The Internet Review of Science Fiction has posted an article by author/editor Gary Westfahl titled How to Make Big Money Writing Science Fiction, and Other Dangerous Delusions. In it, he cites Locus magazine as perpetuating the idea that science fiction writing is a lucrative business for authors.

…at times, it read like a sort of Lifestyles of the Science Fiction Rich and Famous, with photographs of millionaire authors smiling at conventions, brief reports of authors receiving six-figure advances or huge sums for movie rights, news items about noteworthy authors receiving high honors or making lucrative deals. And the recent changes in the magazine’s format-more and more glossy pages, more and more color photographs, a higher price-further suggested an impulse to provide science fiction with more and more of an upscale image.

Hmmm. As a Locus subscriber, I’m not sure I ever got that impression from the magazine. While I would prefer more news or articles rather than the pictures, I still think there is a good blend of both. It’s always nice to put a face to an author, lest you mistakenly think he looks like George Kennedy. :) The interviews – the subjects of which are both famous and not so famous – are always enjoyable to read as each person brings a different perspective to the field.

Emerald City’s Cheryl Morgan also reacts to the article.

Related posts:

  1. The Laws of Science Fiction Writing
  2. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Goes Digital
  3. The Social Future as Seen by 6 SF Writers
  4. Has Fantasy Overtaken Science Fiction?
  5. Doctorow: Science Fiction is the Only Literature People Care Enough About to Steal on the Internet

Filed under: Books

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