@craigmartelle
What will 2021 bring for the most enticing SFF genres?
October 2, 2020 in Blog, Featured
We have some horsepower in here when it comes to science fiction and fantasy. For 2021, what do we see as the new trends?
For me personally, I’ll be publishing a swords and sorcery novel as well as three books in a military sci-fi series. I’ll continue my space lawyer series with four new novels as that is my runaway bestselling series. I’m also extending my foray into thrillers. Two books are already written, another three will be done by year’s end, which will leave me with a commitment to only seven books in 2021, but I’ll probably write ten.
I don’t have any bandwidth for something new, but if I were, it would be sci-fi and not fantasy. With 2020 being what it was (people hunkered down, just trying to survive), I see sticking with the sub-genres that have been working for me. I don’t see post-apocalyptic having the allure it did at the beginning of the year.
Here’s the supercool map I had done for my swords & sorcery book (a collaboration with Jean Rabe who wrote Shadowrun books, DragonLance, and did a trilogy with Andre Norton). We’re writing this book to her outline based on a submission to legacy publishing for a Conan story. It was rejected. We changed the names to protect the copyright, and are moving forward smartly.
What do you guys see for what’s coming up in 2021?
TEU6 Is on the Home Stretch
September 2, 2020 in Uncategorized
TEU6 is off to formatting:) As soon as I get it back, I’ll post it for pre-order to release on September 14, 2020. Participating authors and hooks below.
The universe waits for no one…
When you discover you’re not alone, will you be ready?
Adventures start within and expand beyond. From a world of shadows to one of light. Fantastic races vying for dominance. A microcosm of the greater good. Battles fought for higher ideals. Battles fought just to survive.
War doesn’t care about human or alien. They fight, and they fight hard, as if the lives of their soldiers depend on it.Because they do.
More than 600 action-packed pages of never-a-dull-moment entertainment! Seize your copy of The Expanding Universe Volume 6 and immerse yourself in new worlds, with new friends.
Here are the stories and the order in which they’ll appear.
Scout by Isla Molina In near-future earth, an unflinching lone scout races to lay the groundwork for a mission that may just save her planet.
Cascade Failure by John M. Olsen When disaster threatens the station, lives are on the line for far more than just Perry Knight’s crew.
Dangerous Secrets: A Folding Space Prequel by AM Scott Can a teenage girl save a ship full of aliens while keeping their secrets safe?
Remainders by David Bruns Another battle on another nameless planet is over. When Lieutenant Dan Rask is assigned remainder duty, he expects is a routine battlefield survey. What he gets is a personal awakening.
Cog by R.P.L. Johnson A pilot in a middle of an interstellar war tries to save humanity: even if it’s just his own.
Remora Immortal by Lawrence M. Schoen One man will die, over and over, as he strives to save an entire planet.
Ambush in the Sargon Straits by L.L. Richman It should have been a simple extraction….
The Kiev Incident by J. R. Handley It was supposed to be a simple mission – but since when did things ever go as planned? Join the crew as they face the unknown.
Dyron: A Squire’s Tale by Jason J. Nugent Avalonian squire Dyron prepares to complete his astro-mule training but a surprise attack curtails everything. As he hunts the enemy in hopes of rescuing his mentor Lord Elis, he discovers a traitor.
Silica Navy by J. Clifton Slater Lieutenant George ‘Trick’ Mayfield was the first earthling to meet the extraterrestrials and, besides heartless, Trick found them to be, out of this world, strange.
The Big Con by Terry Mixon Zag thought catching a con artist would be an easy bounty. That was before his apprentice decided that she needed to prove herself.
The Box by Tony James Slater Working for a Warden is more than just a job; it’s a calling. But it comes with a short life expectancy…
Blueline by Brandon Ellis Humanity’s survival sits in the hands of Trace Striker, who must travel through time and change the course of history or die trying.
Uprising by Kirsten Cross When you’re rescuing the leader of the Resistance from prison, crashing the ship is not an option.
Tin-Eye Investigations by J.M. Thomas Roy’s new investigative assistant gives him a lot more trouble than he bargained for.
The Irresistible Force: A Four Horsemen Universe Short Story by Chris Kennedy When a general who has never lost meets an opponent who refuses to lose, something’s got to give.
Lost and Found by Patricia Gilliam We don’t leave family behind.
The Derelict by Matt Randles Humans are little more than slaves in the Sendel Empire until a derelict spaceship rumored to contain Earth artifacts is found.
Above the Clouds by John Hindmarsh Many centuries before, Cyn, an AI, was uploaded to a satellite and launched to orbit the planet Elsinore. Her responsibility was to maintain the satellite and safeguard the uploaded data. While data storage might be boring, be careful what you wish for.
Part 1: Mission – Recovery, Part 2: Mission – Restore, Part 3: Mission – Stem the Tide by Craig Martelle The survivors on a generation ship, fight to bring the ship back under control. Stories from Metamorphosis Alpha™ licensed from James M. Ward.
2020 Dragon Awards
August 13, 2020 in Blog, Uncategorized
Finalists for the Dragon Awards 2020 have been announced. A few of our members are on the list, all in the military science fiction category. Take a look at the ballot, read some of the books and cast your votes. Congratulations to all the finalists, especially to my friends, Nick Cole & Jason Anspach, Josh Hayes, and John Bear Ross
Amazon Advertising
June 23, 2020 in Uncategorized
Are you having a hard time with Amazon Ads? They don’t seem to be getting any traction or are just downright frustrating? What about other ad platforms?
Here are a couple recent videos to address that with guest Janet Margot who used to work for Amazon Advertising. This first is an overview of Amazon Ads with six secrets for success with Amazon Ads. selfpublishingformula.com/craigreplay Janet worked on the platform inside Amazon helping shape the ad product for KDP authors until recently. It is a coup to have her presenting her secrets to us.
And then we did a Q&A with Janet that I hosted – you can find that here – https://youtu.be/M0xSMUS45fs
If you like what you see, there’s a lot more where that came from in the single best marketing course in the world. Here’s my affiliate link, from which I get a share of the revenue at no additional cost to you and this is how I fund the 20Booksto50k(R) group as well as the IASFA. There are all different ways to pay, from lump sum to the 24-month option, whatever best fits your budget. This course is the best value for your money as it guarantees lifetime access to new material. There’s also a 30-day, no questions asked, money back guarantee. Decide fast as the course closes on Wednesday, June 24 and won’t open again until the winter. https://learn.selfpublishingformula.com/courses/adsforauthors?affcode=7980_wxudmwkr
What if you knew paying readers would like a book before you even started writing it?
May 18, 2020 in Marketing, Resources
This content is restricted.
A Sci-Fi Anthology – The Expanding Universe 6: Submissions now closed.
April 17, 2020 in Open Call
This content is restricted.
IASFA – International Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors
April 10, 2020 in Blog, Featured
Why did I start this organization, buying a domain and building a web presence? For the simple reason that in my opinion, professional organizations were hurting their members more than helping them. My idea of a professional is one who sells stories, whether short or long, and that they can repeat that process. I wanted an organization that was focused on helping science fiction and fantasy authors reach more fans. Period. Since one of those didn’t exist, I started my own.
I run the 20Booksto50k(R) Facebook group. As of April 2020, we have over 39,000 members, authors at all different stages in their careers. Many have not yet published a book. I have no doubt there are some incredible storytellers out there. The old way of finding an agent to solicit legacy publishers for slots to publish a book are closed for most, regardless of the quality of the storyteller. That’s not a strike on traditional publishing. They built the world of readers in our genre that we see today. But their business model has suffered for many years and the Coronavirus Pandemic may have driven a nail into their coffins. I hope not. The world needs brick & mortar bookstores which means the world needs the burdensome process that sends them books.
![GHOST RIDERS IN THE SKY by [Timothy Zahn]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/511Jziigk9L.jpg)
But people will change with time. B&N may not recover from this, so the legacy publishing approach may be moot. They may have to shift. Or the authors bail. Timothy Zahn just published his first indie title, Ghost Riders in the Sky. I think that’s pretty cool. Dipping his toe into the indie water with a novella. Only a few days after publication, it’s Amazon rank (it is exclusive and available in Kindle Unlimited) is at 5913. That’s where many mortals hang out in the book ranks. Not bad for a first effort, but word will get out. And then it will sell and keep selling. It’s a good story.
And that’s what this group is about. How can we help each other be more professional? There’s a member section for those who are already selling books. And there’s the public side of this page for newer authors and readers alike. In my opinion, to be a great SFF author, you need to be a great reader, not just of SFF, but of disparate genres where you can see and learn techniques that compel a reader to keep reading. If you give a reader a chance to stop reading your book, that reader may never pick it up again. See what that looks like and don’t do it in your books.
Once you’ve written a good book, put on your business hat and get to work. It’s not hard. You can commit as much or as little time and money as you want to it. You are responsible for your own success, but you don’t have to stab in the dark. We’ll populate this site with all kinds of things that can help you move forward in your career.
Onward and upward. We’ll have to put together a tutorial for how this site works to make sure that our new members (you have to apply) can make it work for them.
Peace, fellow humans
The Power of Science Fiction by Craig Martelle
April 9, 2020 in Blog, Featured
I was first introduced to mainstream science fiction in the 1960s by Star Trek. It debuted on September 8, 1966. I wasn’t old enough to truly appreciate its genius, but I liked it more than the cartoons of the era. Only by watching it later through the lens of a 1960s world could one see how Gene Roddenberry sought to deliver a vision of a better place. Without lectures. Without shoving anything in anyone’s face. He addressed the social issues of the day in a subtle way. People didn’t know they were being influenced and were changing the opinions of a generation, all because of a TV show.
But it was so much more. Science Fiction authors of the era penned such classics as I, Robot (Asimov 1950), Non-Stop (Starship)(Brian W. Aldiss – 1958), Starship Troopers (Heinlein 1959), Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein 1961), Dune (Herbert – 1965), Berserkers (Saberhagen 1967), and Dragonflight (McCaffrey 1968). Each story had characters I could relate to that opened up the possibilities for a greater world. So many good authors from that time – James Blish, Arthur C. Clarke, Clifford D. Simak, Ray Bradbury. The list is almost unending. Just like one would look at a list from today and see so many great and prolific authors. Will their work stand the test of time? Only time will tell.
Although Fantasy, I include The Lord of the Rings (Tolkien 1954-1955) on any must read because Tolkien takes the heroes journey on the quest that takes a whole lifetime. I also read everything Robert E. Howard wrote, but that didn’t have the profound impact that science fiction did. Conan was fun. A big barbarian destroying evil, although he often paid the price for being such an upstart, losing an entire army at one point. Not a thing for anyone to emulate.
These authors and their stories helped shape me into what I became. A career Marine, but always questioning. “What do we want to achieve? How will they respond?” Being able to accurately predict outcomes helped me to accelerate in my Intelligence career. It also set me up for a career as a science fiction author. What do we want the world to become? Star Trek IV, the movie probably did more to save the whales than any Greenpeace interdictions, demonstrations, charities, or anything else. Science fiction changed the world where everyday efforts didn’t.
No one wants to be lectured to. Everyone wants to see what good will come, but not the pain in between. Let the doom of madness fill the screen, not our everyday lives.
Let science fiction tell the tales that tickle our subconscious. Influence in the right way. If you beat people into submission, they don’t stay down for long. If you convince them what is right subtly, with humor and good grace, you may be able to convince them forever.
Peace, fellow humans
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