To that problem of women writers being unable to sell science fiction in the UK. It turns out to be quite easy. All you have to do is sell the book to a mainstream publisher (presumably coming up with some sort of flimsy excuse as to why the book is “not science fiction”). You might not get too many sales to fans for a while, but the book will be so fresh and different that it may well get nominated for the Booker Prize.
(Hat tip to Sarah Hall for showing the way.)
Beats having to change my name from Martha to Martin.
Good Luck to Sarah. I hope she makes it to the short list.
I keep forgetting I should explain everything because not everyone is on the same page. Sorry.
Sarah Hall wrote The Carhullan Army, which was published as mainstream but won the Tiptree. The Booker nominee is The Testament of Jesse Lamb, by Jane Rogers.
It’s not so much ‘not on the same page’ as the perils of rank newbieness – sorry.
I should remember that some of my readers are newbies.
No problem – with enough support, ‘newbies’ get to be ‘knowbies’.
And don’t forget Atwood – multiple Booker nominations for things that ‘aren’t sci-fi’. I wasn’t surprised to see some crime fic on there with Susan Hill judging, but sci-fi does surprise me.