A few people who read this site are fans of Joe Hill, and someone forwarded this recent shot from Publisher’s Marketplace, so I may as well pass it along without sending unsolicited emails. Cause that would be spam. And that’s evil.
I’d say the resemblance is striking.
Original caption:
Like Father, Like…
Joe Hill, aka Stephen King jr., stopped by the Book Passage in Corte Madera, Calif., to sign copies of his new book, Heart-Shaped Box.
Yep, looks just like his poppa. And he writes pretty damn well, too. I haven’t gotten my copy of Heart-Shaped Box in the mail yet, but I read his short story collection and it was quite excellent. A lot of other writers in small press horror should be take a cue from Hill.
‘Tis rare that I read horror, but on your reco, I’ll pick up a copy.
Yes, I believe the lesson is clear: Don’t fret the small press.
Yeah, I try not to be hard on the small press. I guess I’m just looking forward to moving to the next level and being among the more serious writers, the ones who have what it takes in terms of talent and effort to get the job done. There are just so many wannabes in the small press.
But ultimately, I think Theodore Sturgeon said it right when he opined that yes, 90% of sf is crap, but then 90% of everything is crap. That goes for the small presses and big presses alike.
For fiction, I hold with the 95 to 5 rule.