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Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware     Crescent Moon Press has announced that it is closing. From a mass email sent out to authors late last month: On March 31st  at 11:59 pm, Crescent Moon Press will release all author [sic] from contracts.  All rights will revert back to authors for their manuscripts. If your contract expires prior to March 31st, it will not be renewed. Final royalty payments will be issued as well as any necessary documents as soon as they become available. Please be patient as we work to close out our business affairs. Artwork will remain property of the company. If you would like to purchase the rights to your artwork, please let us know. This is not done lightly, nor is it done with a heavy heart. We have enjoyed our experience as publishers immensely, but the time has come to move on with alternate endeavors. While I don't imagine that Crescent Moon authors will much appreciate the "have a nice life" tone of the last paragraph, ma...

Posted by Victoria Strauss One of the greatest things about the digital revolution is the opportunities it has created to give new life to old books. Years ago, books rarely came back into circulation once they were taken off the market--but the proliferation of digital self-publishing options, as well as the rise of digital publishers specializing in reprints, has changed all that. I've written nine novels, but until recently, only four were "in print" and available. Today, I'm thrilled to announce that four of my backlist books are being re-released as ebooks by Open Road Media . This brings all but one of my novels back into circulation (that one, Worldstone , was badly in need of updating; I'm planning on revising and self-publishing it later this year). The Way of Arata Duology The Way of Arata duology ( The Burning Land and The Awakened City ) was originally published in 2004 and 2006 by HarperCollins Eos (now Harper Voyager). It's epic fantasy for a...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Editing clauses are one of those publishing contract areas where there should be a balance between the publisher's interests and the writer's. Publishers need a certain amount of latitude to edit a manuscript to prepare it for publication. They also need to have the right of final approval--they don't want to be forced to publish a manuscript that the author can't or won't revise to their satisfaction. Writers, on the other hand, need assurance that they will be a partner in the editing process, and that their work won't be changed in major ways without their permission. Whether you're publishing an entire book, or a story in an anthology or magazine, the editing clause of your contract should ensure that content editing (the kind of serious editing that focuses on plot, pace, structure, style, and content) includes your cooperation (ideally, the editor will provide revision suggestions and you will car...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware I have two pieces of SFWA-related news to share today. ----------------- Members of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) have voted to open membership to self-published and small press authors. From the official statement : Specific details will be posted at sfwa.org by the first of March, but the basic standards are $3,000 for novel, or a total of 10,000 words of short fiction paid at 6 cents a word for Active membership. A single story of at least 1,000 words paid at 6 cents a word will be required for Associate membership. Affiliate, Estate, and Institutional membership requirements remain unchanged. Self-published and small-press works were already eligible for the Nebula and Norton Awards, SFWA’s member-voted genre award, and will remain so. SFWA will open to applications from small press and independent publishing qualifying members on March 1, 2015. Further information will be available at that time at SFWA'...

Posted by Victoria Strauss for Writer Beware Joining a writers' group can be a terrific way to get feedback and support, and to make new friends. But what if that group isn't all it seems? An alert Writer Beware reader drew my attention to what seems like a growing phenomenon: writers' groups sponsored by pay-to-play publishers. A few examples--all from Meetup.com, where there are likely many more: Onion Custard Publishing's Author Clinic is "looking to support authors who want to develop their ideas." Onion Custard also offers a suite of services for authors --all at a cost. The Roswell Alpharetta Book Publishing Group for Authors , which helps writers "Network with other authors during your writing and publishing journey", is run by Firebrand Publishing , which provides " book publishing services at affordable rates ." PageCurl Publishing and Promotions runs two writers' groups, one in Seattle and one in Pennsylvania . Their aim: t...