John Joseph Adams - Editor & Anthologist

Brave New Worlds: Revised and Expanded Edition Forthcoming

Night Shade Books announced a new revised and expanded edition of my anthology Brave New Worlds today, which is coming out in December:

SAN FRANCISCO (August 25, 2012) — Night Shade Books are delighted to announce the release of a revised and expanded edition of the critically acclaimed anthology Brave New Worlds, edited by Hugo-nominated editor John Joseph Adams.

An engaging collection of thirty-six of the best dystopian short stories, Brave New Worlds is a shining example of fiction from today’s most visionary writers. To celebrate this rerelease, the new edition not only includes three additional fantastic stories but also an updated recommended reading list and a study guide written by renowned scholar and critic Gary K. Wolfe designed to help book clubs and classrooms discuss the stories in more detail.

Editor John Joseph Adams says, “Dystopian fiction has long been one of my favorite subgenres, and Brave New Worlds has been near and dear to me from the moment I started working on it. So it’s a great pleasure to be able to return to work on it once again, and to have it find new life in the marketplace so new readers can discover it for the first time.”

Editor in Chief Jeremy Lassen commented, “The many anthologies Adams has edited have helped redefine the boundaries of various SF/Fantasy subgenres. Brave New Worlds is an import book, and an important part of this genre conversation.”

With new stories from Ken Liu, Jennifer Pelland and Robert Reed added to an already exemplary list of authors including Neil Gaiman, Kim Stanley Robinson, and Ursula K. Le Guin, this is an anthology not to be missed.

Brave New Worlds is due for release December 4th 2012. For more information about this edition of Brave New Worlds, please visit our website at http://www.nightshadebooks.com/, or contact us at publicity@nightshadebooks.com.

Worldcon Schedule (i.e., Where You Can Find Me at Chicon)

August 30 through September 3, I’ll be attending Chicon 7, the 70th World Science Fiction Convention (more commonly known as “Worldcon”). Last year at Worldcon, I got married and lost two Hugos. This year, I’m still married, and again have the opportunity to lose two Hugos.

Here’s my itinerary for the convention:

Reading: John Joseph Adams

Fri Aug 31 1:30pm – Fri Aug 31 3:00pm – Haymarket

John Joseph Adams, Carrie Vaughn, Christie Yant

Readings from the magazines Nightmare and Lightspeed, and anthologies Armored and Epic, all edited by John Joseph Adams.

Filling the Magazines

Fri Aug 31 3:00pm – Fri Aug 31 4:30pm – Crystal A

Ellen Datlow, Gordon Van Gelder, Jason Sizemore, John Joseph Adams, Neil Clarke, Stanley Schmidt

Current and former magazine editors discuss how to be an effective magazine editor, and how the job has been changing as dead-tree magazines give way to web-based electron-based venues. And why can’t an e-zine have as many stories as they want since there isn’t a page count?

Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic or Both?

Fri Aug 31 6:00pm – Fri Aug 31 7:30pm – Buckingham

Alaya Dawn Johnson, Heather Urbanski, Hugh Howey, John Joseph Adams, Marie Bilodeau

This panel will examine novels like the Hunger Games trilogy that have elements of both dystopian writing and the post-apocalyptic tradition and explore what those distinctions may mean.

Creating Exciting Anthologies

Sat Sep 1 10:30am – Sat Sep 1 12:00pm – Crystal C

Ellen Datlow, Jennifer Brozek, Joan Spicci Saberhagen, John Helfers, John Joseph Adams, Richard Gilliam

We’re in a golden age of science fiction and fantasy anthologies with clever new ideas coming out monthly from major and minor publishers. But where do they come from? How do editors interest publishers and writers in their ideas? How do you make the hard decisions between great stories and great writing (when you can’t have both)?

Hugo Award Ceremony

Sun Sep 2 8:00pm – Sun Sep 2 10:00pm – Grand Ballroom

John Scalzi and other presenters

That thing where they give out the Hugo Awards, duh!

World Fantasy Award Nomination!

I’m honored to announce that I’m once again nominated for the World Fantasy Award (the “special award” for professionals working in the fantasy field). Thanks to all who thought I was deserving of this honor, and congratulations to all the other nominees. [World Fantasy Award nominees]

Alpha Writing Workshop & Confluence

Next week, I’m off to Pittsburgh to teach at the Alpha SF/F/H Workshop for Young Writers, and then I’ll be attending Confluence, the Pittsburgh-area science fiction convention next weekend (July 27-29).

Also, on Tuesday, July 24, Kij Johnson, Catherynne M. Valente, Tamora Pierce, and I will be doing a reading at the Greensburg Barnes & Noble at 7PM.

For those of you attending Confluence, here’s my schedule of events during the convention:

Fri 5:00 pm | Oak
Are You a Member Here?

The question is whether we, as a group of readers (bunch of geeks, tribe of SF/F/H fans) and writers have gotten too exclusive–with tropes, words and shorthand universes–and if there is new stuff being written that would be accessible to Joe and Jill Common-Person. Would they have as much fun reading “A Game of Thrones” or “We Can Remember if for You Wholesale” as watching it?

Panelists: Steve Ramey, Lawrence Connolly, John Joseph Adams, Sarah Goslee

Fri 10:00 pm | Consuite
Kaffeeklatsch

An informal group discussion over coffee. Note: You typically must sign up for Kaffeeklatsches in advance, and I believe that is the case at Confluence as well.

Participants: Jonathan Maberry, John Joseph Adams
Sat 10:00 am | Main Lobby
Autographing

Participants: John Joseph Adams, James Daniel Ross

Sat 4:00 pm | Oak
Editors: What Do They Really Want?

Good question–here are a few, what do they have to say?

Participants: John Joseph Adams, Jeff Young, Eric Beebe, Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Sara Goslee

Sat 6:00 pm | Oak
Can’t we Just Get Along?

Stories, books, songs. With so many creative things to do, it’s only natural that sometimes we work together to create something beyond the scope and abilities of just one person. What are the good things and bad things about collaboration? Can compromise actually lead to a better result? Lyrics and music, Editors and writers ,the perils and perks of working together. Whether it be authors with authors, authors with songwriters, songwriters with songwriters, good results will always speak for themselves.

Participants: Jonah Knight, Rand Bellavia, John Joseph Adams, Christopher J Pisano

Sat 9:00 pm | Sycamore
Reading: The Living Dead 2

Short readings from the anthology The Living Dead 2, by several of the authors.

Participants: John Joseph Adams, Gary Braunbeck, Jonathan Maberry, David Barr Kirtley, Jamie Lackey

Nightmare Will Close to Submissions from July 15 to September 15

Nightmare will be temporarily closed to submissions from July 15 to September 15. This is due to the following factors:

1. We currently have a high volume of excellent material already in inventory.
2. I have three anthology deadlines coming up.
3. I’m in the process of buying and moving into a new house.
4. I’ll be teaching at the Alpha Writing Workshop in July (and then attending the Confluence convention).
5. I’ll be attending Worldcon at the end of August.

All those factors combined make it sensible for us to close to submissions for a time so I can focus on other editorial tasks, though of course #1 is the big one. But don’t despair! Take advantage of this time to polish up your stories to the best of your ability and have them ready to go when we re-open in September. Looking forward to seeing what you all come up with on the flip-side.

OTHER WORLDS THAN THESE Now on Sale & Official Website Launched

I’ve just launched the promotional site for my new anthology OTHER WORLDS THAN THESE, which you can find here: www.johnjosephadams.com/other-worlds-than-these. It features “free reads” (i.e., the text of a few stories from the anthology), along with Q&As with some of the authors, and just generally has more information about the book.

EPIC Table of Contents & Cover

Here’s the table of contents and cover copy for Epic.

Cover Copy

There is a sickness in the land. Prophets tell of the fall of empires, the rise of champions. Great beasts stir in vaults beneath the hills, beneath the waves. Armies mass. Gods walk. The world will be torn asunder.

Epic fantasy is storytelling at its biggest and best. From the creation myths and quest sagas of ancient times to the mega-popular fantasy novels of today, these are the stories that express our greatest hopes and fears, that create worlds so rich we long to return to them again and again, and that inspire us with their timeless values of courage and friendship in the face of ultimate evil—tales that transport us to the most ancient realms, and show us the most noble sacrifices, the most astonishing wonders.

Now acclaimed editor John Joseph Adams (Wastelands, The Living Dead) brings you the best tales set in the most popular settings of today’s leading authors of epic fantasy. Return again to lands you’ve loved, or visit magical new worlds. Victory against the coming darkness is never certain, but one thing’s for sure—your adventure will be epic.

Table of Contents

• Foreword by Brent Weeks
• “Homecoming” by Robin Hobb
• “The Word of Unbinding” by Ursula K. Le Guin
• “The Burning Man” by Tad Williams
• “As the Wheel Turns” by Aliette de Bodard
• “The Alchemist” by Paolo Bacigalupi
• “Sandmagic” by Orson Scott Card
• “The Road to Levinshir” by Patrick Rothfuss
• “Rysn” by Brandon Sanderson
• “While the Gods Laugh” by Michael Moorcock
• “Mother of All Russiya” by Melanie Rawn
• “Riding the Shore of the River of Death” by Kate Elliott
• “The Bound Man” by Mary Robinette Kowal
• “The Narcomancer” by N. K. Jemisin
• “Strife Lingers in Memory” by Carrie Vaughn
• “The Mad Apprentice” by Trudi Canavan
• “Otherling” by Juliet Marillier
• “The Mystery Knight” by George R. R. Martin

Cover (by John Coulthart)

NIGHTMARE Needs Slush Readers!

Now that Nightmare is fully-funded, we’re looking to the future, and that means opening to fiction submissions. (We’re currently planning to open on June 15; watch this space, or our Twitter stream @nightmaremag for details.) As such, we’re looking to fill out our editorial team, and that means finding some volunteer slush readers.

If you’re not familiar with the term, “slush” is what people in the publishing industry call unsolicited submissions–that is, stories that writers send in without an explicit invitation. Most magazines have an open submissions policy–as Nightmare will–which means that anyone in the world can send in a story for us to consider, and all those stories are collectively referred to as slush.

It’s too early to say how many submissions Nightmare will receive every month, but at Lightspeed, we receive around 700 monthly, so we need a team of dedicated readers to make recommendations to the editor. That means reading and evaluating submissions, and either recommending the editor read the story himself or recommending that he reject it. There’s a bit more to it than that, which we would discuss if you’re interested in applying for the position, but that’s the gist.

And why would anyone want to do such a thing? Well, reading slush is one of the best things a writer can do to improve his or her writing because it really helps you read as an editor (and by reading lots of stories that don’t work, you can’t help but learn lots of lessons). Also, if you’re interested in working in the editing field, it’s almost always where you start, so it’s good experience.

Before you apply, some details to consider:

If you’re interested in applying to be a slush reader for Nightmare, please email me at johnjosephadams+nightmare@gmail.com. In your email, please provide the following information:

• What are some of your favorite horror short stories? (Or if your experience is mostly with horror novels and/or films, that’s okay too.)
• What is your writing/editing background? (If your background in either is nonexistent, that’s okay, though a love of horror fiction is paramount.)
• Why are you interested in reading slush?
• What you hope to get out of the experience?

Well, that about does it. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

The World Horror Convention 2013 Editor Guest of Honor is…Me!

From the official website of the Horror Writers Association:

The Horror Writers Association is proud to announce prolific anthologist John Joseph Adams as the Editor Guest of Honor for the World Horror Convention (WHC) 2013. In 2013 the HWA is hosting WHC as part of the Bram Stoker Awards™ Weekend in New Orleans from 13-16 June. [...]

HWA President Rocky Wood said, “John Joseph Adams is the type of anthology editor readers love – they know each of his books will be filled with well written, interesting tales to captivate them during their precious reading hours. We are very pleased that John has accepted our invitation to be World Horror Convention Guest of Honor, where he is likely to find 300 horror writers, all eager to impress him with their wares!”

Adams joins previously announced Guest of Honor Ramsey Campbell and Toastmaster Jeff Strand on the Guest list.

Obviously I’m thrilled and grateful to be selected for such an honor, and the timing couldn’t be better with Nightmare scheduled to launch in October. I’ve never been to a World Horror or to New Orleans, so it should be quite a trip!

In related news, it just so happens that I have a story in inventory by my co-GOH Ramsey Campbell, scheduled for issue #2 of Nightmare!

The NIGHTMARE Kickstarter has Funded!

As of 9:24am Pacific Time yesterday, the Nightmare Magazine Kickstarter is funded! Due to the $245 pledge by sf author and all around great guy John Scalzi, we’ve now reached 100% funding. So a big thanks to John, and to the rest of you who pledged. (Also a special thanks to Arachne Jericho, who obviously had the same thought as John, but was about two seconds too late to be the one that put us over the top.) A big thanks too, to our largest donor, George Peyton, who purchased a lifetime subscription to Nightmare and to Creeping Hemlock’s entire list of books.

Although we’ve reached our goal, there’s still time–11 more days–to pre-order an issue or a subscription, or to get one of our limited edition chapbooks (which will only be available to people who pledge via the Kickstarter).

For more information about Nightmare, you can visit www.nightmare-magazine.com or follow us on Twitter @nightmaremag.

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Note to writers: We’ll be opening to submissions soon. Stay tuned for updates.