Authors' Stories
Written by Naomi Kritzer
I'm a local SF/F writer; I sold my first stories professionally in 1999 or 2000 and my first novel came out in 2002. Sometime around the time my second or third novel came out, I called Uncle Hugo's to see if I could set up a signing and said something like, "hi, I'm a local science fiction writer and I was wondering if I could do a signing."
"Maybe," said the person (Elizabeth, I think) on the other end of the phone. "Could you tell me a little about your book?"
I started to briefly describe the book and got as far as the title when she interrupted me and said, "Wait, is this Naomi?!?"
I said, "...Yes?"
She said, "WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY HI, THIS IS NAOMI KRITZER?"
I said, "I didn't want to assume you knew who I was?"
"WE READ SCIENCE FICTION, OF COURSE WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE," she said, and pulled out the calendar to list dates I could come in to sign.
"Maybe," said the person (Elizabeth, I think) on the other end of the phone. "Could you tell me a little about your book?"
I started to briefly describe the book and got as far as the title when she interrupted me and said, "Wait, is this Naomi?!?"
I said, "...Yes?"
She said, "WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY HI, THIS IS NAOMI KRITZER?"
I said, "I didn't want to assume you knew who I was?"
"WE READ SCIENCE FICTION, OF COURSE WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE," she said, and pulled out the calendar to list dates I could come in to sign.
Written by Jo Walton
In 2001 I was fan guest of honor at Minicon, and I stayed for a few days before the con with Elise Mathessen. It was only my second trip to the US. The first day she took me to Uncle Hugos, and it was my first time in an actual US science fiction bookstore, and it was both exactly like UK ones and completely different because it was full of American books. I was just blown away. And they had my first novel on the shelves too, which was very exciting. Later that same day she took me to Dreamhaven. I've been to Uncle Hugos to do signings a couple of times since then, and every time I went in I remembered the thrill of going there the first time.
Written by Steve Miller & Sharon Lee
Back in 1988, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's first two Liaden Universe® novels – Agent of Change and Conflict of Honors – were published to modest interest by Del Rey books. In 1989 the third Liaden novel, Carpe Diem came out, again to modest interest – as we thought at the time. All three of the books went into extra printings, but the world was not set on fire by them and eventually Del Rey denied interest in a fourth Miller and Lee book and the series went quiet for years, leaving us with an unfinished series which other publishers somehow neglected to pick up. Our editor at Del Rey told us point blank that we didn’t have a career in science fiction.
We are, however, stubborn – the most important tool in the Writers Toolbox, and we continued to write, and in the Liaden Universe® – short fiction and novels, which went into the trunk, unsold.
This all took place in BtI (Before the Internet), though there was a burgeoning world of computer BBS networks and this network brought us the heartening news that many fans were reading our Liaden books (borrowed from friends, from the library, used copies traded back and forth across the ocean, even!) and wanted more. With several pieces of short Liaden fiction to hand, in 1995 we told a group of fans we would self-publish a (paper – ebooks weren't a Thing, then) chapbook of two stories, if they wanted. In time for the winter holidays.
We were surprised to receive preorders for 101 copies of Two Tales of Korval and in view of printing costs we ordered 200 copies. Once the holiday orders were shipped, Steve called Uncle Hugo's to see if there might be interest, and managed to say, “Hi, I’m Steve Miller, and awhile back Sharon Lee and I wrote some books in the Liaden Universe® and …” before I was interrupted by, "I know who you are! When's Plan B coming out?"
The voice belonged to Scott Imes, and, as we later discovered, he and other Uncle staffers had been hand-selling new and used Liaden books to fans for years. He loved them, he told us, and sight unseen he agreed on around a dozen copies of the new chapbook – signed, of course – and pressed us to get Plan B (which Liaden fans had determined by themselves to be the title of the fourth book) out to fans as quickly as possible, there was, he said, a lot of demand for more Liaden stories.
That was an energizing experience for us, as were the multiple re-orders of that first chapbook. In the way of things, when the winter holidays again came 'round, there also came fan requests for a Liaden chapbook, which we fulfilled, pre-selling as well to Uncle Hugo's.
After that, and for well over a decade, Uncle Hugo's regularly ordered our holiday chapbooks, and, once Meisha Merlin picked up the Liaden series – old books and new – Uncle Hugo's was right there, hand-selling and promoting our work, helping us reach our first bestseller list, with Plan B (yes, we titled the fourth book Plan B, how could we not?)
Eventually we began being asked to be Guests of Honor at SF conventions across the country and we managed to divert several train trips home to Minneapolis to sign in person at the Uncles. One trip we actually signed for two days; one announced and for fans and readers; the other so that we could sign stock, which turned into much of an all-day affair.
Our last trip to the area was an extremely tightly scheduled convention next to the Mall of America, and since we couldn’t get time to be away from the hotel, Don himself brought boxes of books to the convention site, where we signed them in program breaks between breakfast and lunch.
Don was practical about our books and over the years we developed a habit of having boxes of our next novels shipped to us in Maine for signing so that Uncle Hugo could feed that pent up demand.
We’re trying to figure out how to do it this year as well – we have a book out in December – and fans from around the world have told us they want to get their signed copies, as they always do, from Uncle Hugo. The Uncle has sold thousands of our books, and we’d all like that to go on.
Of possible note to completists: There is a character in the Liaden Universe® known to those who know him at all as The Uncle. He mostly works behind the galactic scene to ensure that things are working properly – which is to say, as he himself would like them to work.
We are, however, stubborn – the most important tool in the Writers Toolbox, and we continued to write, and in the Liaden Universe® – short fiction and novels, which went into the trunk, unsold.
This all took place in BtI (Before the Internet), though there was a burgeoning world of computer BBS networks and this network brought us the heartening news that many fans were reading our Liaden books (borrowed from friends, from the library, used copies traded back and forth across the ocean, even!) and wanted more. With several pieces of short Liaden fiction to hand, in 1995 we told a group of fans we would self-publish a (paper – ebooks weren't a Thing, then) chapbook of two stories, if they wanted. In time for the winter holidays.
We were surprised to receive preorders for 101 copies of Two Tales of Korval and in view of printing costs we ordered 200 copies. Once the holiday orders were shipped, Steve called Uncle Hugo's to see if there might be interest, and managed to say, “Hi, I’m Steve Miller, and awhile back Sharon Lee and I wrote some books in the Liaden Universe® and …” before I was interrupted by, "I know who you are! When's Plan B coming out?"
The voice belonged to Scott Imes, and, as we later discovered, he and other Uncle staffers had been hand-selling new and used Liaden books to fans for years. He loved them, he told us, and sight unseen he agreed on around a dozen copies of the new chapbook – signed, of course – and pressed us to get Plan B (which Liaden fans had determined by themselves to be the title of the fourth book) out to fans as quickly as possible, there was, he said, a lot of demand for more Liaden stories.
That was an energizing experience for us, as were the multiple re-orders of that first chapbook. In the way of things, when the winter holidays again came 'round, there also came fan requests for a Liaden chapbook, which we fulfilled, pre-selling as well to Uncle Hugo's.
After that, and for well over a decade, Uncle Hugo's regularly ordered our holiday chapbooks, and, once Meisha Merlin picked up the Liaden series – old books and new – Uncle Hugo's was right there, hand-selling and promoting our work, helping us reach our first bestseller list, with Plan B (yes, we titled the fourth book Plan B, how could we not?)
Eventually we began being asked to be Guests of Honor at SF conventions across the country and we managed to divert several train trips home to Minneapolis to sign in person at the Uncles. One trip we actually signed for two days; one announced and for fans and readers; the other so that we could sign stock, which turned into much of an all-day affair.
Our last trip to the area was an extremely tightly scheduled convention next to the Mall of America, and since we couldn’t get time to be away from the hotel, Don himself brought boxes of books to the convention site, where we signed them in program breaks between breakfast and lunch.
Don was practical about our books and over the years we developed a habit of having boxes of our next novels shipped to us in Maine for signing so that Uncle Hugo could feed that pent up demand.
We’re trying to figure out how to do it this year as well – we have a book out in December – and fans from around the world have told us they want to get their signed copies, as they always do, from Uncle Hugo. The Uncle has sold thousands of our books, and we’d all like that to go on.
Of possible note to completists: There is a character in the Liaden Universe® known to those who know him at all as The Uncle. He mostly works behind the galactic scene to ensure that things are working properly – which is to say, as he himself would like them to work.
