Locus, March 2013 Read online

  SUPERMAN FANS THREATEN BOYCOTT

  The announcement that Orson Scott Card had been hired to write for digital comic Adventures of Superman led to calls for boycotts from fans and organizations, including one from LGBT organization AllOut, which has circulated an online petition asking DC to drop Card as a writer. The petition reads in part, ‘‘By hiring Orson Scott Card despite his anti-gay efforts you are giving him a new platform and supporting his hate. Make sure your brand stands for equality and drop Orson Scott Card now.’’ Card has been vocal in his opposition to gay marriage and serves as a board member of the National Organization for Marriage, which supports the belief that marriage should exist only between a man and a woman.

  Other fans leapt to Card’s defense, circulating competing online petitions supporting him, with one at iPetitions.com arguing, ‘‘Card has been the subject of a number of attacks by those who want him to think like them, and are trying to force DC to fire Card simply for standing up for what he believes. Superman stands for truth, justice, and the American Way. Superman would stand up for Card’s right to free thought and free speech, even when it isn’t popular. We think DC Comics should do the same.’’

  DC Comics issued a brief statement in response to the controversy: ‘‘As content creators we steadfastly support freedom of expression, however the personal views of individuals associated with DC Comics are just that – personal views – and not those of the company itself.’’

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  AMAZON NEWS

  Amazon has acquired a patent for a method to sell ‘‘used’’ e-books, allowing readers to put previously purchased Kindle titles up for resale. The patent reads, in part, ‘‘When the user no longer desires to retain the right to access the now-used digital content, the user may move the used digital content to another user’s personalized data store when permissible and the used digital content is deleted from the originating user’s personalized data store.’’ The company has made no move to implement such a used e-book marketplace as of yet.

  According to book industry study group Bowker Market Research, Amazon had a 27% share of total book sales in 2012, up from 21% in 2011. The increase is driven mostly by the rise in e-book sales, which accounted for 14% of book sales in 2011 and 22% in 2012. Amazon is the largest single source of sales, with other significant channels including Barnes & Noble at 16% (down from 17%) and independent bookstores at 6% (down from 7%).

  AMAZING STORIES LAUNCH

  After a successful beta test earlier this month, Amazing Stories has launched publicly as an online magazine. Contents are free to the general public, but those interested in science fiction, fantasy, and horror are invited to get a free membership and help build the magazine’s social network. For more information, see the Amazing Stories website: .

  BARNES & NOBLE NEWS

  Barnes & Noble continues to close down stores, with plans to close 20 stores per year going forward indefinitely. B&N retail group CEO Mitchell Klipper says, ‘‘In 10 years we’ll have 450 to 500 stores,’’ down from 689 stores now, and a height of 726 stores in 2008. The decisions about which locations to close seem to depend largely on whether the company can negotiate favorable terms after leases run out. Klipper insists the retail locations are doing well as a whole, saying that, ‘‘fewer than 20 of the retailer’s stores lose money.’’

  B&N is in a dispute with Simon & Schuster, and has significantly reduced its orders from the publisher (though it still orders and sells some titles). The terms of the dispute are unclear, with a B&N spokesperson remarking, ‘‘Barnes & Noble supports publishers who support our bookstores.’’ Simon & Schuster does not comment on negotiations with booksellers, but say they ‘‘are working diligently, as we always do, to secure the widest possible distribution for our books and to make sure they are well stocked and promoted in as many outlets as possible.’’

  WORLD CONVENTIONS NEWS

  Loncon 3, the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention, to be held August 14-18, 2014 at ExCel, London Docklands, published Media Release #2, announcing that the deadline was approaching for nominating for the 2013 Hugo Awards. Members of LoneStarCon or Loncon 3 who joined by January 31, 2013, or Supporting or Attending member of Chicon 7, the 2012 Worldcon, may nominated for the 2013 Hugo Awards. Members of Loncon 3 will also be able to nominate and vote for the 2014 Hugo Awards, and will be eligible to nominate for the 2015 Hugo Awards.

  AWARDS NEWS

  The Lifeboat to the Stars Award has been announced, sponsored by the nonprofit Lifeboat Foundation. The award will be given to the best work of SF of any length published in 2011 or 2012 contributing to the understanding of the benefits, means, and difficulties of interstellar travel. Frederik Pohl and James Gunn conceived of the award, and Gunn named it. Robert J. Sawyer is the coordinating judge and will present the award and a $1,000 prize to the winner at the Campbell Conference, June 13-16, 2013 in Lawrence KS. Greg Bear is consulting judge, and others who will consult on the choice of winner are Catherine Asaro, Jason Batt, Sherry E. Bell, Kevin M. Berry, Don V. Black, Stephan Vladimir Bugah, Brenda Cooper, David Gerrold, Niklas Jdrvstret, Jim Karkanias, Rousian Krechetnikov, Wes Kretzschmar, Eva-Jane Lark, Mike E. McCulloch, George Perry, Allen Steele, John K. Strickland Jr., and Allen G. Taylor. Editors and readers are invited to nominate eligible works – short fiction or novel-length – by writing to Sawyer at .

  PUBLISHING NEWS

  The Najafi Companies has sold Direct Brands, the parent company of Bookspan (which includes the Science Fiction Book Club, the Book of the Month Club, and other specialty clubs), to Pride Tree Holdings. Najafi bought Bookspan from Bertelsmann in 2008.

  Amazon Publishing has given names to its children’s book division: picture books will appear from the Two Lions imprint, and teen books from the Skyscape imprint.

  Macmillan is launching a pilot program to lend e-books to libraries, beginning with 1,200 backlist titles from their Minotaur Books line. The titles will be available to purchase by libraries for $25 each from Baker & Taylor, OverDrive, and 3M, and libraries will be permitted to lend each title for two years or 52 check-outs, whichever comes first. Of the Big Six, only Simon & Schuster offers no library e-books.

  Springer has announced a new book line, Science and Fiction, dedicated to publishing titles that ‘‘will take various approaches to exploring and exploiting the narrow and often ill-defined frontier between science and science fiction, in particular seeking to discover mutual influences and to promote fruitful interactions.’’ Their editorial and advisory board includes Mark Alpert, Philip Ball, Gregory Benford, Michael Brotherton, Victor Callaghan, Amnon Edon, Geoffrey Landis, Rudy Rucker, Dirk Schulze-Makuch, Rudy Vaas, Ulrich Walter, and Steven Webb. Authors with proposals may contact editors Christian Caron at and Angela Lahee at .

  BOOK NEWS

  Stephen King auctioned off a rare signed copy of The Regulators to buy heating oil for low-income families around Ellsworth ME. The book sold for $2,850, enough to buy 740 gallons of fuel.

  FINANCIAL NEWS

  The AAP Monthly Statshot for September 2012 shows a slight decline for the children’s/ YA market, with sales down 4.2% at $145.6 million over the same period last year. Hardcover and paperback children’s/ YA titles fell for the month, down 3.9% and 16.9% respectively. E-book sales for the month had the greatest increase, up 44.4% to $12.9 million. Year-to-date sales in children’s/ YA show ‘‘significant increases… (especially eBook format),’’ up 23.9%, with e-book sales providing the bulk of the jump, with sales up 177% to a cumulative $190.6 million. YA hardcover sales were at $545.8 million, a 24% increase. Adult sales fared better for the month, up 2.8% to $468.1 million, though this was because of reduced returns. Adult hardcovers went up to $179.8 million, a 3% increase, and adult e-books also fared well, rising 30.6%. Adult paperbacks continued their decline, with trade paperbacks down 8.7% to $124.7
million, and mass markets down 14.6%. Year-to-date sales in adult e-books showed the greatest increase, at $961.1 million, up 36.2%; adult trade paperbacks were also up, 7.8% year-to-date, while hardcovers went down 1.5%. Mass market paperbacks took the biggest hit, down 16.1% for the same 9-month period in 2011. Downloaded audiobooks were up 18.9% for the month, 27.9% year-to-date, and physical audio was up 13.1% for the month, down 2.6% year-to-date.

  Despite an increase in sales in November and December, the preliminary estimates from the US Census report bookstore sales fell yet again in 2012, although with only a 0.5% decrease to $15.21 billion (from $15.28 billion in 2011) this is the shortest fall in years. Preliminary December numbers show an increase to $1.69 billion, up 2.9% over the same month the year before.

  Barnes & Noble reported reduced sales in their Nook segment, with EBITDA losses for just the first two quarters of 2013 at $102.2 million; last year, their total Nook EBITDA loss was $262 million. The company said that based on current forecasts, they’re predicting revenues for Nook Media in fiscal year 2013 to be ‘‘less than $3 billion,’’ which is lower than the ‘‘approximately $3 billion’’ they’d predicted just over a month previously. However, investments from Microsoft and Pearson in the amount of $389.5 million (with the promise of another $125 million to come over the next five years), and sales of Nook Media in 2012 totaling $2.677 billion, means that the company could still show some modest growth for fiscal year 2013.

  Lagardere, the parent company of Hachette Book Group, reported sales of EURO2.08 billion for 2012, a 1.9% increase over 2011. Hachette had sales down 3.4%, despite increasing unit output by 1.2%. Digital products, including both e-books and downloadable audio, comprised 26% of all revenue for the company, up from 23% the year before.

  INTERNATIONAL RIGHTS

  French rights to The First Confessor by Terry Goodkind sold to Bragelonne via Danny Baror of Baror international in association with Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency. Portuguese rights to Wizard’s First Rule, Stone of Tears, and Blood of the Fold sold to Porto via Heather Baror-Shapiro of Baror International in association with Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency.

  Hungarian rights to Odd Apocalypse and Deeply Odd by Dean Koontz sold to Animus via Lennart Sane of Lennart Sane Agency.

  Italian rights to Tenth of December by George Saunders sold to minimum fax, Dutch rights went to Podium at auction, German rights to Luchterhand at auction, Hebrew rights to Keter in Israel, Catalan rights to Edicions de 1984, Simplified Chinese rights to Chongqing (via Jian-Mei Wange of Bardon Chinese Media), and French rights to L’Olivier, all via Helen Manders of Curtis Brown UK on behalf of Esther Newberg of ICM.

  Romanian rights to The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi sold to Nemira via Jessica Purdue at UK publisher Gollancz.

  Danish rights to Dragon Bones and Dragon Blood by Patricia Briggs sold to Tellerup via Lina Hammarling of Lennart Sane Agency on behalf of Virginia Kidd Literary Agency.

  Hungarian rights to Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death went to Nebali via Milena Kaplarevic of Prava I Prevodi; French rights to Panini France via Anais Parouty of Anna Jarota Agency; and Brazilian rights to Geracao via Flavia Sala of International Editors, all on behalf of Cameron McClure of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.

  German rights to Cold Days by Jim Butcher went to Feder & Schwert via the Schlueck Agency on behalf of Jennifer Jackson at the Donald Maass Literary Agency. Spanish rights to Proven Guilty and White Knight went to La Factoria de Ideas via International Editors on behalf of Jackson.

  Spanish rights to Cherie Priest’s Clementine sold to La Factoria de Ideas via International Editors on behalf of Jennifer Jackson at the Donald Maass Literary Agency. Czech rights to Ganymede went to Triton via Prava I Prevodi on behalf of Jennifer Jackson.

  Dutch rights to City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare went to The House of Books via Heather Baror-Shapiro of Baror International in association with Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency.

  Chinese rights to Sarah Monette’s Labyrinthine series – Melusine, The Virtu, The Mirador, and Corambis – sold to Shanghai Widea Culture & Art Publishing via Jack Byrne of Sternig & Byrne Literary Agency in cooperation with the Grayhawk Agency.

  Brazilian rights to Daughter of the Blood and Heir to the Shadows by Anne Bishop sold to Editora Saida de Emergência via International Editors on behalf of Jennifer Jackson at the Donald Maass Literary Agency. Polish rights to Bridge of Dreams went to Prava I Prevodi on behalf of Jackson.

  Hebrew rights to Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo sold to Aryeh Nir via Rena Rossner of the Deborah Harris Agency in association with Kathleen Ortiz of New Leaf Literary & Media on behalf of Joanna Volpe.

  Spanish rights to The Ten Thousand by Paul Kearney sold to Luis G. Prado at Alamut via John Jarrold.

  Complex Chinese rights to The Black Prism and The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks sold to Gaea via Gray Tan of The Grayhawk Agency on behalf of Cameron McClure at the Donald Maass Literary Agency.

  Complex Chinese rights to Fair Coin and Quantum Coin by E.C. Myers sold to Sharp Point via Gray Tan at the Grayhawk Agency on behalf of Brady McReynolds at JABberwocky Literary Agency.

  Dutch rights to the Plague Year trilogy by Jeff Carlson sold to Zilverspoor via Lina Hammarling of Lennart Sane agency on behalf of Cameron McClure of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.

  Brazilian rights to Rick Riordan’s The Widower’s Two Step and The Last King of Texas went to Record via Philip Sane of Lennart Sane Agency on behalf of Gina Maccoby of Gina Maccoby Literary.

  Indonesian rights to The Dark Heroine: Dinner with a Vampire by Abigail Gibbs went to Gagasmedia via Santo Manurung of the Maxima Creative Agency on behalf of Scott Mendel of the Mendel Media Group. Turkish rights sold to Dogan Egmont; Polish rights to Muza via Graal; Italian rights sold to Fabbri via Roberta Oliva of Ntaoli, Stefan & Oliva; and Korean rights to Bom Apil via Duran Kim Agency, all via or on behalf of Mendel.

  Taiwanese rights to The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper went to Locus Publishing [no relation], and Turkish rights went to Dogan, both via Sally Riley of Aitken Alexander Associates on behalf of Anne McDermid of Anne McDermid & Associates.

  OTHER RIGHTS

  Audio rights to Daylighters by Rachel Caine sold to Daniel Totten at Tantor via Lucienne Diver of the Knight Agency.

  Audio rights to The Constantine Affliction by Tim Pratt writing as T. Aaron Payton sold to Steve Feldberg at Audible via Ginger Clark at Curtis Brown.

  Audio rights to Dinocalypse Now and two more books by Chuck Wendig sold to Steve Feldberg at Audible via Jennifer Jackson of the Donald Maass Literary Agency on behalf of Evil Hat Productions.

  Audio rights to Shannon Messenger’s Keeper of the Lost Cities sold to Contessa Nyree at Audible via Laura Rennert of Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

  Audio rights to The Last Echo and Dead Silence in the Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting went to Contessa Nyree at Audible via Laura Rennert of Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

  Audio rights to the Skyship Academy YA SF trilogy sold to Lee Jarit at Audible via Jennifer Rofe of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

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  AUDIOBOOKS RECEIVED

  Unnatural Acts, Kevin J. Anderson (Brilliance Audio, $19.99, 8 CDs, 9 hours: 14 minutes, 978-1-4558-9646-2) Unabridged audio version of Unnatural Acts read by Phil Gigante.

  Favorite Science Fiction Stories: Volume 5, Anonymous, ed. (Brilliance Audio, $19.99, 12 CDs, 14 hours: 24 minutes, 978-1-4692-5956-7) Unabridged audio recording of Favorite Science Fiction Stories: Volume 5 read by Jim Roberts, Cindy Hardin Killavey, Kevin Killavey, Mark Nelson & Emmett Casey.

  Day by Day Armageddon: Shattered Hourglass, J. L. Bourne (Brilliance Audio, $19.99, 8 CDs, 9 hours: 33 minutes, 978-1-4558-8368-4) Unabridged audio recording of Day by Day Armageddon: Shattered Hourglass read by James Snyder.

  The Colors of Space, Marion Zimmer Bradley (Brilliance Audio, $14.99, 5 CDs, 6 hours, 978-1-4692-5948-2) Unabridged audio recording
of The Colors of Space read by Jim Roberts.

  The Gods of Mars, Edgar Rice Burroughs (Brilliance Audio, $14.99, 8 CDs, 8 hours: 40 minutes, 978-1-4692-5961-1) Unabridged audio recording of The Gods of Mars read by Jim Killavey.

  Chicks Kick Butt, Rachel Caine & Kerrie L. Hughes, eds. (Brilliance Audio, $19.99, 11 CDs, 12 hours: 35 minutes, 978-1-4692-8038-7) Unabridged audio version of Chicks Kick Butt read by Dina Pearlman, et al.

  The Mad Scientist’s Daughter, Cassandra Rose Clarke (Brilliance Audio, $19.99, 10 CDs, 12 hours: 15 minutes, 978-1-4692-7087-6) Unabridged audio recording of The Mad Scientist’s Daughter read by Kate Rudd.

  The Dead of Winter, Lee Collins (Brilliance Audio, $19.99, 9 CDs, 10 hours: 56 minutes, 978-1-4692-0887-9) Unabridged audio recording of The Dead of Winter read by Kaleo Griffith.

  She Returns from War, Lee Collins (Brilliance Audio, $19.99, 8 CDs, 9 hours: 28 minutes, 978-1-4692-7129-3) Unabridged audio recording of She Returns from War read by Alison Larkin.

  The Woodcutter, Kate Danley (Brilliance Audio, $19.99, 7 CDs, 7 hours: 46 minutes, 978-1-4692-4724-3) Unabridged audio version of The Woodcutter read by Sarah Coomes.

  The Game-Players of Titan, Philip K. Dick (Brilliance Audio, $14.99, 7 CDs, 7 hours: 48 minutes, 978-1-4558-1450-3) Unabridged audio recording of The Game-Players of Titan read by Christopher Lane.