A Work in Progress

Panel: Janet Harriett (M), Gardner Dozois, Sheila Williams, James Patrick Kelly, Lou Anders

This was a somewhat disappointing panel. Easily the first fifteen minutes were spent with most of the panelists comparing and congratulating each other on the number of Hugos they had each won over the year.

My Notes

• Your editor picks you
• Read their magazine or books to learn what kind of things they like before you submit your work
• A writer who reliably delivers you great stores every couple months and is easy to work with
• Read the guideline. Although they are called "guidelines", they are not suggestions
• What's the best showcase for your story? Which publication or anthology?
• Two types of readers: print subscribers generaly vote for print books; online readers don't vote for print stories
• Think about the time factor between submission and publication
• Your editor is there to make you look good
• The editor is the cheerleader for your book in-house
• The stories are written by people, and you have to work with the people. (This can be both good and bad.)
• Most writers are fragile bundles of ego.