Writing and Selling Sci-Fi and Fantasy
SKU: 2974608163

Writing and Selling Sci-Fi and Fantasy

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Description

Writing and Selling Sci-Fi and FantasyYOU'LL LOVE THIS ONDEMAND WEBINAR IF: You are a writer who is having trouble staying on track You are a writer who isn't sure how to describe their work You are a writer who has finished a great story, and now wants to sell it You are a writer who wants to get the best possible start You are a writer of any SF fantasy sub genre, in any length ABOUT THIS ONDEMAND WEBINAR Every great work of science fiction and fantasy starts with characters, then puts

YOU'LL LOVE THIS ONDEMAND WEBINAR IF:

  • You are a writer who is having trouble staying on track
  • You are a writer who isn't sure how to describe their work
  • You are a writer who has finished a great story, and now wants to sell it
  • You are a writer who wants to get the best possible start
  • You are a writer of any SF/fantasy sub-genre, in any length

ABOUT THIS ONDEMAND WEBINAR

Every great work of science fiction and fantasy starts with characters, then puts those characters in conflict, and only then presents a unique world in which that story takes place. But all too often aspiring authors fail to approach their stories in that order. And even then, they can have trouble describing what they've done in a clear, concise, and compelling fashion.

Is your story or novel either failing to come together or failing to sell? In this presentation, Phil Athans talks about how to focus your writing efforts on the core of your narrative. Then he shows how to use that core concept to help you sell the finished work with a simply-stated but intriguing one-page synopsis.

Editor and author Philip Athans has worked for more than a quarter of a century in the publishing business, and almost all of that time has been spent editing and writing science fiction, fantasy, and horror. He's taught college classes and conference seminars on SF/fantasy and the query process-and those elements come together in this presentation.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

  • The three essential elements to SF/fantasy stories: character, conflict, and worldbuilding
  • How to distill your work into a one-page synopsis
  • When, where, and how to use that synopsis to sell your work
  • Why the world serves the story, not the other way around
  • How to find the core of your narrative and stay focused on it
  • What makes writing and selling science fiction and fantasy different from other genres

INSTRUCTOR:

Philip Athans is the founding partner of Athans & Associates Creative Consulting, and the New York Times best-selling author of Annihilation and more than a dozen other fantasy and horror books including The Guide to Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction and the soon-to-be-released Writing Monsters. Born in Rochester, New York he grew up in suburban Chicago, where he published the literary magazine Alternative Fiction & Poetry. His blog, Fantasy Author's Handbook, is updated every Tuesday, and you can follow him on Twitter @PhilAthans. He makes his home in the foothills of the Washington Cascades, east of Seattle.

NOTE: Writer's Digest does not offer refunds for OnDemand Webinars. All sales are final. OnDemand Webinars do NOT include a critique.

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SKU: 2974608163

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4.0 ★★★★★
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Hab Madoyan
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 5
very good book
Format: Paperback
I was 8 when the Union collapsed. I don’t remember much, but the years that followed were full of conspiracy theories and stories about who “razvalil Sovetskiy Soyuz.” This book tries to answer that question. You can sense from the book that the author is not happy with how everything ultimately evolved. The Soviet system was corrupt, inefficient, and ill, but probably there was a chance to cure it rather than kill it. However, I think the book is overall quite balanced and very informative and is a must read.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2026
B
Brandon Nelson
Phoenix, US
★★★★★ 4
So very long….
Format: Paperback
Every time Yeltsin takes a nap? Paragraph. Bush mumbles something indecisive to Scowcroft? Boom—chapter! I felt like I was experiencing the fall of the Soviet Union in real, agonizing time. Look, it’s a fine book. If you’re going for a career in the foreign service, this is a good place to start. Otherwise, you can get a fine rendering of these events in much more concise form elsewhere.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2023
B
Verified Purchase
Blu
Cuba, US
★★★★★ 5
P O W E R F U L .
Format: Paperback
The author summarized: "The ghost of the disappeared Soviet Union ... still haunts the imagination of contemporaries .... This amazing story teaches us not to trust in the seeming certainty of continuity and should help us prepare for sudden shocks in the future" (p. 439). An engrossing in-depth eloquent analyses concerning the events and individuals affecting the 1991 demise of the Soviet Union. Moreover, the unforeseen Chernobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986, crystallized the horrors of a possible nuclear war. Thus, a new orientation to end the exorbitant arms race with the United States. Further, General Secretary Gorbachev promulgated new reforms, including, relaxing travel restrictions in 1989: "... [T]he shock that thousands of Soviet people experienced when they crossed Soviet borders and visited Western countries .... For first-time Soviet travelers to the West a visit to a supermarket produced the biggest effect. The contrast between half-empty, gloomy Soviet food stores and glittering Western palaces with an abundant selection of food was mind-boggling.... This experience changed Soviet travelers forever" (p. 82). At times, repetitive and somewhat confusing. For instance, U.S. President Bush needed Gorbachev's approval for his Iraq offense, which was initially described on Page 143, then inexplicably again, on Page 172. On another occasion, the author indicated that Yeltsin was influenced by Alexander Solzhenitsyn's brochure "How To Rebuild Russia," on Page 150, which is again repeated, on Page 173. Scrupulous editing needed. Notwithstanding such glitches, nonetheless, a fascinating detailed portrayal of the unexpected implosion of a superpower. Having read other books on the subject, if I had to select only ONE about the USSR collapse, I would choose this as the best.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2025
A
Verified Purchase
Andrew Platek
Charlottesville, US
★★★★★ 5
Thought Provoking
Format: Kindle
I bought this book after I heard the author on a podcast. Growing up in the US we have been inundated with the story that the collapse of the Soviet Union was an inevitable triumph of liberal, Western values. I had my doubts. Even poorly run dictatorships can muddle along for years. What the author did was center Gorbachev in the story. He was the eye of the storm. It was the terrible combination of Gorbachev’s ambitious idealism and gross ineptitude that led to the dismantling of the Soviet Union. Unlike much of Marxist historical narratives which emphasize the forces of history; the author shows that it’s individuals who shape events and are shaped by them. A different person than Gorbachev could have turned the tide in a different direction and left us a different world than we have today. This is a history book that teaches lessons not just about the Soviet Union but about human history in general.
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Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2025
L
Verified Purchase
Luca turin
New York, US
★★★★★ 5
A compelling account of the fall of the USSR
Format: Kindle
Zubok describes blow by blow the series of decisions that sent the USSR towards disaster. Gorbachev, widely hated in Russia, comes across as principled but indecisive, ignorant of economics, and incapable of translating his worship of Lenin into coherent action. The book reads like a thriller despite the density of facts. Zubok is a pessimist, but his thesis is convincing.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2024

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