing Veil: Life of Copyright Terms As we […]
The Dumbest Part of The Lord of the Rings
I first read Tolkien when I was 13 and (like many others before and after) totally fell in love with the Middle Earth thing. I’ve read the trilogy (and the Hobbit) probably a dozen times, […]
Playing the Short Game: How to Sell Your Short Fiction (Part 11 in series)
Dear Editor…: How to submit short fiction (conclusion) Welcome back to my on-going and generally weekly series on how to market and sell short fiction. These posts are written in a very specific sequence, with […]
Another Difference Between Real Scientists and Science Fiction Scientists
I was watching an episode of Fringe today and got to see Walter Bishop actually puttering around his lab and whipping up antidotes with seconds to spare. If only science were so exciting on a […]
ASM Blog Horde Interview with Alex Kane
Welcome to the Amazing Stories BLOG HORDE INTERVIEWS! The ASM Blog Horde is a diverse and wonderful species. I have the privilege of talking with all of them, and I get to share those chats with […]
Using the Subtext of Body Language in Storytelling
Kinesics is the study of “body language”, which explores how movements and gestures project a person’s hidden thoughts. Blushing is an obvious reaction. But more subtle ones can be used. When body language contradicts verbal […]
How Much Will They Pay? Pricing E-books for Fun and Profit
Since my first time up at bat I discussed how to know when you should self-publish, it is now time to answer the second question on everyone’s mind when it comes to self-publishing: what should […]
Characters: Ben Reich from The Demolished Man
The Demolished Man is a classic of SF. The story of Lincoln Powell’s faceoff with Ben Reich is worthy of the first Hugo, and is still an entertaining read today. Beyond the well imagined world […]
Self Publishing for Beginners
This week I became an author. After reading about Hugh Howey, I was inspired to collect the three installments of The Carrion Files into an e-book which I then put on Amazon (as part of […]
The Long and the Short Of It
So you’ve got this great idea bouncing around in your head. It’s been following you around for a while now. You’ve worked out a few details, maybe sketched a basic outline, and now it’s time […]
Playing the Short Game: How to Sell Your Short Fiction (Part 10 in series)
Dear Editor…: How to submit short fiction Welcome back to my on-going and generally (kind of, sort of) weekly series on how to market and sell short fiction. These posts are written in a very […]
How to Make a SciFi Feature Film for $500
In 2006, I created Borg War, an animated Star Trek feature film. Since I suspect that most writers would jump at the change to script a Star Trek film, I thought it might be of […]
Playing the Short Game Rescheduled
The next installment of Douglas Smith’s weekly feature – Playing the Short Game – regularly scheduled for Saturdays will appear tomorrow, Sunday, March 24th. Amazing Stories apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause our readers.
Finding Women in Science Fiction
Where are all of the women writers in Science Fiction? Some are among us and we don’t even know it.
Science and Fiction by Springer
I’m on the editorial board, and an acquiring editor for, a new series by the European academic publisher Springer. I’m busy but agreed to participate because I love the intersection of science and fiction and […]
ASM Blog Horde Interview with Michael J. Sullivan
Welcome to the Amazing Stories BLOG HORDE INTERVIEWS! The ASM Blog Horde is a diverse and wonderful species. I have the privilege of talking with all of them, and I get to share those chats with […]
Ten Questions You Need to Ask Your Characters Before They Can Stay In Your Story
Your story lives and breathes through your characters. Through them your premise, idea and your plot come alive. Characters give your story meaning; they draw in the reader who lives the journey through them. Without […]
Characters: Nijiri from The Killing Moon
I spent my last weekend in bed, with beers in a cooler a few inches away, and NK Jemisin’s The Killing Moon in hand. I’ve read few page-turners these last few months. But I devoured […]
Transparency, Wool and the Future of Indie Publishing
This week, I started listening to the Wool Omnibus, the audiobook of Hugh Howey’s infamous cult bestseller. I noticed the book a month ago in my local Waterstone’s but it was only this week that […]
Interview with Pam Uphoff
This week I interviewed another who had taken a less than traditional approach to publishing, Pam Uphoff. Pam has 12 titles on Amazon that I count, and I have been reading her excellent series Wine […]
Is Ender’s Game Really Any Fun to Read?
Troll the internet for “the greatest science fiction novels of all time” and Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game will be at the top of every list you’ll find. (Or it was last time I checked.) […]
Resurrecting the Literary Dead
Though William Faulkner is often attributed with the expression “In writing, you must kill your darlings,” the expression first appeared in a lecture On the Art of Writing by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch as, “Whenever you […]
Playing the Short Game: How to Sell Your Short Fiction (Part 9 in series)
Markets, Markets Everywhere: How to select the right market Welcome back. This is my ninth post on how to market and sell short fiction. This series is written in a very specific sequence, with each […]
The Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop for Writers
I have some news about the workshop, but first, in case you don’t know what it is… Launch Pad is a week-long workshop held every summer since 2007 at the University of Wyoming. I founded […]
Flash Fiction
We are inundated by fiction. Every trip to the few remaining bookshops has more and more books marching along the shelves, magically procreating like the enchanted brooms in Disney’s Fantasia. There are so many books […]
Woman, You Make Me Sick and Other Adventures in Freefall
These offputting objects killed the novel. Let’s dance. ‘Cos it’s more fun reading in freefall.
The Martian Chronicles and Other Metaphors
They came because they were afraid or unafraid, happy or unhappy. There was a reason for each man. They were coming to find something or get something, or to dig up something or bury something. […]
Characters: Swan Er Hong from 2312
Most reviewers seem to agree, Kim Stanley Robinson’s 2312 is a book with well thought out science, beautiful descriptions, and a bold, interesting look at the future of humanity. Most also seem to agree that […]
I’ve Got This Idea…
When I was a kid I was awed by the adult section of the library. So many books! I couldn’t wait to get my hands on them. Where would I start? I was a voracious […]
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