{"id":1200,"date":"2024-01-19T11:32:46","date_gmt":"2024-01-19T11:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unamccormack.co.uk\/?page_id=1200"},"modified":"2024-01-19T11:52:22","modified_gmt":"2024-01-19T11:52:22","slug":"faqs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/unamccormack.co.uk\/?page_id=1200","title":{"rendered":"FAQs"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

How did you get to write Star Trek <\/em>and\/or Doctor Who <\/em>books?<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

I was very lucky. In the early 2000s, after channelling a huge amount of effort into writing a ton of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 fanfiction, I was approached out of the blue by the editor of the Star Trek range at (then) Pocket Books. He was looking to commission new voices, and my writing had been recommended to him. Would I like to pitch? Yes, I thought, I would like that very much.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

These pitches became my first Star Trek publications: a short story (\u2018Face Value\u2019) in the DS9 anniversary anthology, Prophecy and Change; a novella about post-war Cardassia (\u2018The Lotus Flower\u2019); and my first novel, Hollow Men, a follow-up to the amazing DS9 episode \u2018In the Pale Moonlight\u2019.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\r\nOnce I had some writing credits on my CV, it became easier to pitch for other ranges. I timed my approach on the Doctor Who books for a transition between Doctors, and ended up writing one of the first Eleventh Doctor novels, The King\u2019s Dragon. Other novels followed, as well as audio dramas for Big Finish. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

So the timings were right. I\u2019d been writing unpublished for about 7-8 years, so my prose standard was pretty decent, and, as luck would have it, Pocket Books were on the lookout for new voices. I don\u2019t know if this would happen now. <\/p> \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Will Enigma Tales <\/em>ever get a follow-up?<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

The short answer is \u2018no\u2019. Very sadly.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

While Star Trek <\/em>was off-air, the Star Trek<\/em> books range (known as the \u2018beta canon\u2019) evolved over many years into its own space, with various plotlines, sub-series, etc. Two of my books, The Crimson Shadow <\/em>and Enigma Tales<\/em>, followed the story of Garak on postwar Cardassia. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

I always conceived of these books as forming a loose trilogy (those who have read Enigma Tales know that it leaves a lot of questions unanswered), and I have a very clear idea of what that third book would contain. I know the title (The End of this Day\u2019s Business), and I even wrote about 50k for my own pleasure during lockdown!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

However, once Star Trek <\/em>came back on air, the decision was made (quite rightly) to bring the books back into alignment with the shows that were being transmitted. The \u2018beta canon\u2019 was wrapped up in an amazing three-book series, Star Trek: Coda<\/a>, written by m\u2019colleagues James Swallow, Dayton Ward, and Dave Mack.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

That trilogy had to wrap up an unbelievable number of plot strands and those guys worked miracles. \r\nThat means the third book I had planned will never see the light of day. And many of the themes that the book would have touched on ended up \u2013 in strange and unpredicted ways \u2013 in my Star Trek: Picard<\/em> novel Second Self<\/em>. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

How do I get to write Star Trek<\/em> and\/or Doctor Who<\/em> books?<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

It\u2019s much harder to get commissioned for these franchises now. There are fewer slots available, and, with both shows on air, the books are much more closely connected to production. You\u2019ll need an established track record of publishing science fiction novels. You\u2019ll also need an agent to make the approach on your behalf. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

Remember that these are not impossible goals! Think of writing a Star Trek or Doctor Who book needs to be part of your wider ambitions for your writing. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

One proviso to this: if you\u2019re interested in writing for Big Finish, look out for the Paul Spragg Memorial Short Trip Opportunity<\/a>, an open competition for new writers, which usually runs annually May-June. The winner\u2019s story is recorded as a Short Trips. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Can I tell you about my brilliant idea for a Star Trek <\/em>and\/or Doctor Who <\/em>book?<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

I\u2019m sorry, but no. Or, rather, I can\u2019t listen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

The simple reason for this is that legal complications can arise if I listen to your Star Trek or Doctor Who idea. So I\u2019d be grateful if you didn\u2019t ask, since that saves us both an awkward conversation. I\u2019d be particularly grateful if you didn\u2019t bring up your concept in conversation or correspondence to me, because I\u2019ll have to stop you straightaway, and you\u2019ll think I\u2019m rude. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

I\u2019m not being rude: I\u2019m protecting your ideas. If you want to pitch Star Trek and\/or Doctor Who ideas, you need to do it via your agent to whoever is currently commissioning. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Will you read my manuscript?<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

Only through my mentoring service. You can see what I offer here<\/a>. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

My preference is to work with people aiming to develop and\/or complete a first novel, most usually in a speculative fiction genre, e.g. science fiction or utopian fiction. I\u2019m also happy to work on historical and crime fiction, and some fantasy. For horror, and certainly for scripts (theatre, TV, film), and for poetry, you should look for a mentor who specializes in those genres. Please bear in mind that writing and other commitments mean that I cannot always take on new writers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nYou could come to one of my writing retreats<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\nOr else consider whether your manuscript is suitable for submission to Gold SF<\/a>, a new imprint for intersectional feminist science fiction, where I am on the editorial board. Submission details here<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

Please don\u2019t send me unsolicited manuscripts: I cannot read them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Will you blurb my book?<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

Possibly. It depends on my work schedule and the book\u2019s publication schedule. I don\u2019t want to say \u2018yes\u2019 and then let you down. I give preference to first time novelists from historically unrepresented backgrounds.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

Please ask your agent or publisher to contact my agent. I am unable to reply to requests sent to me directly. <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Will you sign my book?<\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n

I\u2019d love to! If you can\u2019t get to a convention or a signing, I offer bookplates by post. Look here<\/a> for further information. There\u2019ll be a small charge to cover postage and packing. <\/p>\r\n\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How did you get to write Star Trek and\/or Doctor Who books? I was very lucky. In the early 2000s, after channelling a huge amount of effort into writing a ton of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 fanfiction, I was approached out of the blue by the editor of the Star Trek range at (then) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":2,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-1200","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unamccormack.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unamccormack.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unamccormack.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unamccormack.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unamccormack.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1200"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/unamccormack.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1207,"href":"https:\/\/unamccormack.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1200\/revisions\/1207"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unamccormack.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unamccormack.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}