Q: Who are you?
A: My name is John Joseph Adams. See my About Me page for more details.
Q: How’d you get your start in the industry?
A: This was one of the first things I blogged about. Read about it here.
Q: Where can I read your non-fiction articles?
A: Look here.
Q: Who designed your Wastelands website?
A: My friend and colleague Jeremy Tolbert designed it for me. He also did the current design of this website.
Q: What is slush? What is the slush pile?
A: Slush (or “The Slush Pile“) is a publishing term that refers to unsolicited manuscript submissions. When a magazine has an open submissions policy, that means anyone in the world may submit a story or article if he/she chooses to do so. The magazine in question evaluates the manuscript and decides whether or not it meets their needs. Some manuscripts are purchased then published in the magazine. The majority are evaluated then rejected.
I’m not sure about the etymology of the term slush, but here’s a working theory put forth by some colleagues of mine over lunch many moons ago.
The term slush came about back in the old days, when writers would actually hand deliver manuscripts to the magazine’s offices. When the offices weren’t open, the writers would toss their manuscripts over the transom (what’s a transom?), into the office. So when the editors came to work (or back from lunch), they would have to wade through the pile of submissions, which was in some way similar, apparently, to wading through slushy snow. Thus, the slush pile. This is also appears to be the source of the term “over the transom.”
Q: How should I format my manuscript?
A: William Shunn’s article, “Proper Manuscript Format,” explains it nicely.
Q: When a publisher accepts a work, do they have some hold upon characters, settings, or ideas contained therein?
A:No. Those remain the intellectual property of the writer.
Q: If a writer has a work published, is he or she free to write works derived from it and submit them wherever he/she wishes?
A:Yes. Once a work is created, all the characters and concepts contained therein are the intellectual property of the writer; he or she can continue to write about those characters and concepts for as long as he/she wishes, unless he/she sells the rights to do so.
Q: Will magazines consider stories about a recurring character that were published elsewhere?
A:Generally yes. Two examples that immediately come to mind are Robert Silverberg, who has published his Roma Eterna stories in both F&SF and Asimov’s, and Steven Utley, whose Silurian Tales have appeared in both F&SF and Asimov’s as well.
Q: If I later created a novel about this character, could I freely submit it to any publisher?
A:Yep.
Q: As matter of opinion, would the editor of a publishing house generally consider it a plus or a minus for me to have had previously published works about the novel’s character/universe?
A: I can think of no reason why anyone would consider it a minus, and in most cases, it would be a plus, as you’d already have some readers predisposed toward buying your novel.