SFFWorld News - 02 23 09
(2009-02-23)
Mainly an Awards round-up this time!
Books
Locus reports that in these times of ‘credit crunch’, that book sales for December 2008 are an improvement – up 9.7% to $1.5 billion, according to the Association of American Publishers, though still down by 2.4% for the year-to-date.
What might be interesting is the trend about what’s being bought, though. There’s a growth in Young Adult sales, a decrease in hardcovers but an increase in paperback sales.
Adult hardcovers were down 10.3% for the month at $113.3 million; down 13.0% YTD. Paperbacks increased 12.5% and 3.6% for the year. Mass markets dropped 8.3%, down 3.0% YTD. YA hardcovers jumped 124.6% to $115.1 million in sales, down 12.4% YTD. YA paperbacks increased 37.0; 6.4% YTD.
One that slipped our notice last month: HarperCollins will later this year publish the previously unseen The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún, J.R.R. Tolkien's narrative-verse retelling of the Norse legend of Sigurd the Völsung. Tolkien wrote the poem during the '20s and '30s while teaching at Oxford, before he wrote The Lord of the Rings. The book, edited and with an introduction by the author's son Christopher Tolkien, is scheduled for a May 2009 hardcover release.
Some have got very excited about the release of the second version of the Kindle book reader since last we spoke.
Award Announcements
From Locus: SFWA President Russell Davis announced on February 16 that Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, etc., has been named recipient of the Bradbury Award for excellence in screenwriting. Whedon will be presented the award during the Nebula Awards Weekend in Los Angeles, California, April 24-26, 2009.
Also from Locus: SFWA President Russell Davis also announced that Kate Wilhelm, Martin H. Greenberg, and the late Algis Budrys are the recipients of the inaugural Solstice Awards in 2009. The award, created in 2008 and given at the discretion of the SFWA president with the majority approval of the Board of Directors, is for individuals who have had "a significant impact on the science fiction or fantasy landscape, and is particularly intended for those who have consistently made a major, positive difference within the speculative fiction field."
The Solstice Awards will be presented during the Nebula Awards Weekend in Los Angeles CA, April 24-26, 2009. Harry Harrison will also be honored as Damon Knight Grand Master, M.J. Engh as Author Emerita, and Victoria Strauss will receive the SFWA Service Award.
Further details on the David Gemmell Legend Awards to be held in the UK later this year have been announced. The ceremony will be held at the HQ of 'The Magic Circle' in London (near to Euston Station) on Friday 19th June 2009. It is a gala 'black tie' (and posh frock!) event, with the Ceremony itself and then a reception. There is planned a charitable auction on the night for the Awards nominated charity, 'Medicines Sans Frontiers'.
The UK's FantasyCon 2009’s Guests of Honour have been announced. They are Jasper Fforde (The Eyre Affair), Brian Clemens (The Avengers TV series) and Gail Z. Martin (Chronicles of the Necromancer series).
LATER EDIT: From Locus. The Nebula Award nominees have been announced. They are:
Novels: Little Brother, Cory Doctorow (Tor); Powers, Ursula K. Le Guin (Harcourt); Cauldron, Jack McDevitt (Ace); Brasyl, Ian McDonald (Pyr); Making Money, Terry Pratchett (Harper); Superpowers, David J. Schwartz (Three Rivers).
Novellas: "The Spacetime Pool", Catherine Asaro (Analog 3/08); "Dark Heaven", Gregory Benford (Alien Crimes); Dangerous Space, Kelley Eskridge (Dangerous Space); "The Political Prisoner", Charles Coleman Finlay (F&SF 8/08); The Duke in His Castle, Vera Nazarian (Norilana).
Novelettes: "If Angels Fight", Richard Bowes (F&SF 2/08); "Dark Rooms", Lisa Goldstein (Asimov’s 10-11/07); "Pride and Prometheus", John Kessel (F&SF 1/08); "Night Wind", Mary Rosenblum (Lace and Blade); "Baby Doll", Johanna Sinisalo, David Hackston, trans. (The SFWA European Hall of Fame); "Kaleidoscope", K.D. Wentworth (F&SF 5/07).
Stories: "The Button Bin", Mike Allen (Helix 10/07); "The Dreaming Wind", Jeffrey Ford (The Coyote Road); "Trophy Wives", Nina Kiriki Hoffman (Fellowship Fantastic); "26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss", Kij Johnson (Asimov’s 7/08); "The Tomb Wife", Gwyneth Jones (F&SF 8/07); "Don’t Stop", James Patrick Kelly (Asimov’s 6/07).
Scripts: The Dark Knight, Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer (Warner Bros.); "The Shrine", Brad Wright (Stargate Atlantis); WALL-E, Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Peter Docter (Pixar).
Andre Norton Award: Graceling, Kristin Cashore (Harcourt); Lamplighter, D.M. Cornish; Savvy, Ingrid Law (Dial); The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Mary E. Pearson (Holt); Flora's Dare, Ysabeau S. Wilce (Harcourt).
The winners will be announced during the 2009 Nebula Awards Weekend, April 24-26, 2009 in Los Angeles CA.
Oscars / Academy Awards:
Congratulations to The Dark Knight on the Oscar for Best Sound Editing and also Heath Ledger on winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in the 81st Awards held in Los Angeles on the 22nd February. Similarly, (if we count it as a genre film), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button won three Oscars, for Best Makeup, Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction. Disney/Pixar’s Wall-E won Best Animated Feature Film.
Other Movie News:
Speaking of The Dark Knight, the film has become only the fourth movie in history to cross the $1 billion mark at the box office.
Warner Brothers have announced that Christopher Nolan's film, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, has now grossed $1,001,082,160 worldwide.
The superhero movie now ranks in fourth place in the list of the highest-grossing films of all time, behind Titanic ($1.84 billion), The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King ($1.13 billion) and Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($1.06 billion).
Looking ahead to next year, perhaps, Wil Wheaton (of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame) has seen the Watchmen movie and liked what he saw. (Note: Link may not be suitable for work.)
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