Lance Schonberg of Library of Sci-fi & Fantasy Press, advises us to focus on character and plot, not genre
Lance Schonberg
Lance Schonberg is the editor of the Distant Worlds and Distant Realms novella anthologies produced by the Library of Science Fiction & Fantasy Press. In his own time he writes genre fiction short stories. He tells EssentialWriters.com how getting involved in a forum thread led to him being employed by the Sci-fi imprint.
What is your role with Library of Science Fiction & Fantasy Press?
I’m the editor for the first two anthologies being produced under the Library of SF&F imprint: Distant Worlds and Distant Realms, collections of novella-length Science Fiction and Fantasy.
How did you come to work with them?
I grabbed at an opportunity instead of watching it go by. I’ve placed several stories in anthologies under the other two imprints, Library of the Living Dead and Library of Horror, and had been a somewhat active member of the forums for a while when Doc (Dr. Pus, the primal force behind the Library Presses) decided he needed a new imprint for Science Fiction and Fantasy.
The subject of novellas came up early for potential anthologies and I posted in the discussion thread that I’d love to read or submit for a collection of novellas. He offered me the editor’s job and I dove in. We eventually worked it out to be two collections, one Science Fiction and one Fantasy.
Did you receive any formal editorial training?
Not formal, no. I had plenty of ideas of my own and did as much reading as I could on how to put together an anthology; there’s less than I would have liked out there. At the same time, I asked advice of anthology editors at the Library and other presses.
Beyond that, I spend time thinking about things from the perspective of a writer and what I like to see from an editor. This is definitely a learning experience for me and there’s still a lot of ground between here and publication so I don’t expect that to change any time soon. That’s part of the fun.
What makes Library of Science Fiction & Fantasy Press different to other publishing houses?
Community. The forums that sprung up around the Library’s original podcast, growing as the Press has, are filled with creative, supportive people. It’s a warm, friendly virtual environment that reaches out beyond its borders. Writers, editors, and fans talk to each other about nearly everything and help each other out with projects, stories, or spreading the word about anything anyone has going on.
What kind of books does Library of Science Fiction & Fantasy Press publish?
While 20 books have come out under the Library of Horror and Library of the Living Dead imprints, with 10 more scheduled in the next two months, Distant Worlds and Distant Realms are the first two books slotted to appear under LoSF&F.
Other anthologies are likely in 2010 and beyond, but no themes have been settled on yet. In terms of novels, the Library is open for submissions and not limiting to any themes or sub-genres. Tell a good story and the labels can be decided on later.
What happens to a submission once it reaches you?
I send an email to the writer saying I’ve received the story, thanks for submitting, I read things in the order they arrive in, and that I’m working with a two-round submission process.
My objective is to not leave people hanging any more than necessary, since they’ll be waiting long enough while I read the stories.
I try for a two-week initial hold/reject response, though I’ve missed that a couple of times since I set my submission period to run over the Christmas season, with the shortlist stories being held for final decisions until I’m finished reading all of the submissions I get. Distant Realms will work the same way.
What do you look for in a submission?
This is going to sound kind of vague, but I look for a story that makes me forget I’m reading it for an anthology. I make lots of notes when I’m reading a story for Distant Worlds, things I like, things I don’t, and things that stand out.
It drastically slows down my reading speed, but helps me to focus and read critically so I really get to know the story. When what I’m reading pulls me in so much I forget to make those notes for a while, I’m a happy editor.
How can a new author get past the slush pile?
To reach the shortlist, you’ll need at least one character I care what happens to, a plot that pulls me along, and an ending that’s satisfying. I think all three are equally important.
If the characterisation is weak, then I can’t get attached to anyone and it’s easy to lose interest in what they’re doing even if events are exciting. If the plot doesn’t have any driving force, the story gets easy to put down. An ending that annoys or disappoints the reader puts a completely different spin on an otherwise strong story.
Once you have accepted a manuscript for publication, how do you prepare it for publication?
Since this is my first time through the process and we’re not at the publication point yet, I have to talk about intentions.
The editor’s job, as I see it, isn’t just to pick the stories to go into the anthology, but to work with the authors to make the stories the best they can be.
That doesn’t mean I’m going to go through and rewrite every sentence to my taste or question every word I don’t like. It does mean that, once I have my final list, I’ll be going through each story in detail, asking questions and looking for things that don’t fit or flow and things that I think need to be fleshed out or expanded.
And I’ll expect it to be a dialogue with the writer, that we’ll discuss things when they don’t agree. Just being the editor doesn’t make me right all the time, so it’s got to be a joint process.
What is your favourite part of this process?
I’m getting to read stories no one else has. What could be better? Every time I open the email account for Distant Worlds/Distant Realms, it’s with the anticipation of seeing something new and unknown. I love getting glimpses into someone else’s imagination before the rest of the world gets a crack at it.
What is the most challenging part of it?
Rejections are hard. I knew they would be going in, but I feel like I agonise over them, taking half an hour or more to write a few sentences. I want to say more than just ‘I’m not going to publish your story’, but ‘Here’s what I had difficulty with when reading it’ and ‘Here’s what I liked about it’.
Growing a thick skin isn’t easy for everyone, and even after a few dozen rejections, you can still get one that stings. If taking a little time on rejection letters gives the writer something more than just, ‘Well here’s someone else who doesn’t like my story’, then I don’t mind spending the time and effort on it. I know it’s the kind of rejection I prefer to get.
Whose writing has excited you recently?
Nathan Lowell, a podcast author who’s recently gotten a book deal to start publishing his ‘Share’ series. He has six books up on Podiobooks with a seventh in progress.
Jeffrey R. DeRego. Everyone who writes about superheroes promises a grittier, more realistic universe and cast of characters, the Union Dues series of stories actually delivers. Most of these have appeared on Escape Pod.
The whole podcast fiction field excites me, actually. Most of my reading is for the anthologies right now, but I’ve got a long commute and some fiction mixed into my drive makes it a lot more enjoyable.
Tell us about your own writing.
I’d have to go with eclectic. I mostly write genre fiction - SF, F, and a little Horror - and have had stories accepted in all three. My appearances so far have been in Dead Bait, Bards & Sages Quarterly, and on Everyday Weirdness, but I have seven or eight stories scheduled for the first half of 2010.
It’s tough for me to focus on one thing at a time, even though I know I might get more done that way. At the moment I’m working on a Fantasy Mystery novel and a couple of short stories, although none of them very quickly due to the last-minute submission volume for Distant Worlds. I don’t expect that to change anytime soon with Distant Realms submissions beginning.
What would you say the main challenges are for an aspiring author?
Obscurity and patience. It’s a big Internet and a bigger world, so it’s hard to get your name out there. But I think we’re at the beginning of a golden age of short fiction, with several thousand ‘markets’ available at any time.
On the novel side, if the big publishing houses are struggling, the small presses seem to be picking up the slack. I think persistence is the key for anyone who wants to see their work in print. Never give up, never surrender. It’s not a quick or easy process for any of us.
What advice would you offer an aspiring writer?
Putting aside the standard advice everyone gives (‘try to write every day, finish what you start, and get things out into the wild looking for homes’), I think my advice would be to learn everything you can about writing and how other writers go about it, craft and business.
Websites, podcasts, books, whatever suits your lifestyle and taste; I don’t think any of us should ever stop learning, and if you want to get good at something it’s important to learn about it.
To find out more about the Distant Worlds and Distant Realms novella anthologies, please visit dwdr.wordpress.com or email distanteditor@gmail.com
Related posts:
- Distant Worlds anthology calls for submissions of novella-length Sci-Fi - Library of Science Fiction & Fantasy Press is inviting submissions...
- Sci fi, fantasy and horror writer Ian Watson advises us to read widely to nurture our writing - Ian Watson is an author specialising in writing science fiction,...
- Charlie Sheppard of Andersen Press explains why being published is just the first challenge - For the 11th feature in our series on publishing houses...
- The week ahead at EssentialWriters.com - This week at EssentialWriters.com we're being inspired by distant worlds,...
- Alessandro Gallenzi of Alma Books advises aspiring writers on how to prepare a compelling novel proposal - Alessandro Gallenzi is the founder and publisher of Alma Books,...
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
There’s some good and very encouraging advice here!
An excellent article.
I’m an Australian science fiction writer. If you get a chance. perhaps you could check out my recent offerings:
http://www.StrategicBookPublishing.com/ScienceFictionandAlternateHistory.html
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Reading-Science-Fiction-Scholes/dp/1449581889/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261366245&sr=1-1
Cheers
Well said Lance,
The hard work that you have put into the Distant Worlds and Realms Project will pay off by being an excellent set of anthologies. A pair of books worthy of anyones book shelf.
Mike Pennington