True story. While working full-time as an editor at Tor, I received a proposal for a guide to African-American baby names. Now this is a perfectly worthy idea for a book, that might do very well for the right publisher, but why on Earth would you submit it to a science fiction editor—unless you’re just working your…

Surely somebody MUST have done vampire mermaids by now! :)

Well, I wasn’t so much adding anything as elaborating on one of your points. But, yeah, there are all sorts of reasons for rejecting things that have nothing to do with the content . . . or anything as silly as vampire mermaids. It may just be that you’ve already bought too many other first novels this quarter, or too…

Good article. You need to develop a tough skin AND remain open to valid criticism, which is easier said than done.

And, just to reiterate one of your points: that rejection may have little or nothing do with the actual quality of your story and much more to do with the publisher’s needs and issues at the moment:

“Okay,…

Hah! Believe it or not, there’s actually a sequel to the original novel in which the Ripper is transformed into a woman (due to weird time travel stuff): JACLYN THE RIPPER by Karl Alexander, author of TIME AFTER TIME.

Basically, Harve Bennett wrote the bookends in the future, but Meyer wrote all the fish-out-of-water, time-travel stuff in 1980s San Francisco.

And wrote a bestselling Sherlock Holmes novel AND directed THE DAY AFTER, a Reagan-era miniseries that was quite the big deal at the time. Cover of TIME magazine, that kind of thing.

Gotta add to the chorus of voices wondering at “obscure.” Sure, it’s not as famous as, say, STAR WARS and THE TERMINATOR, but it’s certainly fondly remembered by a fans of a certain age. By coincidence, my girlfriend and I were reminiscing about the movie just the other day, and quoting the dialogue to each other by…

No surprise there. Nicholas Meyer, who directed TIME AFTER TIME, also worked on the screenplay for STAR TREK IV.

A quick list of some of my favorite cult movies:

Spider Baby

This conceit pops up in old movies sometimes, such as 1936’s THE INVISIBLE RAY with Karloff and Lugosi.

Spoiler: Karloff did it—as proven by his image in a dead man’s eyes.

Can I shamelessly plug a book series I edit? Each book in R.S. Belcher’s Weird Western series, currently comprised of THE SIX-GUN TAROT and THE SHOTGUN ARCANA, has a standalone adventure, but the characters and their relationships continue from book to book.

In defense of the rules: Yes, they’re not written in stone and a good writer can break them IF they know what they’re doing. But I’ve read enough slush to know that’s a big if.

The rules are less hard-and-fast commandments, but more like safety advisories. “Warning: hazards ahead. Proceed with caution. Kids, don’t try…

And then there’s the middle ground, where the book reaches a satisfying conclusion, but leaves room for future adventure or more stories to be told elsewhere in the same universe—should there be sufficient demand.

Thanks for the kind words. I enjoyed writing that book—and I admit the fanboy in me was thrilled to fly out to Hollywood and check out the props and costumes firsthand.

That’s what I was wondering. I figured it would be #1 on the list.

One of the better vampires novels of the last few decades, and one that cries out to filmed.

Bingo. In most continuities, Diana is the daughter of Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons.

Trivia: George R.R. Martin actually wrote “The Skin Trade,” a horror novella about were-dire wolf long before he wrote “Game of Thrones.”

A lovely weekend on a remote English island. What could possibly go wrong?

Good one! I should have thought of that.