Publishers Weekly called today, asking questions about the Must Read Magazines contract situation. Did a 38-minute interview w/ them. This story isn’t going away. ICYMI: I’ll fight just as hard for the rights of the kid entering the industry as I will for my own. Don’t f**k w/ artists’ rights.

Evergreen.

PRECIOUS CHILDREN is a leaner page count than most novels, but packs a lasting punch — and requires less time to read than the heftier books. ;)

Works that have more than 40,000 words are slotted into the Novel category for the Hugos and Nebulas. Or have they changed the rules recently?

Right? PRECIOUS CHILDREN really is one of the best SF books of 2026. Even with all my deadline hell right now, I read it twice. 👀

Two final thoughts — 1) This is not my cover art. 2) The book is around 48,000 words. Even though it’s lean and mean, each chapter demands your attention. When you’re voting for next year’s Hugos and Nebulas — it’s a novel, even though it zips like a novella. Highly recommended. 4/

🧵 If you see a ‘Best SF Novels of 2026’ list that doesn’t include PRECIOUS CHILDREN— go trust a better list that does. 1/

Exactly. 🙌🏽

Yeah, it’s BS. They’ve created a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist. Their real problem is they wanted to hoard art rights that don’t belong to them, and they got busted.

Correct. One time use allows the publisher a period of time for exclusivity for FIRST PUBLICATION, usually a year. After that: the right is non-exclusive and not restricted. This is AGREED UPON in advance, in the contract. Artists respect first publication limitation, this is standard.

And my mission when I create cover art is to connect great stories w/ readers. I like seeing books w/ my cover art make lots of $$$$ for the authors & publishers. I don’t wanna compete w/ those sales, by rushing to make prints. I like helping my partners win first. It’s good business.

I own copyright on the vast majority of cover art I’ve created. And yes, I own the right to make prints of that art. But even when fans demand I make prints upon book release, I don’t do it @ that time. Why? Because I want the author and publisher to make $$$$$. But those art rights remain mine.

Happy Belated Birthday, Lynne! Appreciate you so much!

This is also a reminder that several SFF mags *with* author-and-artist-friendly contracts are Kickstarting RIGHT NOW and backing/supporting THEM is a great way to show MRM that they will lose this argument.