Table of Contents, December 1984
This is the scanned Table of Contents for the issue, embedded as a PDF. It is searchable and includes all of the titles reviewed in the month. These issues are not available digitally yet, but most can be ordered by contacting the Locus offices. Locus-ToC-1984-12
World Fantasy Awards Banquet……. p.1
Mad Hatters on the Attack! ……… 1
Anne McCaffrey to the Rescue……. 1
L.A.con II: The Final Chapter…… 1
Publishing Notes; Editorial Matters. 3
Popular Library/Questar……… 4
Battle of the Encylopedias……. 4
Nebula Judges Announced; High DUNE.. 4
Ellison enters the Twilight Zone…. 4
SFWA Targets Publishers……… 4
New Deal for Thieves’ World…… 4
Curtis/Delahunt Suite Settled…. 4
Most Prolific Dead Author?……. 4
Soviet Convention Nixed……… 5
Pacific Comics Goes Under…….. 5
SF Gaming; European Awards……. 5
Silverberg Now Fine Editor……. 5
The Fantastic Voyage That Wasn’t…. 5
TALISMAN Magic…………………. 5
People & Publishing…………….. 7
Agent’s Corner, Richard Curtis….. 9
Moons & Stars & Stuff, Fritz Leiber. 11
Publishing Notes
THE NEWSPAPER OF THE SCIENCE FICTION FIELD
ISSN-0047-4959
EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Charles N. Brown
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Faren Miller
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
Donna Burriston
Dawn Atkins
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Norman Spinrad
Richard Curtis
Fritz Leiber
Debbie Notkin
Dan Chow
Locus, ISSN-0047-4959, The Newspaper of the
Science Fiction Field, is published monthly by LOCUS
PUBLICATIONS. Editorial address: 34 Ridgewood
Lane, Oakland, CA 94611; telephone (415) 339-9196.
Please send all mail to Locus Publications, P.O. Box
13305, Oakland, CA 94661.
Individual copies are $2.50. Individual subscriptions in
the U.S. are $24.00 fo r 12 issues, $45.00 for 24 issues
via second class mail. Individual subscriptions in Canada
are $26.00 for 12 issues, $49.00 for 24 issues via
second class mail. First class individual subscriptions
in the U.S. or Canada are $31.00 for 12 issues, $59.00
for 24 issues. Institutional subscriptions—the only ones
we b ill-a re $26.00 per calendar year in the U.S. by
second class mail, $28.00 per calendar year in Canada
by second class mail, or $33.00 per calendar year via
first class mail in the U.S. or Canada. We only accept
institutional subscriptions on a calendar year basis.
Individual overseas subscriptions are $26.00 for 12
issues, $49.00 for 24 issues via sea mail. Air mail individual
overseas subscriptions are $38.00 for 12 issues,
$72.00 for 24 issues. Overseas institutional subscriptions
are $28.00 per year for sea mail, or $40.00 per
year via air mail. Make all checks payable to Locus
Publications. All subscriptions, including Canadian,
are payable directly in U.S. funds only. When converting
from second class to first class delivery, please
convert all remaining issues on your present subscriptions
(75c per issue). The number after your name on
the mailing label is that of the last issue on your present
subscription. We do not send notices when subscriptions
are about to expire. If you change your address,
please notify us immediately. Second class mail is not
usually forwarded. It is either returned or destroyed.
We subtract one issue from your subscriptions for each
returned copy. We keep expired addresses on file for
one year, so tell us if your subscription is a renewal
or completely new.
British Subscription Agent
Fantast (Medway) Ltd.
39 West St.
Wisbech, CAMBS PE13 2LX
Australian Subscription Agent
Space Age Books
305-307 Swanston St.
Melbourne, 3000, Victoria
Japanese Subscription Agent
Takumi Shibano
700 Ninomiya Ninomiya-machi
Naka-gun Kanagawa-ken
259-01 Japan
Subscriptions accepted at current exchange rate.
Display advertising rates on request. Contact Donna
Burriston at (415) 339-3182.
We take no responsibility for unsolicited submissions.
Contents copyright © 1984 by Locus Publications.
Second class postage paid at Oakland, California.
Postmaster: Send address changes to Locus Publications,
P.O. Box 13305, Oakland, CA 94661.
MERGING
“Publishing Mergers and Acquisitions
Up,” said the headline in Publ ishers
Weekly, citing statistics in a report
from W.T. Grimm & Co.: Mergers and
acquisitions jumped from 48 in 1982 to
56 transactions the next year, a rise of
17%. Major deals included Gulf & Western’s
purchase of Esquire, Inc., Mattel’s
sale of Western Publishing Co. to
a group of investors, and other transactions
involving two newspapers and a
multi-media company. The game goes
on….
Random House, owner of Knopf, Pantheon,
Ballantine, etc., has reached an
agreement with the New York Times Company
to acquire Times Books, along with
most of its staff. The sale is expected
to go through before the end of the
year.
Simon & Schuster has bought the Stratemeyer
Syndicate, the company responsible
for creating the Tom Swift, Nancy
Drew, and Hardy Boys books, among
others. The syndicate was founded by
Edward Stratemeyer in 1906, and until
recently it was run by his daughters.
S&S began publishing new Stratemeyer
books in 1979, after the syndicate had a
disagreement with its previous publisher,
Grosset & Dunlap (which still
retains rights to much of the earlier
material). Stratemeyer partner Nancy
Axelrod will continue to oversee editorial
operations, as part of S&S’s children’s
publishing division, headed by Ron
Buehl.
WITHDRAWN
It looks like we’ll have to forget
“Amnesia” for a while. Harper & Row
Software originally announced this new
interactive fiction/computer game by
Thomas M. Disch as a “major event” scheduled
for November. Now the entire
software line has been cancelled, and
“Amnesia” remains in limbo. Harper is
still the publisher for Disch’s regular
fiction, most recently THE BUSINESSMAN:
A TALE OF TERROR.
NEW VENTURES
Bantam, which recently announced its
direct entry to the British market with
a hardcover line, will also do mass
market paperbacks in competition with
Corgi, which it also owns. Sounds
strange? There are reasons. British
publishing depends on a 28% export to
Australia, New Zealand, etc., where
Bantam already has separate operations
and controls the market.
NAL Direct Sale is a new book-clublike
company which will publish, pro-
(Continued on p a g e 47)
The saga of the “obscene” Locus. the
issue you saw last month, continues.
To recapitulate: On October 9, we
brought in the November issue of Locus
to the printer who did the last two
issues. On October 10, the Production
Manager called and said they would not
print it because they considered it
pornographic. They had only seen page
29 (not page 2, which was worse) and
would not print the mermaid picture
unless we put a bar across her breasts
or took the photo out. I went down and
tried to argue, but was told the decision
came from higher management.
We were in a bind. It takes months,
not days or weeks, to arrange printing
time for a magazine as large as Locus
without paying a staggering overtime
premium. I was scheduled to leave for
the World Fantasy Convention next day,
and, because we were ahead of schedule
for the first time, plans had been made
to install new carpets and a new electrical
system plus new computers that
week. I thought briefly about taking
the most economical and easiest way out
— merely giving in. The idea was only
fleeting. I didn’t feel that strongly
about the mermaid picture itself, and
might have even left it out if I
thought seriously there would have been
a problem, but X couldn’t work with
anybody who thought he could dictate
what I could or couldn’t put in my
magazine. I took the originals back,
mumbled about letting them know my
decision (although I had already made
it), and left. I called my old printer,
told him my problem, and asked for
help. He offered to do the job as
quickly as possible, and I accepted.
We didn’t talk money or time. I flew
off to Ottawa and left Dawn, Faren, and
Donna to cope, which they did magnificently.
I first saw the issue in New
York when they sent me two advance
copies. I finally knew what it was
like to get Locus in the mail.
The printers got the issue out only
four days late and at a price $3,500
higher than we would have paid, but I
had no complaints on that score. We
still haven’t fully decided whether to
stay with our small, expensive printer
where we’re treated well and know
what’s going on or to try another unknown,
larger, more economical printer.
Tune in next month for our decision.
Full color is pretty much dependent on
that decision. It’s expensive either
way, and will still be possible only if
we get color ads.
Meanwhile, I went to Canada and had a
wonderful time at the Fantasy Convention.
The only confusing thing was
money. The exchange rate made Canadian
(Continued on p ag e 48)
LOCUS December 1984 / 3
Locus Looks at Books, Faren Miller.. 13
Locus Looks at More Books,
Debbie Notkin……………….15
Stayin’ Alive, Norman Spinrad…… .17
Locus Letters………………….. .22
My L.A.con, Jane Jewell………… .23
L.A.con Programming, Pascal Thomas.. 26
Another View, William F. Wu…….. .28
Convention Listings………………30
Books Received— October………… .31
Magazines Received— October…….. .36
Classified Ads…………………. .42
Bestseller Lists…………………45
Obituaries: Phil Seuling,
Francois Truffaut, Karen Emden,
Jane Roberts Butts,
Bill Fesselmeyer,
Sherry Fesselmeyer,
Richard Brautigan…………. .45
Announcements; Market Notes…… .47
The Outer Limits; Book Notes….. .47
British Book Notes………….. .47
Contents
Mad Hatters on the Attack! ……… 1
Anne McCaffrey to the Rescue……. 1
L.A.con II: The Final Chapter…… 1
Publishing Notes; Editorial Matters. 3
Popular Library/Questar……… 4
Battle of the Encylopedias……. 4
Nebula Judges Announced; High DUNE.. 4
Ellison enters the Twilight Zone…. 4
SFWA Targets Publishers……… 4
New Deal for Thieves’ World…… 4
Curtis/Delahunt Suite Settled…. 4
Most Prolific Dead Author?……. 4
Soviet Convention Nixed……… 5
Pacific Comics Goes Under…….. 5
SF Gaming; European Awards……. 5
Silverberg Now Fine Editor……. 5
The Fantastic Voyage That Wasn’t…. 5
TALISMAN Magic…………………. 5
People & Publishing…………….. 7
Agent’s Corner, Richard Curtis….. 9
Moons & Stars & Stuff, Fritz Leiber. 11
Publishing Notes
THE NEWSPAPER OF THE SCIENCE FICTION FIELD
ISSN-0047-4959
EDITOR & PUBLISHER
Charles N. Brown
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Faren Miller
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
Donna Burriston
Dawn Atkins
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Norman Spinrad
Richard Curtis
Fritz Leiber
Debbie Notkin
Dan Chow
Locus, ISSN-0047-4959, The Newspaper of the
Science Fiction Field, is published monthly by LOCUS
PUBLICATIONS. Editorial address: 34 Ridgewood
Lane, Oakland, CA 94611; telephone (415) 339-9196.
Please send all mail to Locus Publications, P.O. Box
13305, Oakland, CA 94661.
Individual copies are $2.50. Individual subscriptions in
the U.S. are $24.00 fo r 12 issues, $45.00 for 24 issues
via second class mail. Individual subscriptions in Canada
are $26.00 for 12 issues, $49.00 for 24 issues via
second class mail. First class individual subscriptions
in the U.S. or Canada are $31.00 for 12 issues, $59.00
for 24 issues. Institutional subscriptions—the only ones
we b ill-a re $26.00 per calendar year in the U.S. by
second class mail, $28.00 per calendar year in Canada
by second class mail, or $33.00 per calendar year via
first class mail in the U.S. or Canada. We only accept
institutional subscriptions on a calendar year basis.
Individual overseas subscriptions are $26.00 for 12
issues, $49.00 for 24 issues via sea mail. Air mail individual
overseas subscriptions are $38.00 for 12 issues,
$72.00 for 24 issues. Overseas institutional subscriptions
are $28.00 per year for sea mail, or $40.00 per
year via air mail. Make all checks payable to Locus
Publications. All subscriptions, including Canadian,
are payable directly in U.S. funds only. When converting
from second class to first class delivery, please
convert all remaining issues on your present subscriptions
(75c per issue). The number after your name on
the mailing label is that of the last issue on your present
subscription. We do not send notices when subscriptions
are about to expire. If you change your address,
please notify us immediately. Second class mail is not
usually forwarded. It is either returned or destroyed.
We subtract one issue from your subscriptions for each
returned copy. We keep expired addresses on file for
one year, so tell us if your subscription is a renewal
or completely new.
British Subscription Agent
Fantast (Medway) Ltd.
39 West St.
Wisbech, CAMBS PE13 2LX
Australian Subscription Agent
Space Age Books
305-307 Swanston St.
Melbourne, 3000, Victoria
Japanese Subscription Agent
Takumi Shibano
700 Ninomiya Ninomiya-machi
Naka-gun Kanagawa-ken
259-01 Japan
Subscriptions accepted at current exchange rate.
Display advertising rates on request. Contact Donna
Burriston at (415) 339-3182.
We take no responsibility for unsolicited submissions.
Contents copyright © 1984 by Locus Publications.
Second class postage paid at Oakland, California.
Postmaster: Send address changes to Locus Publications,
P.O. Box 13305, Oakland, CA 94661.
MERGING
“Publishing Mergers and Acquisitions
Up,” said the headline in Publ ishers
Weekly, citing statistics in a report
from W.T. Grimm & Co.: Mergers and
acquisitions jumped from 48 in 1982 to
56 transactions the next year, a rise of
17%. Major deals included Gulf & Western’s
purchase of Esquire, Inc., Mattel’s
sale of Western Publishing Co. to
a group of investors, and other transactions
involving two newspapers and a
multi-media company. The game goes
on….
Random House, owner of Knopf, Pantheon,
Ballantine, etc., has reached an
agreement with the New York Times Company
to acquire Times Books, along with
most of its staff. The sale is expected
to go through before the end of the
year.
Simon & Schuster has bought the Stratemeyer
Syndicate, the company responsible
for creating the Tom Swift, Nancy
Drew, and Hardy Boys books, among
others. The syndicate was founded by
Edward Stratemeyer in 1906, and until
recently it was run by his daughters.
S&S began publishing new Stratemeyer
books in 1979, after the syndicate had a
disagreement with its previous publisher,
Grosset & Dunlap (which still
retains rights to much of the earlier
material). Stratemeyer partner Nancy
Axelrod will continue to oversee editorial
operations, as part of S&S’s children’s
publishing division, headed by Ron
Buehl.
WITHDRAWN
It looks like we’ll have to forget
“Amnesia” for a while. Harper & Row
Software originally announced this new
interactive fiction/computer game by
Thomas M. Disch as a “major event” scheduled
for November. Now the entire
software line has been cancelled, and
“Amnesia” remains in limbo. Harper is
still the publisher for Disch’s regular
fiction, most recently THE BUSINESSMAN:
A TALE OF TERROR.
NEW VENTURES
Bantam, which recently announced its
direct entry to the British market with
a hardcover line, will also do mass
market paperbacks in competition with
Corgi, which it also owns. Sounds
strange? There are reasons. British
publishing depends on a 28% export to
Australia, New Zealand, etc., where
Bantam already has separate operations
and controls the market.
NAL Direct Sale is a new book-clublike
company which will publish, pro-
(Continued on p a g e 47)
The saga of the “obscene” Locus. the
issue you saw last month, continues.
To recapitulate: On October 9, we
brought in the November issue of Locus
to the printer who did the last two
issues. On October 10, the Production
Manager called and said they would not
print it because they considered it
pornographic. They had only seen page
29 (not page 2, which was worse) and
would not print the mermaid picture
unless we put a bar across her breasts
or took the photo out. I went down and
tried to argue, but was told the decision
came from higher management.
We were in a bind. It takes months,
not days or weeks, to arrange printing
time for a magazine as large as Locus
without paying a staggering overtime
premium. I was scheduled to leave for
the World Fantasy Convention next day,
and, because we were ahead of schedule
for the first time, plans had been made
to install new carpets and a new electrical
system plus new computers that
week. I thought briefly about taking
the most economical and easiest way out
— merely giving in. The idea was only
fleeting. I didn’t feel that strongly
about the mermaid picture itself, and
might have even left it out if I
thought seriously there would have been
a problem, but X couldn’t work with
anybody who thought he could dictate
what I could or couldn’t put in my
magazine. I took the originals back,
mumbled about letting them know my
decision (although I had already made
it), and left. I called my old printer,
told him my problem, and asked for
help. He offered to do the job as
quickly as possible, and I accepted.
We didn’t talk money or time. I flew
off to Ottawa and left Dawn, Faren, and
Donna to cope, which they did magnificently.
I first saw the issue in New
York when they sent me two advance
copies. I finally knew what it was
like to get Locus in the mail.
The printers got the issue out only
four days late and at a price $3,500
higher than we would have paid, but I
had no complaints on that score. We
still haven’t fully decided whether to
stay with our small, expensive printer
where we’re treated well and know
what’s going on or to try another unknown,
larger, more economical printer.
Tune in next month for our decision.
Full color is pretty much dependent on
that decision. It’s expensive either
way, and will still be possible only if
we get color ads.
Meanwhile, I went to Canada and had a
wonderful time at the Fantasy Convention.
The only confusing thing was
money. The exchange rate made Canadian
(Continued on p ag e 48)
LOCUS December 1984 / 3
Locus Looks at Books, Faren Miller.. 13
Locus Looks at More Books,
Debbie Notkin……………….15
Stayin’ Alive, Norman Spinrad…… .17
Locus Letters………………….. .22
My L.A.con, Jane Jewell………… .23
L.A.con Programming, Pascal Thomas.. 26
Another View, William F. Wu…….. .28
Convention Listings………………30
Books Received— October………… .31
Magazines Received— October…….. .36
Classified Ads…………………. .42
Bestseller Lists…………………45
Obituaries: Phil Seuling,
Francois Truffaut, Karen Emden,
Jane Roberts Butts,
Bill Fesselmeyer,
Sherry Fesselmeyer,
Richard Brautigan…………. .45
Announcements; Market Notes…… .47
The Outer Limits; Book Notes….. .47
British Book Notes………….. .47
Contents
