1994 - 06/1994 Meeting

Page Created: 09/25/10. Last Updated: 10/26/10. Last Google Group Page Update: 08/17/09.

LAURA ANNE GILMAN

Selected Novels:

Retrievers Series:

.....Blood from Stone

.....Bring It On

.....Burning Bridges

.....Free Fall

.....Curse the Dark

.....Staying Dead

Grail Quest: The Camelot Spell

Grail Quest: Morgain's Revenge

Grail Quest: The Shadow Companion

Vineart War: Flesh and Fire

Collaborations:

Buffy, The Vampire Slayer: Deep Water (with Josepha Sherman)

Buffy, The Vampire Slayer: Visitors (with Josepha Sherman)

Quantum Leap: Double or Nothing (with C J Henderson)

Ms Gilman's website is: http://www.sff.net/people/lauraanne.gilman/.

MEETING SUMMARY:

Meeting Date: June 11, 1994.

Meeting Site: Beam Me Up, Watson! Books, Montclair, New Jersey.

Official Attendance: 37.

Meeting Program: Talk by science fiction editor.

Notes:

Beam Me Up, Watson! Books went out of business before we could hold another meeting there. Although Ms Gilman has subsequently written a number of books, she had not been published at the time the meeting was held and did not discuss that aspect of her career.

Meeting Memories:

Newsletter Account:

The following account is reprinted with permission from THE STARSHIP EXPRESS Copyright 1994 Philip J De Parto:

The June 11, 1994 meeting of the S F A B C was held at Beam Me Up, Watson! Books on Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, New Jersey. Traditionally, our summertime meetings, especially June gatherings, are lightly attended. We hoped to have a turnout of twenty or so, and were [flabbergasted][astonished] pleasantly surprised with an attendance closer to 40.

Laura Anne Gilman, an Associate Editor at Ace Books, was the featured speaker. She gave a wide-ranging talk on the role of an editor, forthcoming Ace releases, new authors to watch out for. She was interrupted frequently by questions and comments from the audience.

One of the things she did which was a real treat was that she passed out a number of forms and other tools of the editor's trade. These included Bound Galleys, Advanced Reading Copies, Negotiation Checklists, Contract Requests, Title Information Sheets, Data Entry (Inventory Control) Sheets, Cover Flats, and Solicitation Cover Sheets.

Ms Gilman also talked about some of the newer Ace talents including Laurell Hamilton (GUILTY PLEASURES), Neal Stephenson (SNOW CRASH), and Dan Crawford (ROUSE A SLEEPING CAT) as well as old hands like John Varley, whose STEEL BEACH was finally turned in 11 years late.

Other topics discussed were what she is looking for in a manuscript (she's looking for books that say something about something) and proper aspiring author / editor etiquette (do not thrust your submission into her hands at a convention).

Members of the group kept her under a barrage of questions until Philip De Parto took pity on her, declared the meeting over, and told her that she could go home.

After the meeting was over, we showed a spoof of MIGHTY MORPHING POWER RANGERS and then scattered. The post meeting food run to the Pilgrim Diner on Route 23 consisted of Sharon Archer, Philip De Parto, Brian Gonigal, Elizabeth Grout, Ernest Lilley, Eileen Madison, Robert Pinkus, John Upton, and Tom Zyck.