Science fiction and novels

[Jules Siegel]

At 08:55 AM 04/30/97 GMT+0200, "Craig Clark" <CLARK at SHEPFS2.UND.AC.ZA> wrote:
>Jules Siegel writes:
>
>> Joanna Russ writes science fiction and novels.
>
>Are these two mututally exclusive, then?

No, but I was in a hurry and I wasn't sure if she wrote only science fiction
novels, so I put in the "and" to divide the two. Expedient but not very
accurate.

The science fiction vs literature issue is really annoying. I am in the
process (25 years) of writing a novel called "Forbidden Dreams: Fragments of
a Novel in Progress" which consists of dream-like states rendered with
absolute realism, framed in a tight plot, chase and climax. It's also
illustrated with photographs, drawings and internal documents.

In order to capture the universal quality of the dream-like state, I've
eliminated all references to real time and place and even invented languages
and character sets. I'm still working on that part. It's one of the hardest,
because I don't want to interrupt the narrative flow. Everyone who has read
this so far loves it, but they all ask the same thing: is this science
fiction...or? Even Dale asked this.

The one editor who's read it was tempted but told me she would have serious
problems in trying to get it past sales because she can't put it in a
specific slot. And she's editor-in-chief at a major publisher! Unbelievable
horror stories are coming out of the publishing industry because of the
proliferation of superstores. They are applying marketing concepts based on
soap. This is mathematically absurd because of the disproportion of numbers.
They are using statistical methods based on millions for trade books. A
trade book that sells 50,000 copies a year for 20 years makes the author and
publisher quite prosperous. They *pray* for this. Now enter the marketing
folks and too few cases for the probabilities. Uh-oh.

This strategy is the reason for the 200,000 advance order on M&D and why
Dale was baffled. Holt has put Pynchon's book at very serious risk. If it
doesn't sell fast, they are going to take a bath, as well as inflict great
damage on his commercial reputation. Pynchon is a classic back list author.
He just sells and sells and sells. I hope it works, if only because his
success will help "Lineland," but also because he's a major force in keeping
alive the tradition of the odd, eccentric and very special book that not
everyone loves (or can even read) but has its own fiercely loyal market.

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