by Yoon Ha Lee
There’s another huge incentive for tie-in writers as well, and that’s the nature of tie-in itself. When you see somebody like Greg Bear writing for Star Wars, do you really think it’s just about the money? Or do you think it’s because, like the rest of us, he’s spent a lifetime enjoying that universe, and is eager to play with the toys? At its root, tie-in is fan fiction that you get paid for, and gives you the chance to say to your friends, “You know that thing we love? Well I’m now officially a part of it.” As an editor and game designer, some of my favorite moments come when authors I respect contact me to let me know that they’re playing Pathfinder at home.
And as much as working within an established world can tie your hands, it can also prop you up. I’ve had several authors tell me that they love writing tie-in because it allows them to outsource the part of SF writing they’re shakiest on—the world-building—and focus more energy on plot and character. While I’m admittedly a world-builder first and foremost—hence my day job—even I have to admit that it’s a thrill to be able to cherry-pick the best ideas from a team of incredible world-builders and incorporate them into my own work.
As a young punk, I rebelled against tie-in as evidence of The Man holding artists down. Now, as an older and (hopefully) wiser punk, I want us to rebel against what’s really holding us down: bullshit hierarchies. As self-avowed nerds, we ought to know the unfairness of being arbitrarily placed on a low social rung. We rail against mainstream society not understanding us, and bemoan those backward literary critics who disparage science fiction and fantasy as “wish fulfillment for young boys.” Yet we then turn around and build our own elaborate hierarchies to put each other down. Video gamers look down on roleplayers who look down on LARPers who insist that at least they’re not furries.
All of which is simply spitting on others so that we can ignore the spit on our own heads. That’s third-grade playground politics. In this era where we’ve got supercomputers in our pockets and robots trundling around Mars, is that really the best we can do?
Perhaps my tone is too strident for a conversation about tie-in fiction. There are plenty of causes more worthy of impassioned speeches (and I fully expect this space will be used for them, by authors far more qualified to speak than I am). Yet whether our biases are big or small, artistic or social, questioning them is how we move forward and grow as people, as a subculture, and as a society.
So let’s stop judging books by their covers.
About the Author
James L. Sutter is the Managing Editor for Paizo Publishing and a co-creator of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. He is the author of the novels Death’s Heretic and The Redemption Engine, the former of which was #3 on Barnes & Noble’s list of the Best Fantasy Releases of 2011 and a finalist for the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel and an Origins Award. He’s written short stories for such publications as Escape Pod, Apex Magazine, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Geek Love, and the #1 Amazon bestseller Machine of Death. His anthology Before They Were Giants pairs the first published short stories of science fiction luminaries with new interviews and writing advice from the authors themselves. In addition, he’s published a wealth of gaming material for both Dungeons & Dragons and the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game.
Editor’s Desk:
Adding Some Color
Neil Clarke
When something nearly kills you, it’s hard to avoid thinking about it. These events worm their way into your mind and color almost everything. Two years since my heart attack, my doctors continue to remind me that I’m very lucky to be alive.
Every morning, the voice in my head makes sure to echo that sentiment. Every morning, I push back the darkness and try to be the good little survivor. It’s not easy, but I have a loving family, good friends, and this job to help bolster me. I won’t lie. Some days it beats me up. Some worse than others.
The anniversary of that event likes to taunt me. Last year I fought back against the blues by scheduling the end of my cyborg anthology Kickstarter campaign to conclude on the first anniversary of the heart attack. The reponse to UPGRADED exceeded initial funding goals and the experience allowed me to color that date my own way. I continue to be grateful to everyone that participated. I enjoyed working on this project and learned a lot in the process. More good news: that project is finally done and copies will start shipping to supporters later this month.
I had hoped that by this second anniversary, I’d be well on my way in making Clarkesworld my full time job as my current employment is a constant source of stress. Shortly after my heart attack, I wrote in one of my editorials:
“To my knowledge, there hasn’t been an independent online magazine that has successfully made the jump to paying authors and staff professional rates without dipping into the publisher’s pockets or becoming a patron of some other organization. This doesn’t mean it can’t be done.”
We’ve made progress, but still have a long way to go.
I’ve always acknowledged that for us to reach that big goal, Clarkesworld had to expand. To that end, we promised to add extra stories to each issue when monthly subscriber and Patreon (patreon.com/clarkesworld) goals had been reached. In June, we reached the first of three Patreon goals!
Starting in August, we will have four original stories in every other issue. If we receive an additional $250 per issue in Patreon pledges by the end of August, there will be four stories in three of every four issues. At $500, it’s four in every issue.
So it looks like I have something new to color this month with after all. And that doesn’t even take into consideration some of the secret projects that are still bubbling behind-the-scenes. This could shape up to be a very interesting year.
About the Author
Neil Clarke is the editor of Clarkesworld Magazine, owner of Wyrm Publishing and a current Hugo Award Nominee for Best Editor (short form). He currently lives in NJ with his wife and two children.
Cover Art: Depot/Station
Albert Urmanov
About the Artist
Albert Urmanov is a twenty-five year old artist from Anshero-Sudshensk, Russia. His passion for art manifested in school, where he would draw superhero fanart for his classmates. He later went on to become a designer for several media agencies and a freelance artist before landing his current job, an internship as a concept artist at Goodgame Studios in Hamburg. Aside from creating art, he enjoys akido, anime, and hanging out with his wife and friends.