No major news for August--unless you count the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards leaks--for Philippine speculative fiction.
Philippine Genre Stories continues its regular output of stories, with "Stars" by Yvette Tan and "Fragrant Blood" by Elyss Punsalan. Kristine Ong Muslim has a flash fiction piece, "The Next Generation," published in the August 2011 issue of Black Lantern Publishing.
The two stand-outs for the month, however, is "Disappearances" by Exie Abola (it's also the second prize winner for short story in English in the 2011 Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards), published in The Philippines Free Press, and "Worth It" by Yvette Tan, a flash fiction piece (one among five) published in the July 2011 issue of Uno Magazine.
And for aspiring Filipino writers, deadline for submissions for Philippine Speculative Fiction Vol. 7 is at the end of September.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
August 31, 2011 Links and Plugs
It's the last two days for the World SF Travel Fund. Also signal boosting the Strange Horizons fund drive.
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
News
Circle of Enemies by Harry Connolly
Interviews and Profiles
- John Scalzi's The Big Idea: Marie Brennan.
- Charles Stross at Apple (video) (1|2|3).
- Dead Robots Society interviews Rachel Aaron (podcast).
- StarShipSofa interviews Gareth Powell (podcast).
- Angela Slatter interviews Jodi Cleghorn.
- The Functional Nerds interviews Chris Hart (podcast).
- Locus Roundtable: Conventions Part V, The Weird Stuff.
- Suvudu (Shawn Speakman) interviews Harry Connolly.
- Suvudu (Matt Staggs) interviews George R. R. Martin and Christopher Paolini (podcast).
Advice/Articles
- Book View Cafe (Deborah J. Ross) on Escapism? Yes, Please!
- Clarion Blog on Mark Lawrence.
- Chuck Wendig on 25 Things You Should Know About Self-Publishing.
- Kaaron Warren (Margo Lanagan) on What sparked ‘The Goosle’.
- Inkpunks (Andrew Romine) on Writing in Retrograde?
News
- Launch Pad 2012 Guest Instructor will be Geoffrey Landis.
- The 2011 Strange Horizons Fund Drive.
- Renovation & San Francisco, August 16-25 2011 photos by Ellen Datlow.
- Table of Contents: The Weird, edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer.
- S.J. Chambers and the Steampunk Bible–in England and France!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
August 30, 2011 Links and Plugs
Signal boosting Rose Lemberg's search for trans, genderqueer, and/or gender-changed themed speculative poems.
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
News
The Uncertain Places by Lisa Goldstein
Interviews and Profiles
- The World SF News Blog (Chesya Burke) interviews Karen Lord.
- Galactic Chat interviews Ben Peek (podcast).
- The New Yorker profiles Haruki Murakami.
- Speculate! interviews Robert Farnsworth, Don Bingle, Jerry Gordon, Paul Genesse, Maurice Broaddus, Elizabeth Vaughan and Ed Greenwood (podcast).
- Airship Ambassador interviews Gail Carriger.
- Omnivoracious (Neal Thompson) video of Lev Grossman.
- Suvudu (Matt Staggs) interviews Matthew Costello.
- Suvudu (Shawn Speakman) video of Lev Grossman.
- Diabolical Plots (Frank Dutkiewicz) interviews Michele Barrow & Jonathan Laden.
Advice/Articles
- Book View Cafe (Patricia Rice) on Writing vs Storytelling.
- Rachelle Gardner on You Are Not Tolstoy or Dickens.
- John Scalzi on When To Ignore Criticism (and How to Get People to Take Your Critique Seriously).
- Bryan Thomas Schmidt on Top 10 Tips For Using Social Media Well.
- Nathan Bransford on By the Time A Self-Published Author Hits it Big, Do They Really Need a Publisher?
- Clarion Blog (M.D. Benoit) on The Writer’s Craft #35 – How to keep up readers’ interest in a series.
- Catherynne M. Valente on Murder on the SF Express.
News
- Stephen King Launches ‘Provocative’ Radio Program.
- Tiptree Motherboard Receives Clareson Award.
- Hunger Games clip by MTV.
Monday, August 29, 2011
August 29, 2011 Links and Plugs
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
News
Briarpatch by Tim Pratt
- Adventures in SciFi Publishing interviews Daniel Polansky (podcast).
- Omnivoracious (Juliet Disparte) interviews Levv Grossman.
- Jonathan Strahan chats with Gary K. Wolfe (podcast).
Advice/Articles
- Creatures (John Langan) on “Everything Down Here Floats:” An Appreciation of Stephen King’s IT.
- Dagan Books on 6 Mistakes People Make In Their Cover Letters (FISH anthology edition).
- Book View Cafe (Laura Anne Gilman) on Practical Meerkat’s 52 Bits of Useful Info for Young (and Old) Writers, week 34.
- Book View Cafe (Sherwood Smith) on Titles.
- Juliette Wade on Should I meet writers, or write (or blog)? The writer's dual identity.
- Inkpunks (Jaym Gates) on I Love You, Hon, Will You Critique This For Me?
- Omnivoracious (Jeff VanderMeer) on Shared Worlds: Next Gen SF/F Writers Working Hard For Their Dream.
- Mail & Guardian (Gwen Ansell) on Cities real and imagined.
News
Friday, August 26, 2011
Essay: The Dichotomy of Language in the Philippines
One of the essays circulating recently is "Language, learning, identity, privilege" by James Soriano (Edit 2: it's inaccessible now but you can check the Google Cache). It's not an original or even fresh opinion: it's a never-ending debate that's plagued by the Philippines for the past few decades (and I'm sure it's an issue in other, multilingual countries as well).
Whenever someone raises the English vs. Filipino argument, they often miss two significant points.
The first point is context and this is very important. A lot of people assume that Filipino is the de facto language of the country when it's not: it's transitioned from Spanish to English to Filipino (and sometimes, switching back to one or simultaneously having two national languages). Just look at the country's iconic (if not contentiously important) novels: Noli Me Tangere by Jose Rizal was written in Spanish, The Woman Who Had Two Navels by Nick Joaquin was written in English, and Bata, Bata... Pa'no Ka Ginawa? by Luwalhati Bautista was written in Filipino.
There is the belief that one language is "more Filipino" than the other but we have to understand that history is dynamic and constantly changing. English (together with Pilipino) might have been the vernacular during the Martial Law era when English was the National Language while Filipino the common tongue during the Cory Aquino administration when English was replaced. It would also be important to note the evolution of the language, as there was a time when Filipino exclusively used the abakada alphabet with just 20 letters, but how modern Filipino has expanded that repertoire into 28 (with letters c, j, v, etc. making the cut).
And while it's true that one language is used more often than the other in a particular context, you also have to ask where. I'm from Metro Manila so the common language I used every day is English and Filipino. But that's not necessarily the case in other regions like Visayas and Mindanao. There's a lot of dialects being used that's not represented by our National language (and another never-ending point of contention). To those who don't subscribe to the idea that Filipino is the language that best represents the entire archipelago, Filipino is as tyrannical and elitist as other foreign languages.
So when we talk about language and identity (which asks the question who we are), we also need to factor in when and where into the equation. It's not enough to say the Philippines as if there was just one Filipino experience, but clearly, generation gaps, locality, and personal experiences are all important elements.
The other point, and is perhaps the bigger problem, is our subscription to the ideology of dichotomies: something is either black or white, good or evil, positive or negative. It's a tempting paradigm, just as the concept of Schrödinger's cat at the very least gives pause to many people.
For example, as a personal experience, there's this belief that funerals and wakes should be depressing. The relatives of the deceased should be crying and mournful. While there is an atmosphere of sadness, for some family members, this is also a time of camaraderie, of seeing, talking, and empathizing with friends and relatives whom you don't often see. That's not to say you don't feel a sense of loss during a wake, but it's not the only emotion you're capable of experiencing. Both positive and negative emotions can take place simultaneously and the existence of one does not invalidate the other.
My difficulty with essays that frame the Filipino vs. English debate is that it becomes a zero-sum game where there is no room for co-existence.
Again, I've lived in Metro Manila, and as much as I'd like to say I speak in fluent English or in fluent Filipino, the reality is that most people fall somewhere in between. The mixing of both languages--"Tag-lish" as some of us call it--is natural, just as some might mix smatterings of Bicolano or Ilocano with Filipino or English (I was raised in a Filipino-Chinese atmosphere so I also encountered "Chi-Tag-Lish"). Even the recent text messaging lingo which we deride as Jejemon is a subversion of both English and Filipino so you can't get any more street-level than that.
Even within English and Filipino, the influence of one is evident in the other. For example, with English, terms like "salvage" or "the province" have a different meaning when compared to their Western counterparts. Filipino is constantly appropriating foreign words and another constant debate is the practice of colloquial Filipino vs. deep Filipino which is evident in word choices like tsapter vs. kabanata.
That's not to say there isn't any difference between English and Filipino--there is and only a fool would overlook that--but one of the prevailing ideologies is that English is an elitist (even imperialist) language while Filipino is the downtrodden underdog. My answer to such claims is that it's much more complicated than that and honestly, if you're just rooting for underdogs, there are other vastly underrepresented languages in the Philippines: they just don't happen to be national languages.
Another trend that I'm noticing--and its propaganda, based from personal experience, is incredibly effective if Soriano's column is any indication--is the English-language guilt: if you're fluent with English or if you have an American/English accent (or alternatively, if you don't speak in Filipino or do so with an accent), then you are somehow less Filipino than you ought to be. Again, this falls into the trap of dichotomy, and ignores the fact that English IS one of our national languages. True, it comes with imperialist baggage (and for the most part is the biggest contention against it), but we've also appropriated it as our own and to simply disregard it is to eschew its role in our history (both good and bad).
On one hand, I'm glad we're having this conversation. National pride and language are important matters to discuss. But my problem with limiting paradigms is that it doesn't really address the core questions that plague us. A lot of people will see this as a problem of language (English vs. Filipino) just as Soriano has framed it, but for me, the heart of the dilemma is how can we be responsible Filipinos, and that's going to be a very subjective answer. For me, it's more important to prove my virtue and nationalism through my actions and my decisions, rather than simply by the language that I speak (although that too is an integral factor) or how fluent I use it. As a writer, I recall that language isn't inherently good or evil, but a tool. There will be times when one language is best suited to a particular task, while at other times a different one is better. And in many ways, that's the beauty of the Philippines: we're a plurality of languages and cultures.
Edit: Just to clarify, that's not to disregard biases against Filipino. There is a negative bias in the country when you can't speak fluent English (but adept in Filipino), or how English proficiency is demanded--if not required--in a lot of business environments, or how the publishing industry favors English over Filipino (although there are exemptions). But raising awareness and appreciation of Filipino is not the same as tearing down English and those who choose to use it.
Whenever someone raises the English vs. Filipino argument, they often miss two significant points.
The first point is context and this is very important. A lot of people assume that Filipino is the de facto language of the country when it's not: it's transitioned from Spanish to English to Filipino (and sometimes, switching back to one or simultaneously having two national languages). Just look at the country's iconic (if not contentiously important) novels: Noli Me Tangere by Jose Rizal was written in Spanish, The Woman Who Had Two Navels by Nick Joaquin was written in English, and Bata, Bata... Pa'no Ka Ginawa? by Luwalhati Bautista was written in Filipino.
There is the belief that one language is "more Filipino" than the other but we have to understand that history is dynamic and constantly changing. English (together with Pilipino) might have been the vernacular during the Martial Law era when English was the National Language while Filipino the common tongue during the Cory Aquino administration when English was replaced. It would also be important to note the evolution of the language, as there was a time when Filipino exclusively used the abakada alphabet with just 20 letters, but how modern Filipino has expanded that repertoire into 28 (with letters c, j, v, etc. making the cut).
And while it's true that one language is used more often than the other in a particular context, you also have to ask where. I'm from Metro Manila so the common language I used every day is English and Filipino. But that's not necessarily the case in other regions like Visayas and Mindanao. There's a lot of dialects being used that's not represented by our National language (and another never-ending point of contention). To those who don't subscribe to the idea that Filipino is the language that best represents the entire archipelago, Filipino is as tyrannical and elitist as other foreign languages.
So when we talk about language and identity (which asks the question who we are), we also need to factor in when and where into the equation. It's not enough to say the Philippines as if there was just one Filipino experience, but clearly, generation gaps, locality, and personal experiences are all important elements.
The other point, and is perhaps the bigger problem, is our subscription to the ideology of dichotomies: something is either black or white, good or evil, positive or negative. It's a tempting paradigm, just as the concept of Schrödinger's cat at the very least gives pause to many people.
For example, as a personal experience, there's this belief that funerals and wakes should be depressing. The relatives of the deceased should be crying and mournful. While there is an atmosphere of sadness, for some family members, this is also a time of camaraderie, of seeing, talking, and empathizing with friends and relatives whom you don't often see. That's not to say you don't feel a sense of loss during a wake, but it's not the only emotion you're capable of experiencing. Both positive and negative emotions can take place simultaneously and the existence of one does not invalidate the other.
My difficulty with essays that frame the Filipino vs. English debate is that it becomes a zero-sum game where there is no room for co-existence.
Again, I've lived in Metro Manila, and as much as I'd like to say I speak in fluent English or in fluent Filipino, the reality is that most people fall somewhere in between. The mixing of both languages--"Tag-lish" as some of us call it--is natural, just as some might mix smatterings of Bicolano or Ilocano with Filipino or English (I was raised in a Filipino-Chinese atmosphere so I also encountered "Chi-Tag-Lish"). Even the recent text messaging lingo which we deride as Jejemon is a subversion of both English and Filipino so you can't get any more street-level than that.
Even within English and Filipino, the influence of one is evident in the other. For example, with English, terms like "salvage" or "the province" have a different meaning when compared to their Western counterparts. Filipino is constantly appropriating foreign words and another constant debate is the practice of colloquial Filipino vs. deep Filipino which is evident in word choices like tsapter vs. kabanata.
That's not to say there isn't any difference between English and Filipino--there is and only a fool would overlook that--but one of the prevailing ideologies is that English is an elitist (even imperialist) language while Filipino is the downtrodden underdog. My answer to such claims is that it's much more complicated than that and honestly, if you're just rooting for underdogs, there are other vastly underrepresented languages in the Philippines: they just don't happen to be national languages.
Another trend that I'm noticing--and its propaganda, based from personal experience, is incredibly effective if Soriano's column is any indication--is the English-language guilt: if you're fluent with English or if you have an American/English accent (or alternatively, if you don't speak in Filipino or do so with an accent), then you are somehow less Filipino than you ought to be. Again, this falls into the trap of dichotomy, and ignores the fact that English IS one of our national languages. True, it comes with imperialist baggage (and for the most part is the biggest contention against it), but we've also appropriated it as our own and to simply disregard it is to eschew its role in our history (both good and bad).
On one hand, I'm glad we're having this conversation. National pride and language are important matters to discuss. But my problem with limiting paradigms is that it doesn't really address the core questions that plague us. A lot of people will see this as a problem of language (English vs. Filipino) just as Soriano has framed it, but for me, the heart of the dilemma is how can we be responsible Filipinos, and that's going to be a very subjective answer. For me, it's more important to prove my virtue and nationalism through my actions and my decisions, rather than simply by the language that I speak (although that too is an integral factor) or how fluent I use it. As a writer, I recall that language isn't inherently good or evil, but a tool. There will be times when one language is best suited to a particular task, while at other times a different one is better. And in many ways, that's the beauty of the Philippines: we're a plurality of languages and cultures.
Edit: Just to clarify, that's not to disregard biases against Filipino. There is a negative bias in the country when you can't speak fluent English (but adept in Filipino), or how English proficiency is demanded--if not required--in a lot of business environments, or how the publishing industry favors English over Filipino (although there are exemptions). But raising awareness and appreciation of Filipino is not the same as tearing down English and those who choose to use it.
August 26, 2011 Links and Plugs
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
News
The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger
- Stephen Jones interviews Angela Slatter.
- Suvudu (Matt Staggs) interviews C.E. Murphy.
- Andy Rane interviews Nancy Fulda.
- Guardian Book Club Podcast on Neil Gaiman.
- Chuck Wendig interviews Simon Logan.
- Kaaron Warren profiles Sean Williams.
- The Portal interviews Cheryl Morgan.
- SFFWRTCHT: A Chat With Author/Musician Peter Orullian.
- John Scalzi's The Big Idea: Jim Ottaviani.
- Fantasy Matters (Jen Miller) interviews Sam Valentino.
- Black Gate (Sue Granquist) interviews Jason Contini, Nathan Contini, Justin Mitchiner and Nicholas Hearne.
Advice/Articles
- Bryan Thomas Schmidt on The Worker Prince Concept Art.
- Krisitine Kathryn Rusch on The Business Rusch: Odds, Ends, and More Slush Pile Truths.
- io9 on How technology has transformed short science fiction and fantasy.
- Bryan Thomas Schmidt on How To Copyright Your Prose.
- SF Novelists (James Alan Gardner) on The Skills List Project: Plot Units.
- Clarion Blog (Rachael Acks) on Spec Tech: Learning the Drill.
- Omnivoracious (JeffVanderMeer) on 2011 Hugo Awards Announced: Reaction From Winners Including Connie Willis.
- UTNE (Junot Diaz) on Dispatches from the Apocalypse.
- Tobias Buckell on Writers and pellets.
News
- Twelfth Planet Press supports the World SF Travel Fund.
- McSweeney's 3rd Annual Column Contest.
- Translation Awards News.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
August 25, 2011 Links and Plugs
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
News
The Whitefire Crossing by Courtney Schafer
- The Last Word interviews Lisa Mantchev.
- Angela Slatter interviews Rjurik Davidson.
- Short Story Geeks interviews Cory Doctorow (podcast).
- Creatures interviews Michael Kelly.
- Indyweek.com (Gerry Canavan) interviews Lev Grossman.
Advice/Articles
- The King of Elfland's Second Cousin reviews Summer, Fireworks, and My Corpse by Otsuichi.
- Book View Cafe (Shannon Donnelly) on Writing Muscles.
- Shimmer (Lisa L. Hannett) on Gathering Places for Infinite Worlds.
- Fantasy Matters (Monica Byrne) on Why Fantasy Matters: A Personal Apologia.
- Stroppy Author on How to speak publisher - C is for Character-led fiction.
- Jeff VanderMeer on Editing Fiction Anthologies.
- Inkpunks (Wendy Wagner) on Rewrite Requests.
- Geekfeminism on “Geek girls” and the problem of self-objectification.
News
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
August 24, 2011 Links and Plugs
Sad to hear about Ann VanderMeer's departure from Weird Tales.
Also signal boosting a friend's bake sale (there's books too...).
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
News
Low Town by Daniel Polansky
Also signal boosting a friend's bake sale (there's books too...).
Interviews and Profiles
- The Skiffy and Fanty Show interviews Erin Hoffman (podcast).
- John Scalzi's The Big Idea: Brenda Cooper.
- Lightspeed Magazine (John Joseph Adams & David Barr Kirtley) interviews Simon Pegg.
- Open Letters Monthly (Steve Donoghue) interviews Justin Gustainis.
- Joshua Palmatier profiles Caitlin Kittredge.
- The Fantasy Author's Handbook interviews Ari Marmell.
- Suvudu (Shawn Speakman) interviews Terry Brooks.
Advice/Articles
- Janice Hardy (Cynthia Leitich Smith) on How to Tantalize as a Graphic Novel.
- Nathan Bransford on There Is No Such Thing as an Overnight Success Story.
- Chuck Wendig on 25 Things Writers Should Know About Social Media.
- Mary Anne Mohanraj's New minority authors in SF/F syllabus.
- Nancy Fulda on 5 Ways to Support an Indie Author.
News
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
August 23, 2011 Links and Plugs
It's the last leg of the World SF Travel Fund so hopefully you can help fund it (we've already reached our goal but there's always the succeeding years to think about).
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
News
Ico by Miyuki Miyabe
Interviews and Profiles
- Apex (Stephanie Jacob) interviews Sara M. Harvey.
- Fantasy Magazine (T.J. McIntyre) interviews Michael Swanwick.
- Geekdad (Ethan Gilsdorf) interviews Guillermo Del Toro.
- Los Angeles Times (Alice Hoffman) profiles Ray Bradbury.
- Cartoon Doll Emporium interviews Peter S. Beagle.
- Kaaron Warren profiles Maurice Broaddus.
- Locus interviews David Langford.
Advice/Articles
- Strange Horizons (Vandana Singh) on Diffractions: On Science, Emotions, and Culture (Part 1).
- Rachelle Gardner on Author Advances: Is There Such Thing as Too Much?
- Solaris Editors (Juliet E. McKenna) on Writing Epic Fantasy, Reading Urban Fantasy.
- Clarion Blog (Kelly A. Harmon) on The Writer’s Craft #34 – What are Your Characters Consuming?
- Paul S. Kemp on Sticky Characters.
- Suvudu (Matt Staggs) on The Eleven People You Meet in the Zombie Apocalypse.
News
Monday, August 22, 2011
August 22, 2011 Links and Plugs
Congrats to the Hugo Award winners.
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
Link Arms with Toads! by Rhys Hughes
Interviews and Profiles
- The Guardian Live Web Chat with Kelly Link.
- Locus interviews Alisa Krasnostein and Paolo Bacigalupi.
- Ken Macleod interviews Cory Doctorow (video).
- Mike Brotherton on Science in the Movies (video).
- Suvudu (Matt Staggs) interviews Dr. Robert Curran.
Advice/Articles
- David J. Schwartz on Three Things That Worldbuilding Doesn't Replace.
- Inkpunks (Robert Jackson Bennett) on Critical reading means criticizing your reading.
- Book View Cafe (Ursula K. Le Guin) on Papa H.
- Book View Cafe (Laura Anne Gilman) on Practical Meerkat’s 52 Bits of Useful Info for Young (and Old) Writers, week 33.
- Book View Cafe (Sherwood Smith) on Writers on Writing: the white fire.
- Marjorie M. Liu on Word Play.
- Grasping for the Wind (Steve Davidson) on Science Fiction and Religion – a Marriage NOT Made in Heaven, Nor Even the Laboratory.
Friday, August 19, 2011
August 19, 2011 Links and Plugs
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
News
In Extremis by John Shirley
- Chuck Wendig interviews Anne Lyle.
- USA Book Queen interviews Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguié.
- Guardian interviews Neil Gaiman.
- Guardian interviews Neil Gaiman (video).
- Adventures in SciFi Publishing interviews Justin Gustainis (podcast).
- Dead Robots Society interviews Robin Sullivan (podcast).
- Fantasy Book Critic (Mihir Wanchoo) interviews Jennifer Estep.
- Grasping for the Wind (SFFWRTCHT) interviews John Joseph Adams.
- John Scalzi's The Big Idea: T.C. McCarthy.
- Suvudu interviews Naomi Novik.
Advice/Articles
- Bryan Thomas Schmidt on 10 Tips For Doing A Good Interview–As Both Interviewer and Subject.
- Book View Cafe (Nancy Jane Moore) on Best Science Fiction Redux.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch on The Business Rusch: Common Sense and the Writer.
- Janice Hardy on Getting Personal: Personalizing Your Query.
- Jonathan Dalar on Crossing the Uncanny Valley.
- Suvudu (Matt Staggs) on Daniel Polansky's Low Town and Other Bad Neighborhoods in Fantasy Fiction.
- TheBook Ladys Blog on The Top Ten Books That Influenced J.R.R. Tolkien.
- Jeff VanderMeer (S.J. Chambers) on The Poe Bug.
News
- J.K. Rowling spokesman: Publisher’s claim of getting an audience with her false.
- Introducing WorldBuilder.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
August 18, 2011 Links and Plugs
I forgot to plug that my short story, "The Fortunes of Mrs. Yu," (reprint) is up on the talented Anna Tambour's site.
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
Kitemaster and Other Stories by Jim C. Hines
Interviews and Profiles
- Tor.com (Peter Orullian) interviews Kate Elliott.
- Angela Slatter interviews Jaime Lee Moyer.
- SFWA (Cat Rambo) interviews Ann and Jeff VanderMeer (2|3).
Advice/Articles
- Rachelle Gardner on Poor Sales Can Affect Your Future.
- Janice Hardy on What Do I Look Like, a Protag? Describing Your First Person Narrator.
- Chuck Wendig on The Life Cycle Of A Novel.
- Omnivoracious (Jeff VanderMeer) on Omni Readers: What Sci-Fi and Fantasy are You Looking Forward To?
- Bryan Thomas Schmidt on 12 Essentials for a Successful Author Website.
- #sffwrtcht on SF Reviewer Blogs List (From Grasping For The Wind.com).
- Book View Cafe (Shannon Donnelly) on Taking Time.
- Shimmer on Five Authors/Five Questions: Titles.
- Orbit (Kate Elliott) on Maps, Fantasy, Culture, and Boundaries.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
August 17, 2011 Links and Plugs
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
News
The Tempering of Men by Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear
- Orbit Podcast interviews Gail Carriger.
- John Scalzi's The Big Idea: Ernest Cline.
- Leftlion interviews Mark Chadbourn.
- Alternate History Weekly Update interviews Steven H Silver.
- The Functional Nerds interviews Charles Day (podcast).
- Lightspeed (Stacey Friedberg) interviews Genevieve Valentine.
Advice/Articles
- Chuck Wendig on The Secret Menu Of Writing Advice.
- Library Journal (Neil Hollands) on SF/Fantasy’s Epic Journey.
- Clarion Blog (Lucienne Diver) on Convention vs. the Current Truths.
- Jim C. Hines on The Right Way to Write.
- Inkpunks (Nick Mamatas) on Folding Socks w/Nick Mamatas.
- Suvudu (Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett) on Dragons We Have Known.
- Suvudu (David Liss) on How a Comic Book Is Like a Sonnet.
News
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
August 16, 2011 Links and Plugs
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
News
LCRW #27
- Fantasy Magazine (Jennifer Konieczny) interviews Laura Anne Gilman.
- Sidebar interviews John Picacio (podcast).
- SFWA (Cat Rambo) interviews Ann and Jeff VanderMeer.
- Omnivoracious (Suan J. Morris) interviews R.A. Salvatore.
- Suvudu (Matt Staggs) interviews Max Barry.
Advice/Articles
- Bad Reputation (JulietE McKenna) on The Representation of Women in Fantasy: What’s the Problem?
- SF Novelists (S.C. Butler) on Do You Want to Be a Writer, or Do You Want to Write?
- Juliette Wade on Develop your Antagonist.
News
Monday, August 15, 2011
August 15, 2011 Links and Plugs
Sorry there were no updates last Friday.
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
Nemonymous Night by D.F. Lewis
Interviews and Profiles
- Locus interviews Karen Lord.
- Locus Roundtable with Francesca Myman and Gail Carriger (podcast).
- Grasping the Wind (Lexie Cenni) interviews Justin Gustainis.
- Omnivoracious (Jeff VanderMeer) interviews Lev Grossman (video).
Advice/Articles
- Karen Burnham on My Critical Reading List.
- Sean Wallace on Srsly: Someone is Trying to Abolish Semiprozine Again?
- Reno Gazette-Journal on Renovation.
- Odyssey Workshop (Carrie Vaughn) on Graduate's Corner: The Sprint or the Marathon?
- Australian Speculative Fiction Blog Carnival (1|2).
- Book View Cafe (Laura Anne Gilman) on Practical Meerkat’s 52 Bits of Useful Info for Young (and Old) Writers, week 32.
- Book View Cafe (Sherwood Smith) on The Writer’s What-if.
- Pyr (Ari Marmell) on Lost in Translation.
- Inkpunks (Morgan Dempsey) on The Dark Night of the Creative Soul.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
August 11, 2011 Links and Plugs
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
Matilda Told Such Dreadful Lies: The Essential Lucy Sussex
- Suvudu (Matt Staggs) interviews Ben Mezrich.
- Black Gate (Scott Taylor) interviews Stephen Hickman.
- Kirkus Reviews interviews Lev Grossman.
- Angela Slatter interviews Martin Livings.
- Shimmer interviews Luc Reid, Krista Hoeppner Leahy, Don Mead, Justin Howe, and Vylar Kaftan.
Advice/Articles
- Book View Cafe (Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff) on There’s a Bimbo on the Cover: Verses 9 & 10: Awards and Remainders.
- Rachelle Gardner on How Do You Become a Literary Agent?
- Juliette Wade on Tests of Character.
- Janice Hardy on Sharing the Spotlight: How Much Time Do Supporting Characters Need?
- Chuck Wendig on What It's Like Being a Writer.
- Gord Sellar on Some Notes For Korean Film Companies Considering an SF Film Project.
- Cheryl Morgan on Lawyers + Ebooks = Trouble.
- Locus Roundtable: Conventions Part I, Going Pro.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
August 10, 2011 Links and Plugs
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
News
Bluegrass Symphony by Lisa L. Hannett
- The Skiffy and Fantasy Show interviews Philippa Ballantine (podcast).
- Lightspeed (Stacey Friedberg) interviews John Varley.
- The Functional Nerds interviews J.C. Hutchins (podcast).
- Geekmom interviews John Anealio.
- Pornokitsch interviews Richard Morgan.
- Preternatura interviews Ashlyn Chase.
- The Writer's Life interviews Benjamin Kane Ethridge.
- Sci-Fi Book Report interviews Matt Forbeck (podcast).
- MG Ellington interviews Kenneth Mark Hoover.
- The Science of Fiction interviews Elizabeth Bear.
- John Scalzi's The Big Idea: Courtney Schafer.
Advice/Articles
- Lightspeed (The Evil Monkey) on Forget Everything You Know About Amnesia.
- Marty Halpern on Writing 101: Yes, Virginia, This Is the Digital Age.
- Chuck Wendig on 25 Ways To Make Exposition Your Bitch.
- The King of Elfland's Second Cousin on Some Brief Thoughts on Love, Relationships, and Characters in Fiction.
- The Smart Set (Nick Mamatas) on Paperback Politics.
- Black Gate (Matthew David Surridge) on Being in the Nature of an Anniversary: Ruminations on Fantasy.
News
- Tiptree Award Motherboard Honored by SFRA.
- Edgar Rice Burroughs Forever Stamp.
- Record Voter Turnout for 2011 Hugos.
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Neil Gaiman on Imagination and Creativity in the Contemporary World and Other Plugs
As I was looking through my files, I found a recording of Neil Gaiman from 2007 when he was at the Ad Congress. He gave a talk entitled Imagination and Creativity in the Contemporary World, which I re-uploaded. I have to warn you though that it's not a professional recording, so the audio quality isn't that great (you might also want to turn the volume up).
Also, I want to shamelessly plug The World SF Travel Fund. Please fund it, pretty please?
Also, I want to shamelessly plug The World SF Travel Fund. Please fund it, pretty please?
August 9, 2011 Links and Plugs
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
Wilde Stories 2011 The Year's Best Gay Speculative Fiction edited by Steve Berman
- Fantasy Magazine (Wendy Wagner) interviews Nisi Shawl.
- Nice Girls Read Books interviews Marianne de Pierres.
- Comic Book Resources interviews Paul Cornell (video).
- Publisher's Weekly (Adam Lipkin) interviews Vernor Vinge.
- SFWA (Marshall Payne) interviews M.K. Hobson.
- Speculate! Wellspring Workshop 2011 Video.
- Suvudu (Matt Staggs) interviews Glen Duncan.
Advice/Articles
- Vera Nazarian on My Stand on Self-Promotion.
- Fantasy Magazine (Saladin Ahmed) on The Messengers, Monsters, and Moral Instructors of Islamic Literature.
- Rachelle Gardner on Questionable Practices by Literary Agents.
- The Big Issue on Neil Gaiman's Guide to the Book Festival.
- N.K. Jemisin on Considering Colonialism.
- Janice Hardy on Arrggghhh!!!: Writer Frustrations, and Hopefully, a Few Answers.
- Clarion Blog (Kari Terhark) on Re-purposing Your Favs.
- The Guardian (Jonathan Jones) on London burning: history just went sci-fi.
Monday, August 08, 2011
August 8, 2011 Links and Plugs
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
News
Thief of Lives by Lucy Sussex
- Kaaron Warren profiles Angela Slatter.
- Jonathan Strahan chats with Gary K. Wolfe (podcast).
- Galactic Suburbia episode 38 (podcast).
- Google interviews George R. R. Martin (video).
- Adventures in SciFi Publishing interviews Greg van Eekhout (podcast).
- Black Gate (C.S.E. Cooney) interviews Ashley Full Stop Brown.
- Suvudu (Matt Staggs) profiles Guillermo del Toro.
- Suvudu (Matt Staggs) interviews Wendy W. Benchley and William C. Dietz.
- Suvudu (Kyle Munley) interviews John Stephens (video).
- Suvudu (Shawn Speakman) interviews Patrick Rothfuss (video).
Advice/Articles
- Ross Lockhart on Countdown to Cthulhu: Cephalopodcasts.
- Book View Cafe (Laura Anne Gilman) on Practical Meerkat’s 52 Bits of Useful Info for Young (and Old) Writers, week 31.
- Hey, There's a Dead Guy in the Living Room (Erin Mitchell) on Why We Buy Books.
- Nnedi Okorafor on Nnedi's Definition of Feminism.
- Janice Hardy on Wait for it, Wait for it—Never mind: Building up and not Following Through.
- Holly Black on Ladies Ladies Ladies.
- Jeff VanderMeer on Shared Worlds SF/F Teen Writing Camp Free Book Frenzy.
- Eric Rosenfield on Reading the History of Popular Literature part 1: The Gothics.
- Tiffany Trent On paracosms: worlds that save.
- Inkpunks (Adam Israel) on A Thousand Words.
- The Guardian (Roz Kaveney) on When a writer's words have unintended consequences.
- The New York Times (Terrence Rafferty) on The State of Zombie Literature: An Autopsy.
News
Friday, August 05, 2011
August 5, 2011 Links and Plugs
Oh, and the local book blogging mafia ordered me to plug this: The First Filipino Reader Conference.
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
News
Warriors of the Tao edited by Damien Broderick and Van Ikin
Interviews and Profiles
- Marianne Delacourt (Cecilia Jansink) interviews Rowena Cory Daniells.
- Straight.com (Blaine Kyllo) interviews Cory Doctorow.
- Dead Robot Society interviews Gabrielle Harbowy and Ed Greenwood (podcast).
- Chuck Wendig interviews Adam Christopher.
- Suvudu (Matt Staggs) interviews J. David Spurlock.
- SFFWRTCHT chat with Nnedi Okorafor.
- Suvudu (Jim Butcher) interviews Patrick Rothfuss (video).
Advice/Articles
- The Speculative Scotsman (M.D. Lachlan) On The 'Poison' of Publishing.
- Kristine Kathryn Rusch on The Business Rusch: Deal Breakers Continued.
- Clarion Blog (Eric Schaller) on Spec Tech: Born This Way (Thoughts on Sex, Genetic Determinism, and James Tiptree, Jr.).
- Realms of Fantasy August Editorial.
- Vera Nazarian on The Great Escape of Jane Austen.
- Sarah Rees Brennan on Ladies, Don't Let Anyone Tell You You're Not Awesome.
- Haikasoru (Nick Mamatas) on Three Years.
- Guardian (Chris Hall) on JG Ballard: Relics of a red-hot mind.
- Tamora Pierce on I am one majorly unhappy camper.
- Black Gate (Sarah Avery) on Teaching Fantasy II: In Which I Knowingly Assign the Worst Short Story in the History of Sword and Sorcery.
News
Thursday, August 04, 2011
August 4, 2011 Links and Plugs
Interviews
Advice/Articles
News
Geek Wisdom edited by Stephen H. Segal
- Locus Roundtable (Karen Burnham) interviews Karen Lord (podcast).
- writefast! interviews Lauren Beukes.
- The Future and You interviews James Maxey and Stephen Euin Cobb (podcast).
- My Bookish Ways interviews Justin Gustainis.
- Angela Slatter interviews Chris Lynch.
- MTV Geek interviews Daniel Abraham.
- Alt.Fiction Podcast on Mythology with Mark Chadbourn, Adrian Tchaikovsky and K.A. Laity.
- The Qwillery interviews John Hornor Jacobs.
- Suvudu (Matt Staggs) interviews Craig Thompson (video).
- Suvudu (Patrick Rothfuss) interviews Jim Butcher (video).
Advice/Articles
- The King of Elfland's Second Cousin reviews Let's Play White.
- Blackgate (Scott Taylor) on Art of the Genre: Cosplay.
- Janice Hardy on Game On: Staying Organized During Revisions.
- Kirkus Review (John DeNardo) on SF Signal: I, For One, Welcome Our Robot Overlords (Part 2).
- Aliette de Bodard On SF and Simplicity.
- Juliette Wade on Creating the *Feel* of a World.
- Shimmer (Elise) on Of Death and Mermaids.
News
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Plug: The World SF Travel Fund
I'm the first recipient of this project so there's some self-interest involved here.
But I hope my readers give the World SF Travel Fund a look:
And that's why I'm excited about this fund because it enables writers, editors, artists, and other professionals involved in the genre who wouldn't otherwise be able to attend a major convention (let's face it, the big conventions are held in either the US or Europe). In a perfect world, we'd bring the convention to them (imagine holding a World Fantasy Convention in Indonesia, in Singapore, in South Africa), but at this point in time, it's impractical (especially for regular Con attendees) so this is hopefully the next best thing.
The World SF Travel fund won't drastically change the industry, just as the World SF Blog isn't creating massive change as of the moment (as Lavie laments, of all the posts in the blog, the Elizabeth Moon issue is still the most popular, and that's despite all the other content that's been posted for the past few years). But it's a start, a drop in the bucket, our contribution for what seems right at this point in time.
The current Peerbackers project is aiming to raise $6,000.00. That's not just for me, that's to enable the project to be run for two years (so that the next recipient won't have a hard a time raising funds--I mean it's well and good if they're more popular than me but what if it's a professional/non-professional most fans haven't heard of? All the more reason for them to go). And mind you, that's not yet inclusive of the various deductions/fees from Peerbackers or the bank.
The project is backed by awesome people (and these people are just as deserving--if not more so--of being funded themselves):
As for readers of this blog, I hope you can back the project, whether it's $10.00 or more (I only mention $10.00 because it's a package that comes with eBooks!). Do it for me, do it for the cause of World SF, do it because of the rewards (there's some impressive rewards--what Small Beer Press is offering is nothing to sneeze at for example).
Oh, and congrats again to the World Fantasy Awards nominees. It's an impressive list and irregardless of whether I'll be able to attend the event personally or not, I'm honored.
But I hope my readers give the World SF Travel Fund a look:
A combination of genre professionals and fans from the international scene and the United States have gathered together to create the World SF Travel Fund. The fund has been set up to enable one international person involved in science fiction, fantasy or horror to travel to a major genre event.Personally, I would never dream of being able to afford to attend an event like World Fantasy Convention 2011. The planet ticket alone--and this is finding one of the cheapest flights (no first-class for me)--costs around $1300.00. Which might not sound much for some of you (even with the the US's economic crisis) but for someone like me who lives in a third-world country (yes, we still use that term here), I'll never afford it (I earn around $400/month).
And that's why I'm excited about this fund because it enables writers, editors, artists, and other professionals involved in the genre who wouldn't otherwise be able to attend a major convention (let's face it, the big conventions are held in either the US or Europe). In a perfect world, we'd bring the convention to them (imagine holding a World Fantasy Convention in Indonesia, in Singapore, in South Africa), but at this point in time, it's impractical (especially for regular Con attendees) so this is hopefully the next best thing.
The World SF Travel fund won't drastically change the industry, just as the World SF Blog isn't creating massive change as of the moment (as Lavie laments, of all the posts in the blog, the Elizabeth Moon issue is still the most popular, and that's despite all the other content that's been posted for the past few years). But it's a start, a drop in the bucket, our contribution for what seems right at this point in time.
The current Peerbackers project is aiming to raise $6,000.00. That's not just for me, that's to enable the project to be run for two years (so that the next recipient won't have a hard a time raising funds--I mean it's well and good if they're more popular than me but what if it's a professional/non-professional most fans haven't heard of? All the more reason for them to go). And mind you, that's not yet inclusive of the various deductions/fees from Peerbackers or the bank.
The project is backed by awesome people (and these people are just as deserving--if not more so--of being funded themselves):
The Board, tasked with selecting future candidates, is composed of Lauren Beukes, Aliette de Bodard, Ekaterina Sedia, Cheryl Morgan and Lavie Tidhar and reflects the truly international nature of the SF world today.I'm also impressed by the many supporters of the project, including supporters like Angry Robot Books, Chizine, Apex, Small Beer Press, Tachyon and PS Publishing (here's Small Beer Press's offerings to those who'll pledge), as well as those who've already pledged. Whether the project succeeds or not, thanks and it's much appreciated.
As for readers of this blog, I hope you can back the project, whether it's $10.00 or more (I only mention $10.00 because it's a package that comes with eBooks!). Do it for me, do it for the cause of World SF, do it because of the rewards (there's some impressive rewards--what Small Beer Press is offering is nothing to sneeze at for example).
Oh, and congrats again to the World Fantasy Awards nominees. It's an impressive list and irregardless of whether I'll be able to attend the event personally or not, I'm honored.
August 3, 2011 Links and Plugs
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
News
Flashes of Illumination by Nancy Jane Moore
- Lightspeed Magazine (Erin Stocks) interviews Will McIntosh.
- Lightspeed Magazine (Christie Yant) interviews Tim Warnock.
- The Functional Nerds interviews Patrick D’Orazio (podcast).
- The Agony Column interviews Glen Duncan and Stephen Coates (podcast).
- Suvudu video of George R.R. Martin.
Advice/Articles
- Nayad Monroe on Short Stories vs. Long Stories (and Flailing!).
- Jim C. Hines on Agents as Publishers.
- Inkpunks (Gabrielle Harbowy) On Seeing It Through.
- Book View Cafe (Deborah J. Ross) on Parallel Worlds.
- Rachelle Gardner on How to Market Your Book.
- Juliette Wade on Critique partners - finding and valuing them.
- Chuck Wendig on 25 Ways To Fuck With Your Characters.
- Jeffrey Ford on “Daddy Longlegs of the Evening.”
News
- Steam-Powered II: Table of Contents!
- L.A. Banks Has Died.
- NPR Vote For Top-100 Science Fiction, Fantasy Titles.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
August 2, 2011 Links and Plugs
I also want to plug the World SF Travel Fund and for this year, if they reach their goal (you can donate here), I'll hopefully be going to World Fantasy Con. (There's also free books if you donate!)
Interviews and Profiles
Advice/Articles
News
The Goblin Corps by Ari Marmell
Interviews and Profiles
- The Outer Alliance Podcast interviews Ellen Klages.
- Campbell Patch Q&A with Jacqueline Carey.
- Katie Uhlmann interviews Derwin Mak (video).
- Redstone Science Fiction (Michael Ray) interviews Mishell Baker, Morgan Dempsey, Angela Ambroz, Patty Jansen.
- Clarkesworld (Jeremy L.C. Jones) interviews Minister Faust.
- Oberon's Law interviews Elizabeth Bear.
- Chery Morgan recording of Gender Panel with Kari Sperring, Ian McDonald, Elizabeth Bear, Johan Jönsson, Kristina Knaving, and Cheryl Morgan (podcast).
- Fantasy Magazine (Paul Goat Allen) interviews Seanan McGuire.
- Fantasy Magazine (T.J. McIntyre) interviews Cory Skerry.
- Fantasy Magazine (J.T. Glover) interviews Laura Diehl.
- Adventures in SciFi Publishing interviews Moses Siregar III (podcast).
- Tor.com (John Ottinger III) interviews Vernor Vinge.
Advice/Articles
- Paul S. Kemp on Why an option for the next book is not in your interest.
- Sue Burke on Clarion Write-a-Thon: How to critique.
- Book View Cafe (Nancy Jane Moore) on Different Kinds of Writing and Different Reasons to Write.
- Book View Cafe (Patricia Rice) on Imitation as Flattery.
- Rachelle Gardner on How to Write a Query Letter.
- Juliette Wade on Be Tender; Be Terrible (with your characters).
- Janice Hardy on Where Do You Want Me? Choosing Narrative Distance in Multiple Third Person.
- Clarion Blog (Jennifer Brozek) on I See Story Ideas.
News
Monday, August 01, 2011
Essay: Not A Book Blockade
More than two years ago, the Philippines had an issue Robin Hemley called The Great Book Blockade of 2009 (the catchphrase was shortened to "Book Blockade" and you can get the timeline here). Eventually, there was a victory of sorts, as the then-president declared "the immediate lifting of the customs duty on book importation."
While this was a boon for book importers (i.e. bookstores), that doesn't mean import books here didn't get taxed. Individuals whose books went through the post office still got taxed.
As I mentioned in an old essay, I'm not against book taxes per se--I just want transparency and consistency. If we're going to break the Florence Agreement, that's fine. Let's not just pretend to uphold it while practicing the opposite. Various countries like Australia do have taxes on import books and it's been a continuous debate whether this is positive or not (I'm leaning towards the latter but that's besides the point).
Anyway, here's the latest announcement from the Bureau of Customs. Italicized text is my interpretation of their statements (the editorial comes after the quote):
The first problem are the fees. On paper, a 5% tax on import books seems reasonable. However, it's not because, well, what the Bureau of Customs is actually charging you isn't just import duties. For example, here's what I was charged for a book package earlier this year:
There's Import Duties; BIR Taxes; VAT; Customs Duty; Import Processing Fees. We're not talking about just one fee but several.
The second is the process of filing for an exemption. It's time (and money) lost to travel and red tape. It has its own set of fees (arguably cheaper than what the Bureau of Customs is charging, but it's hardly free).
Now the first two problems aren't that significant if you're an institution (although it's still cutting into your bottomline). If you're an individual, however, filing for those exemptions is going to be tricky due to the required paperwork.
There's also lots of room for debate on the significance of this change. What kind of culture are we nurturing when we tax books? (Again, some countries have made it work and some have honestly suffered for it.) What are the unintended consequences for such actions? (Do we encourage the black market? The secondhand book market? The eBook market? The wealthy over the poor?) Is this optimal usage of taxation? (Why not tax other commodities instead like cigarettes or alcohol?)
I'll admit, the process in which the Bureau of Custom's latest guideline is worded is clever. You can't really blame them for breaking the Florence Agreement for example: that's determined by UNESCO. (Same goes for the two other exemptions.) It just adds red tape to the entire process, discouraging automatic exemptions. I also wonder how this new practice will affect local businesses (bookstores are just one industry which will be affected).
While this was a boon for book importers (i.e. bookstores), that doesn't mean import books here didn't get taxed. Individuals whose books went through the post office still got taxed.
As I mentioned in an old essay, I'm not against book taxes per se--I just want transparency and consistency. If we're going to break the Florence Agreement, that's fine. Let's not just pretend to uphold it while practicing the opposite. Various countries like Australia do have taxes on import books and it's been a continuous debate whether this is positive or not (I'm leaning towards the latter but that's besides the point).
Anyway, here's the latest announcement from the Bureau of Customs. Italicized text is my interpretation of their statements (the editorial comes after the quote):
SUBJECT : BoC Rationalizes Tax-Free Importation of Books
1. The Bureau of Customs has issued new guidelines for duty and tax-free entry of imported books into the country. (We have new rules.)
2. Customs Commissioner Angelito A. Alvarez issued Customs Memorandum Order No. 25-2011 for uniformity in the treatment of book importations. (Credit goes to Customs Commissioner Angelito A. Alvarez.)
3. Alvarez said the order covered the following importations: (There are three exceptions to taxes on import books and our latest policy acknowledges them.)
- Educational, scientific and cultural materials under the Florence Agreement;
- Books or raw materials to be used for book under RA 8047 or the “Book Publishing Industry Development Act:” and,
- Importations of books by non-stock, non-profit educational institutions under Section 4 (3), Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution.
4. Under the new guidelines, importers must apply with the Revenue Office, Department of Finance for duty-free and/or tax-free importation of books/materials stating the legal basis for the request for exemption and appending the pertinent certifications issued by the concerned agency or office. (If you want a tax exemption, you first need to talk to the Revenue Office of the Department of Finance.)Now, what I like about this announcement is that the Bureau of Customs is transparent. They have a policy and it is going to be universally applied. (It's even announced ahead of time.) Now my praise ends there.
5. Applicants for importations under the Florence Agreement must first secure a certification from the UNESCO Office in the Philippines attesting that the importations of educational, scientific and cultural materials are among those included in Annexes A to E of the Florence Agreement. (If you're filing for an exemption due to the Florence Agreement, get your papers from UNESCO.)
6. The Florence Agreement, signed in 1952 in Florence, Italy by 17 countries, waved tariffs on books and other printed materials in order to facilitate the free flow of educational, scientific and cultural materials.The Philippines became a signatory to the Florence Agreement on August 7, 1979. (We signed the Florence Agreement.)
7. The certification to be issued by UNESCO must be addressed to the DOF and must be attached as one of the supporting documents to the application for duty tax and exemption submitted by the importer/applicant with the Revenue Office of the DOF. (When you file for the exemption, make sure you bring your UNESCO papers with you.)
8. For importations of books or raw materials to be used in book publishing, the importer/applicant must attach to the application for duty tax exemption his registration with the National Book Development Board (NBDB) as a book publisher. (For those seeking an exemption due to the Book Publishing Industry Development Act, get your papers from the NBDB.)
9. Also required is a certificate to be issued by the concerned local domestic producer/supplier of non-availability of the raw materials to be imported. (We want proof that the raw materials is actually out of stock, hence justification for the import.)
10. Applications for the duty-free importation of books by non-stock, non-profit educational institutions must be accompanied by a certification from the Department of Education (DepEd) or the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) attesting that the importations are economic, technical, vocational, scientific, philosophical or historical books. (If you're filing for an exemption due to Section 4 (3), Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution, get your papers from the DepEd or CHED.)
11. Importations of books and any newspaper, magazine, review or bulletin which appear at regular intervals with fixed prices for subscription and sale are exempt from the value-added tax (VAT). Importers however are still required to secure an exemption from the DOF for purposes of VAT-exemption. (Import books and magazines that come out regularly are exempted from VAT but you need your papers from the DOF.)
12. Importations of books/materials otherwise not falling under any of the above-cited instances and without the DOF endorsement shall be levied the corresponding rate of duty provided under Executive Order No. 855 series of 2010. (Everything else will be taxed.)
13. Alvarez said examples of books/materials subject to duties and taxes of at least 5% included dictionaries and encyclopedias, maps and hydrographic or similar charts as well as plans and drawings for architectural, engineering, industrial, commercial, topographical or similar purposes. (These are examples of books we will tax.)
The first problem are the fees. On paper, a 5% tax on import books seems reasonable. However, it's not because, well, what the Bureau of Customs is actually charging you isn't just import duties. For example, here's what I was charged for a book package earlier this year:
There's Import Duties; BIR Taxes; VAT; Customs Duty; Import Processing Fees. We're not talking about just one fee but several.
The second is the process of filing for an exemption. It's time (and money) lost to travel and red tape. It has its own set of fees (arguably cheaper than what the Bureau of Customs is charging, but it's hardly free).
Now the first two problems aren't that significant if you're an institution (although it's still cutting into your bottomline). If you're an individual, however, filing for those exemptions is going to be tricky due to the required paperwork.
There's also lots of room for debate on the significance of this change. What kind of culture are we nurturing when we tax books? (Again, some countries have made it work and some have honestly suffered for it.) What are the unintended consequences for such actions? (Do we encourage the black market? The secondhand book market? The eBook market? The wealthy over the poor?) Is this optimal usage of taxation? (Why not tax other commodities instead like cigarettes or alcohol?)
I'll admit, the process in which the Bureau of Custom's latest guideline is worded is clever. You can't really blame them for breaking the Florence Agreement for example: that's determined by UNESCO. (Same goes for the two other exemptions.) It just adds red tape to the entire process, discouraging automatic exemptions. I also wonder how this new practice will affect local businesses (bookstores are just one industry which will be affected).
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