Kosigan
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
I was lucky enough to be sent to work in the US for a couple of months back in October 1996, just in time for Memory in hardback and Cetaganda in paperback. You've mentioned before how your UK publisher dropped you after Paladin Of Souls (idiots that they were, in my opinion). I apologise if this has been asked and answered before, but how did Cetaganda not get a UK publication?
Lois McMaster Bujold
No UK publisher chose to offer for it. I can't sell books to publishers who don't want them. What they were thinking, I have no idea, and it is likely too late to ask.
Happily, I now have direct e-publication of all my works in the UK, which has been holding steady and even slowly growing from its inception in 2011, as more readers discover e-books.
Note that when discussing my UK non-career, we are talking about four different publishers over time. Two of the lines, Pan and Earthlight, were discontinued while I was in them, rather like having one's horse shot out from under one, so it wasn't just me affected.
To be fair, the first mistake was mine back in the late 80s, when my (actually Baen's, at that point) then-foreign-rights agent took the VK series from Headline to Pan after book #4 for the sake of a higher advance. We should have stuck with Headline... maybe. It was all downhill from there. Too late, live and learn, etc.
Ta, L.
Happily, I now have direct e-publication of all my works in the UK, which has been holding steady and even slowly growing from its inception in 2011, as more readers discover e-books.
Note that when discussing my UK non-career, we are talking about four different publishers over time. Two of the lines, Pan and Earthlight, were discontinued while I was in them, rather like having one's horse shot out from under one, so it wasn't just me affected.
To be fair, the first mistake was mine back in the late 80s, when my (actually Baen's, at that point) then-foreign-rights agent took the VK series from Headline to Pan after book #4 for the sake of a higher advance. We should have stuck with Headline... maybe. It was all downhill from there. Too late, live and learn, etc.
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
Hazel Kevlihan
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Hi Lois, I'm a huge fan of your work, I'm finishing up Shards of Honor right now and am thoroughly enjoying it. I noticed that violence against women is a major feature of this story. What's your opinion on how to appropriately depict sexual assault in fiction given the tendency (especially in fantasy/sci fi) for it to be romanticized? Would love to hear your thoughts. Best, Hazel.
Kate Davenport
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Des is keeping Penric young(ish) but I'm assuming that while she might be able to slow his aging and keep him healthy, she would not be able to extend him past the assumed human maximum of 125. In the end it still feels like it would be hard on him to outlive everyone important in his life except Des. How do you imagine she will handle his feelings of loss and possible depression? And how will she handle losing him?
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