Lou Anders Interview: The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction

I was honored to be one of the people quoted in Philip Athans' The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction: 6 Steps to Writing and Publishing Your Bestseller!. The book has an introduction and original story by R.A. Salvatore, and features quotes from a number of SFF luminaries, including Kevin J. Anderson, Terry Brooks, Paul Park, our own Mike Resnick, and others.

Today, author Philip Athans takes some of the unused material from our conversation and spins it into an interview over on his blog, The Fantasy Author's Handbook.

I hope you'll read the full interview, but here is a sample:

Athans: What is the one novel every aspiring fantasy author has to read?

Anders: It isn’t The Lord of the Rings. I can’t tell you how many people pitch me with their brilliant fantasy concept, and when I grill them on who they read, it’s Tolkien and no one else or since. If you want to sell fantasy in today’s market, then you need to have read George R.R. Martin, Steven Erikson, Patrick Rothfuss, Joe Abercrombie, David Anthony Durham, Brent Weeks. Look at what’s selling now. Read what’s selling now.

 Also: Man, that's an old picture!