ReaderCon is the science fiction and fantasy convention devoted specifically to books and reading, and attracts some of the best authors in the field (and in some cases, out of it). Below are my interviews, mostly about the future of publishing and genre, conducted with (in chronological order) Gavin Grant, Charles Stross, Barry Malzberg, Cathrynne M. Valente, Junot Diaz, Samuel R. Delany, Elizabeth Hand, John Clute, John Kessel, Alexander Jablokov, Ted Chiang, Gary K. Wolfe and Peter Straub.
Apologies for the sound and picture quality. I forgot my own Flip camera at home, and ended up borrowing someone's picture camera, and then for some reason holding it on its side, so that to get a standard dimension video I had to crop it in the middle, meaning everyone looks like they're poking their head over a wall. But I think I got some great material from my subjects, who were pretty universally enlightening.
Gavin Grant, Co-Publisher of Small Beer Press along with the inimitable Kelly Link, talks about their new ebook venture,Weightless Books.
Charles Stross, ReaderCon Guest of Honor and author of Accelerando, Overtime and many others, talks about the future of publishing and ebooks
Barry Malzberg, author of Breakfast in the Ruins, Underlay and many others, talks about the future of publishing and why it will be unrecognizable.
Cathrynne M. Valente, author of Palimpsest and The Girl Who Navigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making talks about the future of publishing and her experience with successful self-publishing on the Internet.
Junot Diaz winner of the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, talks about the future of publishing and the future of genre and literary awards.
Samuel R. Delany, author Dhalgren, Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders, Tales of Nevèrÿon and many others, talks about the future of publishing and the blending of genre.
Elizabeth Hand, author of Generation Loss, Saffron and Brimstone and many others, talks about the future of publishing and the enduring nature of storytelling.
Author and critic John Clute gives an in depth, deeply considered evaluation of the state and future of the publishing industry.
John Kessel, author of The Baum Plan for Financial Independence and co-anthologist of The Secret History of Science Fiction, among many other books and anthologies, talks about the future of publishing and the future of science fiction.
Alexander Jablokov, author of Deepdrive and Brain Thief among others, talks about the future of publishing and the future of genre.
Ted Chiang, author of The Story of Your Life and Others (and one of my favorite short story writers), talks about the future of publishing and genre.
Gary K. Wolfe, critic and author of Critical Terms for Science Fiction and Fantasy: A Glossary and Guide to Scholarship, talks about the future of publishing and the future of genre, and why reading will return to the state it was centuries past.
Peter Straub, author of The Skylark, A Dark Matter, Mr.X and many others, talks about the future of publishing and genre.