With so many conventions and events postponed or canceled due to COVID-19, many organizers are moving to online alternatives. We will update this list of virtual SF events as we learn about more. If you know of other such events, please send us the information at locus@locusmag.com.
The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) has announced that writer and actor Aydrea Walden will be Toastmaster at the 2020 SFWA Nebula Awards, to be presented in an online ceremony on May 30, 2020.
Walden has written for the series Yin Yang Yo! and created, written, and starred in the Webby-nominated series Black Girl in a Big Dress. She has worked in the animation department on ...Read More
Read moreNumerous upcoming conventions and literary events have been postponed or canceled as part of efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes respiratory illness COVID-19. The situation remains in flux as the full extent of the pandemic remains to be seen. We will update this story and our convention listing with further information about cancellations and postponements as it becomes available.
NPD Bookscan released numbers on sales from 2010 to 2019 and listed the top ten bestselling titles of that decade. E.L. James’s Fifty Shades of Grey titles took the top three slots (15.2 million for Fifty Shades of Grey, 10.4 million for Fifty Shades Darker, and 9.3 million for Fifty Shades Freed, all from Random House), with The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic) in fourth place ...Read More
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The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) has announced Kevin Wabaunsee as their new managing editor, Lauren Raye Snow as their new art director, and Beth Dawkins as their new volunteer coordinator. Wabaunsee will support editor-in-chief Michi Trota in overseeing SFWA’s publications and communications channels; Snow will oversee visual aspects, including graphics, branding, and design; and Dawkins will work to ensure that volunteers and services are placed where ...Read More
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The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts (IAFA) announced that they were able to negotiate an advantageous settlement with their hotel after COVID-19 fears forced them to cancel ICFA 41. IAFA president Dale Knickerbocker said, “To give you an idea just how important this is, we could have been on the hook for a $130,000 payment (not a deposit) even if they had not invoked penalty clauses, which ...Read More
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CoNZealand, the 78th Worldcon, has announced it will be the first ever “virtual Worldcon.” Con-chairs Kelly Buehler and Norman Cates said,
This has been an incredibly difficult decision, but one that had to be made now to give our guests and members some certainty during this extraordinary time for the world.
The changes are coming fast and furious as New Zealand enters a four week lockdown. We are all dealing ...Read More
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The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) have announced that this year’s Nebula Conference, scheduled for May 28-31, 2020 in Woodland Hills CA, will be held as an entirely virtual event.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the board of SFWA feels that holding an in-person event this May would be irresponsible.
The Nebula Conference will include panels, solo presentations, conference mentorships, workshops, forums, chats, and virtual room ...Read More
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The Bookseller has announced the shortlists for the 2020 British Book Awards, including several titles of genre interest.
Début Book of the Year
Audiobook Book of the Year
Penguin Random House UK has announced it will produce and distribute audio versions of fiction and graphic novel titles from Rebellion Publishing. The partnership will produce around 30 science fiction, fantasy, and horror titles a year from authors such as Katherine Addison, Derek Künsken, and Adrian Tchaikovsky, as well as adaptations of five new graphic novels in the 2000 AD series.
The first title, available now, is Wanderers by Chuck ...Read More
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Authors Melanie Conklin, Ellen Oh, and Christina Soontornvat have started the Everywhere Book Fest, a “virtual gathering of kidlit authors, books, and readers that will bring the book festival experience to everyone,” in response to several literary festival closures due to coronavirus concerns.
The two-day event will happen May 1-2, 2020 and include live and pre-recorded panels. A schedule and author lineup will be announced in April. Panel proposal submissions ...Read More
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Penguin Random House and Barnes & Noble teamed up for an ill-advised project called “Diverse Editions” for Black History Month in February 2020, only to swiftly suspend the program following an immediate and widespread outcry. Diverse Editions presented a dozen classic books (including Frankenstein, Moby-Dick, and The Secret Garden) with new dust jackets featuring illustrations of the (mostly white) characters reimagined as people of various other races. ...Read More
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Neil Gaiman and N.K. Jemisin will appear in conversation at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson NY on May 2, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. Gaiman is professor in the arts at Bard, and the event is part of an ongoing series in which he discusses the creative process with other artists. Tickets are $25 ($5 for Bard undergraduates), and may be purchased at <fishercenter.bard.edu>. ...Read More
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The 2020 International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts (ICFA) has been canceled:
For the last two weeks, the IAFA Board has been monitoring the evolving COVID-19 situation. Until yesterday, we considered it our responsibility to keep the ICFA going for the more than 400 members who were still planning to attend, and to let each individual decide for themselves the risk.
The situation has changed drastically and quickly. ...Read More
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Swancon, Australia’s longest-running science fiction convention, has been canceled for 2020 due to concerns over COVID-19. Swancon45 was scheduled to take place April 25-27, 2020 in Perth, Australia. The decision was made by a vote of the convention committee, convention steering committee, and the Western Australian Science Fiction Foundation (WASFF) board.
Early projections indicate that the height of the pandemic is likely to be late April to early May, and ...Read More
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Some details have been released regarding the settlement between publishers and Audible regarding the latter’s “Audible Captions” program (which would have displayed scrolling, machine-generated text while an audiobook played). The publishers won: Audible will not be permitted to use copyrighted works in the program without permission. The judge approved a permanent injunction and request for dismissal with prejudice. Audible is forbidden from “creating, generating, reproducing, modifying, distributing, publishing, or displaying… ...Read More
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The remaining members of the Romance Writers of America board of directors resigned on February 12, 2020: directors-at-large Hanna Rhys Barnes, Kate McMurray, Maria Powers, Mellanie Szereto, and Eliana West, and treasurer Nan Dixon. A special election will be held from March 13-20, 2020 for members to elect a new board. The board released a statement that reads in part,
We believe that stepping down to allow for new leadership ...Read More
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Short, Scary Tales Publications (SST) won the Horror Writers Association (HWA) Specialty Press Award, given “to a publisher whose work has substantially influenced the horror and dark fantasy genres.”
The HWA awards will be presented during StokerCon UK, April 16-19, 2020 at the Royal and Grand Hotels in Scarborough, UK. As previously announced, Owl Goingback and Thomas Ligotti will also receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. For more information, see the ...Read More
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Sean Wallace, publisher of The Dark, announced changes to the magazine’s staff. Reprint editor Michael Kelly left The Dark at the end of 2019 “to put more time and energy in his small press company, Undertow Publications.” Co-editor Silvia Moreno-Garcia will leave after the July 2020 issue to focus on her writing career. Wallace announced that there were “no immediate plans to hire a new co-editor.”
While you are here, ...Read More
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The London Book Fair has been canceled after a number of publishers and agencies pulled out over fears of coronavirus. A statement by Reed Exhibitions, organizers of the event, said:
The London Book Fair 2020, scheduled to take place at Olympia, London, from 10 to 12 March will be cancelled following the escalation of COVID-19 Coronavirus in Europe.
The effects, actual and projected, of Coronavirus are becoming evident across all ...Read More
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The Salem Public Library has honored writer and editor Gardner Dozois (1947-2018) with a plaque installed on January 21, 2020 near its paperback science fiction collection. Dozois was born in Salem MA and lived there until 1966.
While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. We rely on reader donations to keep the magazine and site going, and would like to ...Read More
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The New York Public Library is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a list of “125 Books We Love,” chosen by a team of librarians. The list includes many titles of genre interest.
The Horror Writers Association (HWA) has announced their second annual Summer Scares Reading list.
ADULT
YOUNG ADULT
MIDDLE GRADE
The Bookseller has announced 30 from 30, a “super list” of 30 books from the past 30 years of British Book Awards winners as finalists for a one-off award for the best book of the past three decades. Titles of genre interest include Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Myer (Little, Brown), Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (Bloomsbury), Northern Lights by Philip Pullman (Scholastic), and The Lovely Bones ...Read More
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The San Francisco Public Library presents “SF by the Bay,” an exhibit and series of events from February 1 – April 30, 2020, showcasing the library’s J. Francis McComas Fantasy and Science Fiction Collection and celebrating the San Francisco Bay Area’s contributions SF art, film, and literature. The exhibit is located on the 3rd floor of the Main Library in the General Collections and Humanities Center, with associated displays located ...Read More
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Hachette Book Group (HBG) has acquired more than 1,000 Disney Book Group titles for the Little, Brown Books for Young Readers line, including numerous titles that have not yet been published, roughly doubling the imprint’s backlist. The deal encompasses YA and middle-grade titles, as well as board books, picture books, and graphic novels.
Disney will continue to publish works that can be developed “across multiple platforms and media,” and will ...Read More
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Welcome to the annual Locus Recommended Reading List!
Published in Locus magazine’s February 2020 issue, the list is a consensus by the Locus editors, columnists, outside reviewers, and other professionals and critics of genre fiction and non-fiction — editor-in-chief Liza Groen Trombi; reviews editor Jonathan Strahan; reviewers Liz Bourke, Katharine Coldiron, Carolyn Cushman, Paul Di Filippo, Amy Goldschlager, Paula Guran, Rich Horton, John Langan, Russell Letson, Adrienne Martini, Ian Mond,
The longlist for the 2020 International Dylan Thomas Prize has been announced. Titles of genre interest include:
The annual Dylan Thomas prize, in partnership with Swansea University, awards £30,000 “to the best published or produced literary work in the English language, written by an author aged 39 or under.” The judging panel is chaired by Professor Dai Smith
Author and Arc Manor assistant publisher Lezli Robyn will take over as editor of Galaxy’s Edge magazine, per an announcement by Arc Manor publisher Shahid Mahmud via the Galaxy’s Edge Facebook.
As many of you know, Mike Resnick passed away recently. He pretty much single handedly created this magazine with the aim to give writers, particularly newer writers, a new venue for their stories. He was known in the industry ...Read More
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Ted Chiang will be artist in residence at the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study for the 2020-21 academic year. He will take part in a two-day workshop, engage with Notre Dame faculty, and participate in weekly seminars. His Exhalation (Knopf) appears on the New York Times 10 Best Books of 2019 list.
While you are here, please take a moment to support Locus with a one-time or recurring donation. ...Read More
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Michael Chabon will receive the Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award “for his service on the board of the MacDowell Colony, for donating the proceeds of several books to organizations that support writers, and for helping to raise funds to assist other authors,” to be presented at the Poets & Writers 50th Anniversary Gala in New York City on March 16, 2020.
Chabon & Ayelet Waldman’s company Escapist Fare ...Read More
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Author and philanthropist James Patterson is offering bonuses (a total of $200,000) to Barnes & Noble booksellers this year in the form of a contest: he will give $300 to the bookseller in each B&N branch who creates the best display, as judged by store managers. He says, “I’m excited about all the recent changes at Barnes & Noble and to see where they go next. But I’ve always been ...Read More
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