Chugging right along with rewrites and edits this week…

Pressing Matters: Week of March 4-8, 2013

Acquisitions

1. We were finally able to announce our latest acquisition! City of Devils by Justin Robinson is going to be amazing – how can it not, when it’s the snarky love child of a 50s detective novel and a 50s creature feature?

Editing

1. Editrix Sarah sent back her notes on Blue Diamond Delivery, and Anne is making some continuity tweaks. Then…off to the typesetting mines!
2. I should really take a screenshot of edits to Infinity Key just to show you all what a glorious rainbow of tracked changes it is…
3. Working through revisions on City of Devils, and having to remember to never drink anything while reading Justin’s writing, just in case.

Production

1. Several eyebrow-archings and hairline tweaks later, we have a front cover for Blue Diamond Delivery! The reveal will be soon, my lovelies…
2. The Daughter Star will have its cover reveal hosted by The Book Smugglers on March 14! Now there’s another great reason to get excited about Pi Day!

Reviews, Promotions, and Buzz

1. Speaking of The Book Smugglers, they’ve posted their ballot of nominations for the 2013 Hugo Awards, along with how you, too, can nominate works (but hurry – deadline is March 10!). One of their Best Novel nominees? The Spark by Susan Jane Bigelow!
2. In other fantastic news for Susan, an anthology she’s in, The Collection, a collection of transgender short fiction from Topside Press, is a Lambda Literary Award finalist!

Sundries

1. Keeping apprised of the latest happenings in the SF/F world can sometimes be an adventure. The latest wrinkle is the kerfluffle over the SFWA disallowing Hydra, Random House’s digital-only, royalties-only SF/F imprint – but not disallowing its other imprints, as happened when a similar sanction was put on Harlequin. Hydra has now responded, and the SFWA has volleyed back. I’m sure there’s plenty of people on either side of the debate (and in the massive grey area around it) that are gearing up for the skirmishes to come. Oh, and now we have a look at some of the Random House digital-imprint contracts courtesy of John Scalzi, for those of you who’re interested….
2. Agent Rachelle Gardner has a great post on who should read your unpublished work – because while good betas are worth their weight in gold, they’re also hard to come by…
3. Wow. This bookstore looks AMAZING. A place that specializes in the unusual, the arcane, the morbid, and the curious? Count me in – I want to spend a week there!
4. Here’s your dose of weirdness for the next week: an incredibly 80s infomercial spoof for a librarian workout tape. Brace yourselves.