Ask the Author: Neil Clarke
Answered Questions (8)
Neil Clarke
Not much... perhaps the time a friend and I discovered the remains of a human skeleton in the woods of the university we graduated from. Campus security didn't believe us and was extremely squeamish about the whole thing. The spine had a metal rod in it, so it was clearly stolen from the biology department and later dumped in the woods. Some animals got at it, so there were bones scattered around the area. This later turned into a campus legend about a body being found in the woods.
Neil Clarke
This treads into the area of legal advice and for that you really need to seek out an intellectual property attorney.
Yes, Lucasfilm (and now parent-company Disney) own the the trademark for Droid. They have some obligation to defend that trademark if they expect to keep it, and it's worth a significant sum of money to them. (Disney is well-known for being aggressive in its defense of its intellectual property.) They could take legal action against you.
If you still want to move ahead with the project, it would be worth (you or your publisher, if not you) seeking out an attorney before publication. They can provide full details on the potential risk and consequences you'll face.
Yes, Lucasfilm (and now parent-company Disney) own the the trademark for Droid. They have some obligation to defend that trademark if they expect to keep it, and it's worth a significant sum of money to them. (Disney is well-known for being aggressive in its defense of its intellectual property.) They could take legal action against you.
If you still want to move ahead with the project, it would be worth (you or your publisher, if not you) seeking out an attorney before publication. They can provide full details on the potential risk and consequences you'll face.
Neil Clarke
I wouldn't say I have a favorite. Since I'm primarily reading short fiction these days, there isn't often a chance to develop that level of attachment. However, it is something that has to be done right or it will ruin a story. (I see this often in the slush pile.) That said, there have been couples I've liked in TV shows. Farscape's John and Aeyrn or Stargate SG-1's Jack and Sam, for example.
Neil Clarke
If I'm reading for pleasure I find it very distracting. Becoming an editor just made that worse.
If I'm considering a story for publication, it will vary. I find I'm more forgiving of foreign authors, largely because this might not be their first language. After that, it's more a matter of the kind of mistakes. (Not everything can be caught by a spellchecker.) As for revision, that has more to do with the story than the spelling.
If I'm considering a story for publication, it will vary. I find I'm more forgiving of foreign authors, largely because this might not be their first language. After that, it's more a matter of the kind of mistakes. (Not everything can be caught by a spellchecker.) As for revision, that has more to do with the story than the spelling.
Neil Clarke
I ran an online bookstore for about eight years. We stocked over one hundred different genre magazines (I'm nuts) as well as books. These are the three things that I think play into what people favor at any given time:
Variety:
I think that people (readers and authors) are more likely to experiment in the short form. It isn't a huge time investment, so I've seen more people more willing to read a short story by someone they've never heard of. I know that's introduced me to a lot of very talented authors and some great ideas. Some of those stories would have never worked as novels and others have later gone on to be expanded into novels or series of connected short stories that explore the world in a way that would have made a clunky novel.
Time:
When my kids were younger, I almost exclusively read short stories because that was all the time I had. In the car, I prefer short story podcasts for almost the same reason. Sometimes it's nice to be able to finish something you start.
Immersion:
Novels allow for more immersion. I know some people like to spend as much time as possible with their favorite characters or worlds, but I get frustrated when I see a series that looks like it's never going to end. I'd rather see the author start something new than take the series one book too far (much like some TV shows eventually jumping the shark).
If you lean too far into any of those categories you run the risk of missing some of the best our genre has to offer.
Variety:
I think that people (readers and authors) are more likely to experiment in the short form. It isn't a huge time investment, so I've seen more people more willing to read a short story by someone they've never heard of. I know that's introduced me to a lot of very talented authors and some great ideas. Some of those stories would have never worked as novels and others have later gone on to be expanded into novels or series of connected short stories that explore the world in a way that would have made a clunky novel.
Time:
When my kids were younger, I almost exclusively read short stories because that was all the time I had. In the car, I prefer short story podcasts for almost the same reason. Sometimes it's nice to be able to finish something you start.
Immersion:
Novels allow for more immersion. I know some people like to spend as much time as possible with their favorite characters or worlds, but I get frustrated when I see a series that looks like it's never going to end. I'd rather see the author start something new than take the series one book too far (much like some TV shows eventually jumping the shark).
If you lean too far into any of those categories you run the risk of missing some of the best our genre has to offer.
Neil Clarke
The last couple of years have been a natural progression from the prior five. Digital publishing continues to change the landscape, more people are reading in that medium, and crowdfunding continues to help generate a wide variety of interesting projects. For short fiction, this is probably the best things have been in the last twenty (or more) years. Despite that, I'd have to say that the last two years haven't introduced significant change.
There's still a lot of room for improvement. A big problem for magazines is digital subscription management and distribution. I'm also worried about Kickstarter fatigue for magazines and anthologists that regularly return to the well. One of the services showing a lot of promise is Patreon, which blends the best of Kickstarter and subscriptions. I've been using it for Clarkesworld (http://patreon.com/clarkesworld) and have been very happy with them.
There's still a lot of room for improvement. A big problem for magazines is digital subscription management and distribution. I'm also worried about Kickstarter fatigue for magazines and anthologists that regularly return to the well. One of the services showing a lot of promise is Patreon, which blends the best of Kickstarter and subscriptions. I've been using it for Clarkesworld (http://patreon.com/clarkesworld) and have been very happy with them.
Neil Clarke
I'm always working on the next issue of Clarkesworld Magazine. As for anthologies, UPGRADED ships this month and I'm currently finishing up CLARKESWORLD: YEAR SEVEN.
Neil Clarke
I had a heart attack nearly two years ago and the damage to my heart was significant enough to warrant the implantation of a defibrillator. As I was recovering from the surgery, I came up with the idea of creating the first cyborg anthology edited by cyborg. UPGRADED will be released this month and features twenty-six original stories by authors like Greg Egan, Madeline Ashby, Elizabeth Bear, Peter Watts, Ken Liu, and more... Full details at http://neil-clarke.com/books/upgraded/
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