I did a mini-interview with the venerable science-fiction/fantasy author about a week ago. Never one to mince words, Mr. Anthony has a unique insight as he himself has fought with publishers, agents, and the status quo of the industry for decades. He has made it his mission to help aspiring authors and has never been one to sit idle or mute while he or others are abused by the industry.
So without further ado, here is a short interview with the Xanth author.
*Do you believe e-books will overthrow traditional print publishing? If so, what timeframe do you think this will occur in?
At such time as they develop a truly light, compact, versatile, durable and cheap ebook reader that a person can carry around like a paperback book, the race will be on. I doubt that straight print books will ever fade entirely, but the main business should shift to electronic, maybe within a decade.
*Have you ever created a villain that you actually ended up hating by the end of the book?
I don't think so.
*Some have said that the SF/Fantasy industry is suffering from over-saturation. What is the best piece of advice you can give for an aspiring newbie trying to break in to differentiate their novel from the pack?
Do the same thing, only with an original take. Readers like the familiar, and they like novelty; the trick is to find a way to combine them effectively.
*You're a vegetarian. Does this fact have any effect on your writing? i.e., does it make it more difficult to write characters that eat meat?
It does to a degree. Mostly I avoid the subject.
*You have commented in the past that the industry still has reservations about certain "controversial" subjects. Your novel Volk, about a WW2 German soldier, for example, encountered many roadblocks as you tried to get it published. Do you feel that as time goes by, people are becoming more open to books like this?
I'm not sure they are. Volk never achieved conventional publication, only with a small electronic press that failed, then self published at Xlibris. It has been available for 17 years; no traditional publisher has been interested.
*Speaking of controversial, what about your erotic fantasy books like Pornucopia? Do you think the industry is becoming more open to such works or is the opposite the case?
Thanks to the electronic publishers of erotic fiction, it is becoming more open. But the industry has a way to go.
*Given the recent events in Texas regarding the polygamist sect, do you feel polygamy will become more or less accetable in fiction novels?
In fiction, anything goes; I don't think Texas will affect it one way or the other.
*With more and more incidents of "less than legitimate" American Publishers coming onto the scene of late, do you feel there should be a national board to certify publishers? (There are already groups who try to verify publishers' legitimacy but should there be a group that MUST verify them before they can operate?) Or should the industry remain mostly unregulated? Should this board be handled by the government (like the FDA is for drugs) or should it be self-regulated by the industry (like the ESRB is with gaming.)
I am wary of such a board. I fear it would quickly be taken over by prudes who would de-certify any publisher that tried to do something provocative. I think publishers should be tracked and reported on, as I do with electronic publishers at my HiPiers.com ( www.hipiers.com/publishing.html/), but not regulated.
*The success of Harry Potter and its impact on the writing industry is unquestionable. However, do you think that it will make it harder for "hard fantasy" that is more violent or sexual to gain popularity? Or do you think those who learn to love reading with Rowling's books will be more likely to graduate up to more hardcore books? Or do you think fans of Harry Potter and fans of harder fantasy/sci-fi will forever remain divided for the most part?
I think that some readers brought in by Harry Potter will find their way to other fantasy, as was the case with those brought in before by Lord of the Rings.
*There was a video game, Companions of Xanth, based on your Xanth novels many years ago. Have you ever thought about having another one made? An Incarnations of Immortality game would sell millions.
A second game was made - and the company never released it. If game makers ever get interested in other series of mine, I'd love to see it happen.
*Do you think the economy and the state of society in general are affecting the fiction industry? Do you think people will buy more fiction works to help them escape, or do you think they will buy less?
It is hard to tell these days. Fiction used to be a refuge from poverty, but with the Internet attracting people, that may become the ultimate refuge.
*If you had the choice between being able to fly or make yourself invisible, which would you choose?
Wow! I never encountered that question before. I think I would choose invisibility, because it could save my life if a mob attacked me.
*What will next week's winning lottery numbers be?
I don't play the lottery, so am not expert here.
Thank you very much for your time.
So without further ado, here is a short interview with the Xanth author.
*Do you believe e-books will overthrow traditional print publishing? If so, what timeframe do you think this will occur in?
At such time as they develop a truly light, compact, versatile, durable and cheap ebook reader that a person can carry around like a paperback book, the race will be on. I doubt that straight print books will ever fade entirely, but the main business should shift to electronic, maybe within a decade.
*Have you ever created a villain that you actually ended up hating by the end of the book?
I don't think so.
*Some have said that the SF/Fantasy industry is suffering from over-saturation. What is the best piece of advice you can give for an aspiring newbie trying to break in to differentiate their novel from the pack?
Do the same thing, only with an original take. Readers like the familiar, and they like novelty; the trick is to find a way to combine them effectively.
*You're a vegetarian. Does this fact have any effect on your writing? i.e., does it make it more difficult to write characters that eat meat?
It does to a degree. Mostly I avoid the subject.
*You have commented in the past that the industry still has reservations about certain "controversial" subjects. Your novel Volk, about a WW2 German soldier, for example, encountered many roadblocks as you tried to get it published. Do you feel that as time goes by, people are becoming more open to books like this?
I'm not sure they are. Volk never achieved conventional publication, only with a small electronic press that failed, then self published at Xlibris. It has been available for 17 years; no traditional publisher has been interested.
*Speaking of controversial, what about your erotic fantasy books like Pornucopia? Do you think the industry is becoming more open to such works or is the opposite the case?
Thanks to the electronic publishers of erotic fiction, it is becoming more open. But the industry has a way to go.
*Given the recent events in Texas regarding the polygamist sect, do you feel polygamy will become more or less accetable in fiction novels?
In fiction, anything goes; I don't think Texas will affect it one way or the other.
*With more and more incidents of "less than legitimate" American Publishers coming onto the scene of late, do you feel there should be a national board to certify publishers? (There are already groups who try to verify publishers' legitimacy but should there be a group that MUST verify them before they can operate?) Or should the industry remain mostly unregulated? Should this board be handled by the government (like the FDA is for drugs) or should it be self-regulated by the industry (like the ESRB is with gaming.)
I am wary of such a board. I fear it would quickly be taken over by prudes who would de-certify any publisher that tried to do something provocative. I think publishers should be tracked and reported on, as I do with electronic publishers at my HiPiers.com ( www.hipiers.com/publishing.html/), but not regulated.
*The success of Harry Potter and its impact on the writing industry is unquestionable. However, do you think that it will make it harder for "hard fantasy" that is more violent or sexual to gain popularity? Or do you think those who learn to love reading with Rowling's books will be more likely to graduate up to more hardcore books? Or do you think fans of Harry Potter and fans of harder fantasy/sci-fi will forever remain divided for the most part?
I think that some readers brought in by Harry Potter will find their way to other fantasy, as was the case with those brought in before by Lord of the Rings.
*There was a video game, Companions of Xanth, based on your Xanth novels many years ago. Have you ever thought about having another one made? An Incarnations of Immortality game would sell millions.
A second game was made - and the company never released it. If game makers ever get interested in other series of mine, I'd love to see it happen.
*Do you think the economy and the state of society in general are affecting the fiction industry? Do you think people will buy more fiction works to help them escape, or do you think they will buy less?
It is hard to tell these days. Fiction used to be a refuge from poverty, but with the Internet attracting people, that may become the ultimate refuge.
*If you had the choice between being able to fly or make yourself invisible, which would you choose?
Wow! I never encountered that question before. I think I would choose invisibility, because it could save my life if a mob attacked me.
*What will next week's winning lottery numbers be?
I don't play the lottery, so am not expert here.
Thank you very much for your time.
