The Business of Publishing Genre Fiction

November 16 1-3 pm • Enoch Pratt Free Library, Central Branch

The Enoch Pratt Free Library hosted a panel discussion on the business of publishing and, in particular, publishing genre fiction. John Edward Lawson was asked to participated alongside authors Sarah Pinsker, K.M. Szpara and author/publisher Dave Ring (presenter bios are below the photo gallery).

The discussion was wide-ranging and lively covering aspects of publishing from literary agents to pitching projects and more. Each panelist brought something unique to the table and the audience seemed to appreciate the straight-forward advice. As an added bonus the recently renovated Central Branch is a true treasure and a great place for bookish exploration.

Sarah Pinsker, author of the novelette “Our Lady of the Open Road,” winner of the Nebula Award, and over fifty other stories. Her first collection, Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea: Stories was published by Small Beer Press in March 2019, and her first novel, A Song For A New Day, was published by Berkley/Penguin/Random House in September 2019.

Dave Ring, chair of the OutWrite LGBTQ Book Festival in Washington, DC. He has stories featured or forthcoming in a number of publications, including Speculative City, GlitterShip, and A Punk Rock Future. He is the publisher and managing editor of Neon Hemlock Press, as well as the editor of Broken Metropolis: Queer Tales of a City That Never Was from Mason Jar Press.

K.M. Szpara, a queer and trans author who lives in Baltimore, MD, with a tiny dog. Kellan’s debut alt-/near-future novel, Docile, will be published March 3, 2020 from Tor.com Publishing. He is the author of “Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time,” a Hugo and Nebula nominated novelette about a gay trans man who’s bitten by a vampire. More of his fiction can be found in venues such as Uncanny, Lightspeed, and Shimmer.