WorldCon is here, y’all! And we have Robots for dayyyzzzz. Below you’ll find a list of authors who will be attending the convention and taking part in panels, signings, runnings(?) and various other fun and friendly things. As always, our lovely lot will be happy to chat to anyone who wishes to talk – some will even escort you places – so please do say hi if you see them!
As well as these fine authors, Eric Scott Fischl (Dr Potter’s Medicine Show) and Patrick S Tomlinson (The Ark), Lauren C Teffeau (Implanted), Amber Royer (Free Chocolate), and TJ Berry (Space Unicorn Blues) will be around to join in all the fun.
We hope you all have a lovely convention and remember, buy all the books!
Sunday
12 noon
210F
The School of FanFic
Many professional writers get their start reading and writing fanfiction! Join authors as they discuss their history in fanfic, what lessons they learned from writing it, and how they carried those skills over into their own paid work.
Thursday
2 PM
210B
Writing About Fighting
Join four writers and a fighter for tips on how to put the punch in your fight scenes. From traditional martial arts to the combat styles of the future, a well-crafted fight reveals character, advances plot, and just plain entertains. We’ll talk about key elements to include, what to leave to the reader’s imagination, and how to make it convincing even if you’ve never hit a heavy bag or handled a weapon.
Friday
11 AM
211C
Successfully Negotiating Book Contracts
A publisher’s interest and an author’s are not always in perfect alignment. Enter the contract. Each clause in the contract exists for a reason. Which ones protect an author’s interest and which ones benefit the publisher? How do you ask for changes? What are the rights an author should be prepared to give up and which ones should you fight tooth and nail for. Hear from agents and other industry experts on how to survive your book contract negotiation with your skin, and your rights, intact.
Sunday
2 PM
201E
The Paths to Publishing
The publishing market continues to evolve with new technology, new business models, and an ever-changing ecosystem of publishers, booksellers, and distributors. Professional writers looking to profit from their work have more choices than ever. How do you choose between pursuing an indie career or a traditional one? What are the benefits to working with a larger publisher? What are the opportunities available if you do it all yourself? Panelists will discuss the paths to publishing success, how to decide between the options, and the factors that go into making the decision.
(With Wesley Chu)
Friday
1 PM
210F
Playing in Other Sandboxes: Media Tie-In Writing
The media tie-in. Once, the dirty secret of the spec fic market — now the best way to get exposure for your name. Movies, TV, Video Games, RPGs and even other books. How does an author find the room to move in an often already crowded world? Dancing with license holders, tiptoeing around cannon, and waltzing with readers expectations; is it worth it? And why the sudden upsurge in tie-in short fiction?
Saturday
2PM
Autographing
5:30 PM
211A
Reading
Sunday
12 noon
211B
Kaffeeklatsch
1 PM
210E
The Lost Warriors
In the last few years, representation of marginalized cultures in pop culture, comics and video games has been growing, but it is still not enough. We’ve seen medieval knights thousands of times, but what about the feathered warriors of Mexico or other cultures around the world? We need all kinds of warriors in our media, and to continue to fight for their space, we should look at what projects are presenting these new warriors. What are our favorite “examples”? How can we inspire others? Where are these new warriors and how can we make sure they sit at the table and stay.
Sunday
2 PM
201E
The Paths to Publishing
The publishing market continues to evolve with new technology, new business models, and an ever-changing ecosystem of publishers, booksellers, and distributors. Professional writers looking to profit from their work have more choices than ever. How do you choose between pursuing an indie career or a traditional one? What are the benefits to working with a larger publisher? What are the opportunities available if you do it all yourself? Panelists will discuss the paths to publishing success, how to decide between the options, and the factors that go into making the decision.
(With Amanda Bridgeman)
Thursday
4 PM
211C
How Gaming is Important to Fandom
Despite being an intersection of innovative storytelling formats, fantastic visual artistry, audio dramas, and community interaction, gaming’s place in sci-fi, fantasy, and horror is often overlooked. How do card, board, video, and other games continue to influence the way genre stories are told? And now with the advent of podcasting, how has fandom responded to the distributed performance of these games?
Friday
11 AM
Autographing
Thursday
2 PM
210C
From Dystopia to Utopia and Back Again
Does a period’s historical trends influence the dystopic or utopic themes of writers, and the desires of readers? And why have dystopias seemed more popular generally? A look at both the history of SF/F dystopias and utopias, and the future of new works influenced by our present shifts in history.
Friday
1 PM
211C
Un-pulping the Pulp Heroes
Doc Savage. The Shadow. G8. Tarzan. The hero pulps are full of characters immersed in fast-paced action, but they sometimes come across as problematic or naive to modern readers. It can be uncomfortable to recognize the sexism or racism of their day. And yet, there are still things that we love about pulps. How have pulp heroes influenced contemporary SF writers (in surprising and strange ways)? How are writers currently reinventing and subverting pulps?
Sunday
4 PM
210DH
The Future of Urban Fantasy
Urban Fantasy has already changed the landscape of speculative fiction, and continues to rapidly evolve in the worlds of both traditional and independent publishing. In this panel, experts on Urban Fantasy explore the current state of the genre, as well as Urban Fantasy’s potential to shape the industry in the future.
Friday
3 PM
Autographs
Sunday
11 AM
210A
Small Stories for Big Audiences: Subplots in Contemporary Gaming
What are your favorite side-quests and subplots in video games? How do they add to, comment on, and contrast with the metaplot of a game? How do game writers design and implement these small stories in “big” games? Join a panel of professional game developers to discuss the building blocks of epic narratives.
3 PM
210C
Surviving the Review: A Guide
Your work is out there, and here come the reviews! What should writers know about reviews and how to handle them? Does the high of validation or the anxiety of public criticism ever go away? Let’s hear from a range of perspectives on how to deal with these feels.
– Adam will be around on Friday in a pink shirt, to befriend and escort anyone who would like some company past protesters. More info here.
Friday
8 AM
Lower Level Plaza
Wrun with Writers
Strolling with the Stars is a Worldcon tradition. But what about those of us who want something a little faster? A little sweatier? A little runnier? Join authors Mur Lafferty and Adam Rakunas as they lead you on a 2-3 mile no-drop run/walk/skip/wheel around Downtown San Jose. Everyone is welcome, no one gets left behind, and all participants will get an exclusive ribbon and bragging rights.
Sunday
3:30 PM
211A
Reading
NB: All times correct at time of publishing. Please check your Grenadine program guide for up-to-date info! The conference code is WC76.
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