Neil Clarke

Award-Winning Editor of Clarkesworld Magazine, Forever Magazine, The Best Science Fiction of the Year, and More

Month: January 2017

This is the Day

By

On 01/31/2017

In personal

Another song from my youth that seems appropriate for the last day of my day job.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nonGWDxcJNA

Galactic Empires Gets New York Times Book Review

By

On 01/28/2017

In anthologies

“…over all this anthology is mostly hits, remarkably few misses. Highly recommended.”
–New York Times Book Review, Otherworldly column by N.K. Jemisin

Galactic Empires Table of Contents and Ordering Information

Clarkesworld and 2016 Award Eligibility

By

On 01/21/2017

In awards, clarkesworld magazine

It’s that time of year again. People are beginning to fill out the award ballots and if you are considering nominating us or any of our stories, here’s a quick list to help you figure out what goes in what category.

As has been the case for the last few years, Clarkesworld Magazine is not eligible for the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine. By Hugo rules, we are professional and therefore ineligible in this category.

I am still eligible for the Hugo Award for Best Editor (short form).

If you want to nominate one of our 2016 stories, the Hugo and Nebula Awards consider them eligible in the following categories (according to word count):

Short Stories

Novelettes

Novellas

Frankly, Mr. Shankly, or perhaps Dear Madam Barnum

By

On 01/16/2017

In anthologies, clarkesworld magazine, patreon, personal

This past Friday, I resigned from my day job and career of the last twenty-eight years. My last day will be January 31st, but I might be doing some part-time/consulting work for them until they fill the vacancy. I could probably write an entire blog post about why I’ve done this—and I still might, someday—but that’s the past and I’m more focused on the future at the moment.

I’m quite excited—and a little terrified—by the prospect of taking the leap. There are a bunch of uncertainties, like healthcare costs and filling the income gap between Lisa’s new job and my old one, but we’re close enough to give this career switch a try. As some of you know, this has been a major goal of mine since my heart attack four years ago. At age fifty, and after ten years working part-time, I’m finally going to be a full-time editor!

Naturally, my first priority has to be those uncertainties I mentioned: income gap and insurance. As I see it, I have a few things to target:

  1. I’ve altered the Clarkesworld Patreon goals to include direct salary and healthcare expenses. Would be nice if it was that simple, but I figure it’s worth putting out there.
  2. I’ll be pushing the digital subscriptions a lot more and investing a little in marketing in hopes of bumping those numbers up a bit.
  3. Now that I’ll have time, I can increase the number of anthology projects I do. I’m in the process of drafting pitches for my current publishers, but I should have extras if anyone else should be interested. I’d really like to do another original anthology sometime too.
  4. I also have the Year Nine and Year Ten Clarkesworld anthologies to wrap up. That should be a lot easier to accomplish now.
  5. I need to be more proactive in seeking advertisers for Clarkesworld. Even a small bump here could be significant.
  6. While there’s still a gap, I’ll also try to expand on the ebook design work I do on the side. It’s mindless, but I find it relaxing and it helps pay bills.

I’m getting this shot at chasing a dream thanks to Lisa, my amazing wife. I also have to thank Sean and Kate for having my back, my boys for keeping me on my toes, my parents for their support and inspiration, my publishers for their faith in me, and everyone that has ever subscribed, donated, or become a patron of Clarkesworld.

Let the adventure begin!

PS. If you don’t understand the title, you might want to do a little musical research.
Frankly, Mr. Shankly
Dear Madam Barnum

The Best Science Fiction of the Year Volume 2 Reveal

By

On 01/10/2017

In anthologies, year's best

At long last, I am happy to reveal the cover and table of contents for volume two of The Best Science Fiction of the Year!
bsfoty2

The Best Science Fiction of the Year – Volume 2

Night Shade Books – April 4, 2017
ISBN-10: 1597808962
ISBN-13: 978-1597808965

The second volume in a new year’s best series. This book will feature science fiction short stories/novelettes/novellas originally published in 2016.

Available at:

Table of Contents

  • “The Visitor from Taured” by Ian R. MacLeod (Asimov’s, September 2016)
  • “Extraction Request” by Rich Larson (Clarkesworld, January 2016)
  • “A Good Home” by Karin Lowachee (Lightspeed, June 2016)
  • “Prodigal” by Gord Sellar (Analog, December 2016)
  • “Ten Days” by Nina Allan (Now We Are Ten, edited by Ian Whates)
  • “Terminal” by Lavie Tidhar (Tor.com, April 2016)
  • “Panic City” by Madeline Ashby (CyberWorld, edited by Jason Heller and Joshua Viola)
  • “Last Gods” by Sam J. Miller (Drowned Worlds, edited by Jonathana Strahan)
  • “HigherWorks” by Gregory Norman Bossert (Asimov’s, December 2016)
  • “A Strange Loop” by T.R. Napper (Interzone, January/February 2016)
  • “Night Journey of the Dragon-Horse” by Xia Jia (Invisible Planets, edited by Ken Liu)
  • “Pearl” by Aliette de Bodard (The Starlit Wood, edited by Dominik Parisien and Navah Wolfe)
  • “The Metal Demimonde” by Nick Wolven (Analog, June 2016)
  • “The Iron Tactician” by Alastair Reynolds (Newcon Press)
  • “The Mighty Slinger” by Tobias S. Buckell and Karen Lord (Bridging Infinity, edited by Jonathana Strahan)
  • “They All Have One Breath” by Karl Bunker (Asimov’s, December 2016)
  • “Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea” by Sarah Pinsker (Lightspeed, February 2016)
  • “And Then, One Day, the Air was Full of Voices” by Margaret Ronald (Clarkesworld, June 2016)
  • “The Three Lives of Sonata James” by Lettie Prell (Tor.com, October 2016)
  • “The Charge and the Storm” by An Owomoyela (Asimov’s, February 2016)
  • “Parables of Infinity” by Robert Reed (Bridging Infinity, edited by Jonathana Strahan)
  • “Ten Poems for the Mossums, One for the Man” by Suzanne Palmer (Asimov’s, July 2016)
  • “You Make Pattaya” by Rich Larson (Interzone, November/December 2016)
  • “Number Nine Moon” by Alex Irvine (F&SF, January/February 2016)
  • “Things with Beards” by Sam J. Miller (Clarkesworld, June 2016)
  • “Dispatches from the Cradle: The Hermit—Forty-Eight Hours in the Sea of Massachusetts” by Ken Liu (Drowned Worlds, edited by Jonathana Strahan)
  • “Touring with the Alien” by Carolyn Ives Gilman (Clarkesworld, April 2016)

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