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The $13.25 billion acquisition of Electronic Data Systems by Hewlett-Packard—the ninth largest tech deal ever, according to DealLogic—has moved the M&A league table standings, DealJournal Heidi Moore reports. Before the deal was announced, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley led this year's ranking from advising technology companies on mergers. But neither bank has a role in the H-P deal, pushing them down in the rankings
"Goldman ranked first with $14 billion of announced deals to its credit this year, and Morgan Stanley ranked second with $11 billion according to investment-banking research provider Dealogic," Moore writes. "But now, Goldman is in third place, displaced by Lehman Brothers and J.P. Morgan. Lehman has jumped from fifth to first place with $17 billion of deals to its credit, while J.P. Morgan — which, just yesterday, languished in seventh place with only about $2.2 billion of tech deals to its credit — has vaulted to second place in the rankings from seventh place. Morgan Stanley has fallen to No. 5."
Citigroup and Evercore Partners advised Electronic Data on the deal. J.P. Morgan Chase and Lehman Brothers advised Hewlett-Packard.
Hewlett-Packard: The Advisers [Deal Journal]
Posted in:
Hewlett-Packard & EDS Deal Puts Lehman and JP Morgan At The Head Of The Tech M&A League Tables
By John CarneyHewlett-Packard wants to be the tech-company of the future and, unfortunately, that goal may be coming a reality in a way they never planned. Instead of becoming a shining star of new technologies, the company has been plagued by an association with a darker kind of future—a sort of Max Headroom, Robocop-style dystopian future where corporations employ spies to steal confidential, personal and corporate information about competitors, employees and reporters.
The pretexting scandal that led to the departure of the chairman of Hewlett Packard's board of directors, resignations by senior executives, humiliating public hearings on Capitol Hill and a lawsuit brought by the state of California is by now well known. (A recap: H-P apparently engaged private detectives—to snoop into alleged leaks to the press that seemed to come from board members—who used false pretenses to obtain the phone records of board members and reporters, possibly breaking the law in the process.) This morning, however, Fortune writer Nicholas Varchaver, breaks the news that Hewlett-Packard's spying may have started long before that famous episode. And, disturbingly, his reporting suggests that the pretexting that made headlines last year might not be the anomaly Hewlett-Packard chief executive Mark Hurd claimed it was.
[After the jump, the nasty lawsuit and the new claims of possible pretexting.)
When we read the report in the San Jose Mercury News on Tuesday that venture capitalist and former Hewlett-Packard board member Tom Perkins was making pointed remarks about corporate governance—including some fierce jabs at former H-P board chair Pattie Dunn—we all thought: why bring this up now?
After all, Tom won this fight last year, right? Pattie lost her position at the head of the board table, then had to leave the board altogether. She became a "fallen" or "disgraced" "former corporate leader." Her name became synonymous with corporate scandal, and especially pretexting. She was indicted by the California attorney general. She even got cancer. Isn't it time to leave Pattie in peace? Even DealBreaker hadn't picked on "Pattie Cakes" for months.
So why now? We thought maybe it was the book. Tom's got his memoirs coming out soon. Maybe he wants the publicity. It sounds a bit cheap to drag a sick, unemployed and indicted woman's shame back before the public just to sell a few more copies of a book. Especially when you are already rich enough to afford a $100 million yacht. Does Tom Perkins really need to worry about whether his book sells?
Today the Wall Street Journal's editorial page runs the full text of the speech that was reported earlier in the Mercury News. And there's one line that might shed some light on why Tom is dragging out the whole H-P thing again instead of sailing around the South Pacific.
And so, when the "wet kiss" Cnet.com article about how great Mark Hurd was at strategy appeared, Ms. Fiorina and I agree that Ms. Dunn launched the now infamous "Kona" spying investigation aimed at ridding the board of those directors (the tech committee) most familiar with strategy, whom Pattie assumed were the "evil" leakers. All this is documented in a characteristically long-winded New Yorker article of Feb. 19.
That's right! It was the New Yorker! And it's long-windedness!
Of course, we have no idea what Tom's talking about because, let's face it, it was the New Yorker. That's the magazine that's read by people who want to appear brainy but don't really want to be bothered with doing stuff like learning very much. But we'll check it out and report back.
See how far we'll go for you? We'll even read the New Yorker!
The 'Compliance' Board [Wall Street Journal]
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When Lawyers Attack: Pattie Dunn's Attorney Strikes Back At Tom Perkins
By John CarneyHey, remember yesterday when we did a couple of posts that weren't about Tuesday's market plunge? Remember the one about the remarks about corporate governance by venture capitalist and former Hewlett-Packard board member Tom Perkins? No? You don't read our posts about corporate governance because (as one reader told us yesterday) "corporate governance is so f—ing boring?"
Well, it's not quite as boring anymore. Perkins drew a distinction between compliance oriented corporate boards and business guidance oriented boards. Seems like a useful distinction, right? Well, apparently it didn't go over well with the lawyer for former Hewlett-Packard chairwoman Pattie Dunn. So the Dunnsters are fighting back. And this time it's personal.
From the San Jose Mercury News:
"Tom Perkins attacked my client. He did so unfairly. He did so falsely when he knows she cannot answer him," he said in a statement e-mailed to the news media. Dunn can't respond directly to Perkins' accusations because of the legal case pending against her. The case erupted after Perkins quit over the way Dunn, then-HP chair, conducted an investigation into boardroom leaks to journalists.
"He's rewriting the history of what happened," Brosnahan told the Mercury News. "Normally, I wouldn't say anything, but when he attacks my client personally, we're not going to sit here and let him get away with it. It's just awful what he did."
Tom Perkins apparently didn't respond to this. So just imagine him chuckling as he sails his $100 million yacht into the horizon.
[No clue why Pattie's getting her, uhm, lawyers all in a twist about this? Well, to put it mildly, Pattie and Perkins have a bit of a history together. Feel free to check out our H-P Archives for all the gruesome details.]
Dunn's lawyer blasts Perkins [Mercury News]
We've noted before that the faddish devotion to compliance-oriented corporate governance—encouraged by everything and everyone from Sarbanes-Oxley, it's attendant regulatory schema, some of the more opinionated-parts of the business press and the reigning corporate governance gurus—has serious costs that are all too often ignored. The whole corporate-spying pretexting scandal at Hewlett-Packard was probably the public example of this.
Now Tom Perkins, a veteran from the HP wars, has made his first public remarks since the scandal and directed them at exactly this problem. According to Perkins, too many corporate board members are so obsessed with compliance that they don't know much about the company on whose board they are serving. He draws a useful distinction between two-types of directors–the guidance geeks who understand the business and the compliance nerds who understand legal rules and regulations.
The San Jose Mercury News reports:
During his 35-minute talk, Perkins outlined two kinds of board members, placing himself in the category of an old-style venture capital-type who is extremely involved in the business. He called that type a "guidance director."
In contrast is the new emerging director, whom he called the "compliance director." He described that person as someone increasingly focused on Sarbanes-Oxley requirements, who jumps from company board to company board, dispensing and heeding advice from consultants and lawyers.
Perkins, 75, derided the latter, which he called a "plug-to-plug compatible director" who believes he or she is equally capable of serving on a bank board as on that of a technology behemoth such as HP.
And Perkins thinks things are only getting worse. The compliance nerds are beating out the guidance geeks.
But today, he said, with too few "geeks" on its board, HP has evolved fully into a compliance board, "possibly untroubled by worries about technology and marketing strategy."
"I think the guidance board will vanish and it will be replaced by compliance boards who just listen to lawyers and consultants," he said, referring to the general corporate trend.
Ex-HP director laments corporate board trend [Mercury News]
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We Realize the Venn Diagram Overlap Of People Who Work On Wall Street and People Who Watch The Super Bowl Is Rather Insignificant, But, For The Few Of You Out There…
By John CarneyThose who were planning to bet big money online in regards to the outcome of the Super Bowl were served a sizeable setback over the weekend. But, assuming they also earmarked some clams for more "legal" pursuits, and play the bullish side of the market, there shouldn't be too much to shed tears over.* According to the Super Bowl Stock Indicator, when an old NFL team wins, the Dow Jones average goes up.
The indicator has been correct following 31 of the 40 Super Bowls, wrong five times and was inconclusive four times (but more on that later). Even counting the inconclusive readings, that's about a 78 percent success rate. Dropping the inconclusive years from the equation results lifts the success rate near 89 percent.
The Bears facing the Colts marks the seventh time that two old NFL teams have faced off in the big game. The six previous times that's happened, the Dow has gone up every time, posting an average gain of 18 percent.
And if doesn't go up, consider one point scored for Super-Bowl-Day-Spousal-Abuse. Either way, you've got a winner.
NFL's biggest winner: Bulls, not bears [CNN Money]
*Not that you guys would ever "shed tears," but, you know, whatever the testosterone-driven equivalent of letting salty discharge come out of your eyes is.
The pretexting scandal claims another victim, Silicon Valley super lawyer Larry Sonsini. This won't come as a surprise to anyone who watch Sonsini at the Congressional hearings earlier this year, where he came off as at least a bit evasive. Particularly frustrating was the fact that he seemed to be giving board members advice based on the legal work of Hewlett-Packard's general counsel. Kind of makes you wonder what part of outside counsel Sonsini didn't understand.
After the resignation, Mr. Sonsini, in his role as outside counsel, immediately interviewed Mr. Perkins. But he did not find that Mr. Perkins had resigned because of a disagreement with the company, which would have prompted the board to disclose the circumstances to the Securities and Exchange Commission. That has prompted an S.E.C. investigation.
Mr. Perkins also alerted the board to the use of pretexting, calling it illegal. In a response, Mr. Sonsini told him that the pretexting was "within legal limits," though that opinion turned out to be based on the advice of the H. P. lawyer, now facing charges, who in turn had received the opinion from a Boston lawyer sharing an office with one of H. P.'s private investigators.
The Sonsini firm in late August interviewed people involved in the spying, as well as Mark V. Hurd, the company chairman and chief executive, and concluded again that nothing illegal had occurred. In early September, the company filed a statement to the S.E.C. disclosing the pretexting and stating that it was "not generally unlawful."
A Congressional subcommittee asked Mr. Sonsini to testify during its investigation of the spying. He was called to testify alongside Ms. Dunn and had to sit in the witness seat for more than five hours, though she got the brunt of the queries. He defended his law firm's work during the hearing and said that he considered pretexting to be unethical and improper.
Tom Perkins, the former Hewlett-Packard board member who helped expose the spying scandal that rocked the company and unseated its chairman earlier this year, has agreed to write a memoir that will provide details of the H-P affair.
From Keith Kelly's column in the Post:
The memoir is entitled "Valley Boy: The Education of Tom Perkins," and will appear under the Gotham imprint.
It begins with his stormy resignation from H-P in May 2006, shortly after the board learned that then-Chairman Patricia Dunn had conducted a lengthy spying operation on the company's own board members to learn who was leaking stories to the press.
Perkins, a board member at Post parent company News Corp., went to authorities after he discovered that he had also been the subject of unauthorized surveillance by Dunn, which triggered the scandal that forced her to step down.
H-P Insider Scores A Tech-Tell Memoir [New York Post]


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Huhne's Evidence Confusion
Chris Huhne said last night that he looked forward to the Electoral Commission rejecting the expenses complaint "as roundly as the last one". Guido isn't sure the Secretary of State gets how this whole evidence thing works. This should trigger an inquiry to dredge up his entire campaign spending, including invoices to and from his friendly but secretive printers "The Itchen Valley Print Society", conveniently run out of his constituency office.
Talking of evidence, Guido has yet to coax a comment out of Essex police on whether or not they intend to get, or are getting, a Court Order against the Sunday Times (and possibly the Mail on Sunday) for the signed undertaking in which Vicky Pryce is thought to say she will stand by the allegations she put to the paper if it ended up in court. If the police don't get a copy of that undertaking, they can hardly have carried out a full investigation. Guido has reason to expect them to apply for a Court Order imminently…
If the stories circulating that the Huhnes' kids have mediated the parental feud are true, and neither of them are being entirely helpful to the police, their silence or faulty memory won't save Huhne if the evidence stacks up. "No comment" is the official line from Essex Police on matters that "could or maybe aid the case".

subset: commoncrawl


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Thom Browne x Zac Posen x GILT x Infiniti Q50
A true designer can incorporate their style and concept across any medium. GILT partnered with Infiniti for an unusual project, inviting two menswear designers to customize a complete car. Thom Browne and Zac Posen were asked to overhaul the 2014 Q50 sedan, just as they would design … READ MORE
GILT MAN Finds – Vintage Watches Collection | Curated By Benjamin Clymer of HODINKEE
Say your boss is a multi-gazillionaire with penchant for rare collectables and you need to score some "points" with the man for your upcoming promotion. Where can you find that perfect gift this holiday season? You need to look no further than online shop GILT MAN and … READ MORE
GILT To Close Full-Price Retail Site Park & Bond
According to WWD, purveyors of men's clothing will have one less source to shop from come next year. In a brief statement today by online retailer GILT Groupe, the company announced that it will start to "merge" Park & Bond into its GILT Man shopping site. In … READ MORE
Mark McNairy – Woodland Camo Derby Lace-Ups Shoes | PARK & BOND Exclusive
The perception of a fine dressed man historically has been that of a creature stoic nature and presumptuous attitude. Fortunately, a handful of men's wear designers have set out to dispel such misconception with quirky silhouettes and humorous design theme. In their midst, you will find Mark … READ MORE
GILT – GiltMAN Special Sale Event | Curated By Dwayne Wade
With his faux black frame glasses, bow tie, and cardigan, Kevin Durant might "own" the nerd swag look. But when it comes to lasting style and modern twist of the classics, Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade stands above the rest, at least according to the folks at online … READ MORE


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Edelbrock Performer Series Carburetors Reviews good carb Reviewed By Masanobu N (Gardena, CA) Reviewed for a 1972 Ford Galaxie —1/21/2015 9:17 PM more power carb.easy instalation. View More Reviews
Fitch Fuel Catalyst Reviews performance Reviewed By JORGE J G (EL PASO, TX) Reviewed for a 2008 Ford Explorer —8/27/2014 2:40 PM I feel a better response of my truck in aceleration and power and a smooth conduccion. View More Reviews
Edelbrock Carburetor Spacers Reviews It Worked !!!! Reviewed By John B (Vallejo, CA) —8/13/2014 5:52 PM The spacer is keeping my carburetor cooler and my street rod starts much easier when warmed up. Thank you View More Reviews


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Niagara Falls is a small city of 50,086 residents located in upstate New York along the Canadian border. The residents of Niagara Falls are a mixture of blue and white-collar workers, with a median household income of $31,452. The city is a very diverse city with a mixture of mainly white and African Americans, as well as Asians. The city and its residents have been really hit hard by the most recent recession, as well as that a number of industries shipped their jobs overseas. As a result, it is reported that 23% percent of the population lives below the poverty level and approximately 60% of the residents are on some sort of public assistance.
The main draw to the city of Niagara Falls is the Niagara Falls State Park, which is the home to the American side of the actual falls created by the Niagara River, which flows from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. The park has a number of attractions that entertain the approximately 10 million visitors each year. These attractions include the Cave of the Winds, Maid of the Mist, Prospect Point and the Aquarium of Niagara. Other nearby green space can be found in De Veaux Woods State Park, earl W. Brydges Artpark State Park and Fort Niagara State Park. Residents will find 25 local parks in the city including the massive Hyde Park, which is the second largest park in New York State, behind New York City's Central Park. Residents and visitors alike enjoy the Seneca Niagara Casino Hotel in the city, which is part of a redevelopment effort in the city. Residents that enjoy baseball will find two Class-A minor league teams here including the Niagara Falls Sox and the Niagara Falls Rapids. The weather in Niagara Falls can range from very cold to very hot and humid during the summer. Snowfall, as a result of "lake effect snow", can be significant as well. The city continues to pursue a number of economic initiatives to revitalize the local economy and allow the entire city to capitalize on the tourist traffic that the falls bring. The goal is to capitalize on the tourist traffic much like nearby Niagara Falls, Ontario has successfully done.
Fun fact: a barge named 'Old Scow' has been moored on a rocky outcrop near the brink of the falls since 1918.
Niagara Falls University and Niagara County Community College are the two colleges and universities in the city. Even though the city only has two schools here, their students are always looking for storage space to store their belongings during their summer beaks.
Niagara Falls provides extremely affordable housing options for its residents, even in the most desirable neighborhoods of Nashville, Lewiston Road, Pletchers Corners and La Salle. The median home value for homes in the city is a mere $66,566 and approximately 85% of the homes are valued under $102,000. The median rental price is $432 per month, so rentals are very affordable as well. Unlike other cities in the United States, there was not a big housing boom in Niagara Falls, so 99% of the homes were built before 1999. Many residents are in need of a storage facility to house such things as, recreational vehicles, excess furniture and other household items as many of these homes in Niagara Falls are smaller and lack enough storage space.
Brian Shreckengast is a writer at Self Storage Deals.
Self Storage Facility | Phone | Address |


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5bling Streamline Gloves are the ultimate must-haves for serious cyclists.
More About Our Company
5bling Streamline Gloves are the ultimate must-haves to complete your apparel for serious cyclists. Conceptualised in 2010, it was designed to allow cyclists from all over the world to experience the ultimate luxury in cycling. The gloves were quickly adopted by the world's top track cyclists with 5bling becoming the leading choice in track cycling accessories.
Created by Josiah Ng, Commonwealth Games 2010 Keirin Champion and 3-time Olympic track cyclist – the 5 is not only a lucky number, but 5 is Josiah's surname in Cantonese. It also means alot to us as 5bling products are created to accommodate the 5 fingers on each hand, 5 toes on each foot, 5-spoked wheels, anything else 5. Bling, there is a star in every one of us.
Read More


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Copyright © 2012 DC Comics.
This is the first issue they've worked together as a team and they call themselves Teen Titans.
Interview with Tony Bedard and Tyler Kirkham about the Green Lantern: New Guardians series.
Interview with Scott Lobdell and Brett Booth about the new Teen Titans series.
Bob Harras talks about some of the surprises coming in 2012.


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General Questions
Fixed Assets and
Line of Credit
Installment Loan
Short-term Loan
Long-term Loan
Endorser, Co-maker, Guarantor
Floor Planning
Purchase Money
Security Interest
Real Estate
Savings Accounts
and Certificates of Deposit
Life Insurance
Stocks and Bonds
Covenants --
Negative and Positive
Negotiating with
the Lender
All businesses, no matter what size, will at some time need to raise more money. For small businesses, the owner may be able to dip into his or her personal savings, or friends may be able to lend the needed money. Usually, however, the owner will have to look to outside sources for financing. IS YOUR FIRM CREDIT WORTHY? Obtaining money when you need it is as necessary to the operation of your business as a good location or an adequate labor force. Before a bank will lend you money, the loan officer must feel satisfied with the answers to the following questions. What is your character -- will you want to repay the loan?How capable are you in managing the business -- will you be able to repay the loan? What is the specific purpose of the loan? Is it a short- orl ong-term need? Do you have a clear financial plan and forecast showing why you need the loan and how you will pay it back? Is the loan request large enough to cover any unexpected change in your situation, but not so large that its repayment will be a heavy burden? What is the general economic outlook for your business and industry? Do you have a reasonable amount at stake in the business? What collateral is available to secure the loan amount? FINANCIAL INFORMATION REQUIRED BY LENDERS The two basic financial documents that lenders require are the balance sheet and the income statement. The balance sheet is the major yardstick for solvency and the income statement is the common measure of profits. Using these and other sources, lenders ask the following questions. General Questions Are the business's books and records up-to-date and in good condition? Does the business have a lawyer and/or accountant? Who are the customers and what percentage of total sales do the largest customers represent? Are all obligations paid promptly? What is the insurance coverage? Accounts Receivable What is the quality of the accounts receivable? Have any been pledged to another creditor? Are customers paying you promptly? Is there an allowance for bad debts? Inventory Can the merchandise be sold at full price? How much raw material is on hand? How much work is in progress? *How much of production is finished goods? *Is too much money tied up in inventory? *Is the inventory turnover in line with industry norms? Fixed Assets and Equipment What is the type, age and condition of the equipment? *What are the depreciation schedules? *What are the details of mortgages or leases? *What are the future fixed asset and equipment needs for the company? The lender scrutinizes the cash flow of the business to determine whether or not the owner-manager is providing sufficient cash to meet the firm's obligations. The lender also makes sure that cash needed for working capital is not being diverted to other areas, such as the acquisition of fixed assets, thereby reducing liquidity. WHAT TYPE OF LOAN? When you set out to borrow money for your firm, it is important to know the type of loan you want and its duration. There are two basic kinds of loans -- lines of credit and installment loans -- and two general categories of loan length -- short-term and long-term. The purpose for which the funds are to be used is a very important factor in deciding what kind of loan to request. There is also an important connection between the length of the loan and the source of repayment. Generally, short-term loans are repaid from the liquidation of the current assets (i.e., receivables, inventory) that are financed, while long-term loans are generally repaid from earnings. Line of Credit A line of credit is an arrangement in which the bank disburses funds as they are needed, up to a predetermined limit. The customer may borrow and repay repeatedly up to the limit within the approved time frame (usually one year). Installment Loan An installment loan is an agreement to provide a lump sum amount of money at the beginning of the loan. The loan is paid back in equal amounts over the course of a number of years. Short-term loan A short-term bank loan can be used for purposes such as financing a seasonal buildup in accounts receivable or inventory. Lenders usually expect these loans to be repaid after their purposes have been served: for example, accounts receivable loans when the outstanding accounts have been paid by the customers and inventory loans when the inventory has been sold and cash collected. Short-term loans are generally repaid in less than a year. Long-term loan A long-term loan is usually a formal agreement to provide funds for more than one year, and most are for an improvement that will benefit the company and increase earnings. An example is the purchase of a new building that will increase capacity or of a machine that will make the manufacturing process more efficient and less costly. Long-term loans are usually repaid from profits. COLLATERAL Sometimes your signature and general credit reputation are the only collateral the bank needs to make a loan. This type of loan in called unsecured. At other times, the bank requires a pledge of some or all of your assets as additional assurance that the loan will be repaid. This is called a secured loan. The kind and amount of collateral depends on the bank and on variables in the borrower's situation. Many types of collateral can be pledged for a secured loan. The most common are endorser, warehouse receipts, floor planning, purchase money security interest (PMSI) in furniture and/or equipment, real estate, accounts receivable inventory, savings accounts, life insurance policies, and stocks and bonds. Endorser, Co-maker, Guarantor A borrower may ask another person to sign a note in order to augment his or her credit. This endorser is then liable for the note: if the borrower fails to pay, the bank expects the endorser to pay. Sometimes the endorser may also be asked to pledge assets. A co-maker is an endorser who assumes an obligation jointly with the maker, or borrower. In this arrangement, the bank can collect directly from either maker or co-maker. A guarantor is an endorser who guarantees the payment of a note if the borrower does not pay. Both private and government lenders often require guarantees from officers of corporations in order to assure continuity of effective management. Warehouse Receipts A bank may take commodities as collateral by lending money on a warehouse receipt. The receipt is usually delivered directly to the bank and shows that the merchandise has either been placed in a public warehouse or has been left on your premises under the control of one of your employees who is bonded. Such loans are generally made on staple or standard merchandise that can be readily marketed. The typical loan is for a percentage of the cost of the merchandise. Floor Planning Merchandise -- such as automobiles, appliances and boats -- must be displayed to be sold, but the only way many small marketers can afford displays is by borrowing money. Such loans are often secured by a note and trust receipt. The trust receipt is used for serial numbered merchandise. It acknowledges receipt of the merchandise, shows agreement to keep the merchandise in trust for the bank and verifies the promise to pay the bank as the goods are sold. Purchase Money Security Interest If you buy expensive equipment, such as a cash register or a delivery truck, you may be able to get a loan using the equipment as collateral. (This kind of loan is also called a chattel mortgage.) The bank assesses the present and future market value of the equipment and makes sure it is adequately insured. Real Estate Real estate is another form of collateral, usually for long-term loans. In evaluating a real estate mortgage, the bank considers the market and foreclosure value of the property and its insurance coverage. Accounts Receivable Many banks lend money against accounts receivable; in effect, counting on your customers to pay your loan. The bank may take accounts receivable on a notification or non notification plan. Under the notification plan, the purchaser of the goods is informed by the bank that the account has been assigned and is asked to make payments directly to the bank. Under the non notification plan, customers continue to pay you and you pay the bank. Inventory Inventory is the merchandise, wares and any assets that can be liquidated of a retail, wholesale or manufacturing business that will provide a form of financial guarantee against the loan proceeds. Unless otherwise specified in the loan documents, plant and equipment (e.g., computers, cash registers, manufacturing equipment, telephones and other fixtures) can also be included as inventory to be held as collateral. Savings Accounts and Certificates of Deposit It is possible to get a loan by assigning a savings account to the bank. You assign the account and the bank keeps the passbook. If you assign an account at another bank as collateral, the lending bank asks the other bank to mark its records to show that the account is held as collateral. Life Insurance Another kind of collateral is the cash value of a life insurance policy, in which you assign the policy to the bank. Some people prefer to use life insurance as collateral rather than borrowing directly from the insurance company because a bank loan generally is easier to obtain and carries a lower interest rate. Stocks and Bonds Marketable stocks and bonds are also sources of collateral. Banks usually lend 75 percent or less on the value of high-grade stocks and up to 90 percent on government securities. The limits leave a cushion or margin for protection against declines. If the market value of the collateral does fall below a certain level, the bank may ask for additional collateral or a partial payment of the loan. THE LOAN AGREEMENT A loan agreement is a tailor-made document, fully stating all the terms and conditions of the loan. It gives the amount of the loan and terms of repayment, identifies the principle parties and lists any restrictions placed on the borrower. Limitations Banks often include limitations in a loan agreement that restrict what an owner can do. These limitations depend to a great extent on the company. If the company is a good risk, the limitations will be minimal. A higher risk company, on the other hand, will have greater limitations. The three principle limitations involve repayment terms, the use of collateral and periodic reporting. Limitations are spelled out in the covenant section. Covenants -- Negative and Positive Negative covenants are restrictions placed on the borrower by the lender. Some examples are limitations on the borrower's total debt, agreement not to pledge assets to other creditors and limitations on the amount of dividends that may be issued. Positive covenants are all actions the borrower must agree to. They include maintaining a minimum working capital, carrying adequate insurance, adhering to the repayment schedules and supplying the lender with regular financial statements and reports. Loan agreements can be amended from time to time and exceptions made. Certain provisions may be waived from year to year with the consent of the lender. Negotiating with the Lender Ask to see the papers before the loan closing. Reputable lenders will be glad to comply. While you're mulling over the terms you may want to get the advice of your associates and advisors. Discuss and negotiate the lending terms before you sign the loan agreement -- it is good practice, no matter how much you need the money. Chances are the lender may be willing to give on some of the terms; try to get terms with which you know your company can live. Remember, though, that once the loan is made, you are bound by it. GLOSSARY Accounts receivable -- Money your customers owe you that you have sent them a bill for. Bad debt -- Money owed to you that is not repaid. Cash flow -- The movement of money into and out of your business. Collateral -- Item (equipment, property, etc.) that is pledged to guarantee a loan. Covenant -- Prescription for action in a loan agreement. Current assets -- Money, inventory and equipment that will be used up in the short term (usually within one year). Depreciation schedule -- Accounting procedure for determining the amount of value left in a piece of equipment. Financial forecast -- Projection of revenues and expenses for the next one to five years. Financial plan -- Outline for how to use the money (capital) you have and how to raise the money you will need. Fixed assets -- Equipment, buildings, etc., that are purchased and used for long-term purposes. Inventory -- Merchandise that is purchased and/or produced and stored for eventual sale. Inventory turnover -- How often the inventory is sold and replenished in one year. Liquidation -- Sale of products or merchandise. Long term -- Period usually greater than one year. Obligation -- Money, merchandise or service owed to someone. Another term for debt. Short term -- Period usually one year or less. Solvency -- The ability to continue business. Working capital -- Cash and short-term assets that can be used for current needs (bills, etc.).


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Julie Crisp
Editorial Director Tor UK: discovered the joys of science fiction after reading Dune at ten and hasn't looked back since. Enjoys reading and publishing all styles of fantasy, horror and mind-bendingly good science fiction. Loves single malts, discussions about covers, and red pens. Is quietly determined to take over the universe one book at a time. Twitter: @julieacrisp
10 Jul 2013
I'm rather hoping, while writing this post, that I'm not about to open a giant can of worms. The whole issue of sexism, and discrimination against women in genre is such a hot topic, and there are so many vocal contributors that it makes you rather nervous to even voice an opinion in case a lynch mob appears. BUT then I think, hell no, I do have a voice, I do have an opinion – and I should use it. So here it is.
In the last few years I have seen numerous articles deploring the lack of female SFF writers, in science fiction in particular. And usually, the blame always comes back to the publisher's doorstep. Every time I've seen one of these articles I get a little hot under the collar because, guess what? I work in publishing. I work in genre. And here's the kicker – I'm a woman. Yes, a female editor commissioning and actively looking for good genre – male AND female.
I'm just one of a fair few female editors in this particular area. My colleagues (and competitors) are a set of brilliant, intelligent and hard-working women, who have loved genre since they were kids, have fought their way through the ranks, have extensive lists, love their jobs and don't compromise on the quality of fiction they publish. To name but a few there's Bella Pagan who works with me at Tor UK, Gillian Redfearn at Gollancz, Anne Clarke at Orbit, Jo Fletcher at Jo Fletcher Books, Jane Johnson and Emma Coode at Voyager, Cath Trechman at Titan and Anne Perry over at Hodder.
That means that every genre publisher in the UK has female commissioning editors and 90% of the genre imprints here are actually run by women. So you can imagine there's a slight sense of frustration each time I see yet another article claiming that UK publishers are biased towards male writers. And I do wonder if those writing the pieces are aware who is actually commissioning these authors?
The sad fact is, we can't publish what we're not submitted. Tor UK has an open submission policy – as a matter of curiosity we went through it recently to see what the ratio of male to female writers was and what areas they were writing in. The percentages supplied are from the five hundred submissions that we've been submitted since the end of January. It makes for some interesting reading. The facts are, out of 503 submissions – only 32% have been from female writers.
Tor submissions inbox |
Women |
Men |
Historical/epic/high-fantasy |
33% |
67% |
Urban fantasy/paranormal romance |
57% |
43% |
Horror |
17% |
83% |
Science-fiction |
22% |
78% |
68% |
32% |
Other (difficult to categorise) |
27% |
73% |
Total |
32% |
68% |
You can see that when it comes to science fiction only 22% of the submissions we received were from female writers. That's a relatively small number when you look at how many women are writing in the other areas, especially YA. I've often wondered if there are fewer women writing in areas such as science fiction because they have turned their attentions to other sub-genres but even still, the number of men submitting to us in total outweighs the women by more than 2:1.
Now what happens when you compare these percentages to how many new authors we take on in a year? Tor UK is still quite a compact list – we normally only take on three or four debut authors each year, if that. Of the four authors Bella and I have taken on this year – two of them are women.
So here's the thing. As a female editor it would be great to support female authors and get more of them on the list. BUT they will be judged exactly the same way as every script that comes into our in-boxes. Not by gender, but how well they write, how engaging the story is, how well-rounded the characters are, how much we love it.
While I understand why people get so impassioned about wanting more female writers in genre, especially when it comes to science fiction, the picture just isn't as clear cut as it seems. Accusing the publishers of being sexist, or lax in their attitude towards women writers is an easy out but it's just not the case.
I read a quote recently somewhere that said: 'Feminism isn't about all women believing the same thing, it's about women standing up for what they believe in and having the freedom to make their own choices.' Well the books I choose, the authors (male and female) I work with – they're what I believe in, they're my choice.
Brilliantly said!
From where I sit as a writer in the UF genre, the publishers aren't the problem. Rather, the whole sexism issue appears to be part of an overall societal backlash towards women. I truly thought we'd won the equality issue years ago (I grew up during the bra-burning era) and I'm saddened at its seeming resurrection. That said, I'm also fiercely proud of all the writers (and others) — both male and female — who are adding their voices to a conversation that is long, long overdue.
Great post!
Great post, Julie. Thanks for compiling the statistics and for shedding light on this from an editor's perspective.
Well said. I keep reading about this male bias then I look at Tor and wonder where exactly is this patriarchy in genre publishing?
On behalf of all the US women sf/f edtors, thank you, Julie! You can't acquire what isn't submitted. And you can't acquire something that isn't good just to gender-balance a list.
Spot on, and thanks, Julie! I really don't care what gender a writer is, and half the time you can't tell anyway, given the use of pseudonyms or initials. What matters is the quality of the writing and the originality of the voice: nothing else.
Interesting article, thanks. Does not exactly jibe with everyone's experiences, though:
Okay, I have actually woken up in the middle of the night still disturbed by this.
That you are a woman in a given industry, even that there are a lot of women in the industry, really doesn't have much bearing on whether the industry perpetuates sexism, which may particularly affect women working in other areas of the industry. Some of the most sexist things ever said to me in a professional context have been said by women. "When you're asked about your influences, can you stop mentioning women writers and namedrop these men instead? I don't care if you haven't read them, can you name them as influences anyway?" "If there's a woman on the cover, the book won't sell." "Can you turn your 50/50 male/female cast to 75% male?" "We don't want this book, because girls don't like books about space, and boys don't like books about girls." What's between the speaker's legs really doesn't change the content here. And yes, many of the women saying these things were honestly trying to help me! If I mentioned sexism, they would say, in effect, that they agreed with me, but that trying to succeed in spite of sexism could only be done by stealth and by making a lot of concessions to it. It may be that they were RIGHT and that by talking about women writers and writing female characters, I've harmed my career. I certainly often worry that by talking about sexism, I will damage my reputation and saleability. Either way, men don't have to worry about writing about male character or talking about male writers and that women DO have to deal with such issues regarding their own gender in the workplace is sexist — it doesn't require a cabal of evil men deliberately stomping on our dreams for fun for it to happen.
And those were the things that were said aloud, that someone was consciously aware of thinking. What about the assumptions and expectations that were unstated and unnoticed? What about the money, and perhaps more crucially and even harder to pin down, the *energy and attention and decisions* put into marketing and promotion? What's happening with jacket design? It may be that at Tor this is entirely equal. But even when those things honestly entirely equal — does that result in equal outcomes when the book is published? And how do those outcomes affect contracts and advances later down the road? How do they affect women who might be interested in starting to write, or CONTINUING to write, SFF?
Plenty of the sexism female writers experience is not unique to SFF and at least partly out of the publishers' hands. Recently I was in a large Waterstones. One of the most prominent displays was "Staff's favourites", or something. It featured about thirty writers, about three of whom were female. All of those were dead. I always notice this sort of thing in bookshops because it happens all the time. Here is a table of top crime writers! (90% male) [X]'s Pick! (All male) If you like Game of Thrones you may like these writers! (All male). Pages of all male review sections, all male award shortlists. Interviews, invitations to festivals, etc etc. And that's at the "official" level. How many readers are there out there who consciously or unconsciously avoid female writers? I've seen plenty of people online who saw no problem with saying they do this. I saw a female colleague saying recently she had an acquaintance who'd told her he couldn't read her book, because he was concentrating on catching up with female writers before 1990.
But he had plenty of time to read new male writers.
In short even when you give an equally talented male and female writer exactly equal shakes in-house, the female writer's professional experience could still contain so much sexism, that her book performs significantly less well and she cannot, in the longterm, continue writing. Instead she and the women that might have followed her decide to do something more useful with her time, like banging her head against a brick wall.
What is so hard about battling sexism in publishing is its so nebulous and fluid, you often cannot point to one deliberate, malicious decision and say "this is where it all went wrong." This also means there is not one single decisive thing you can do to fix it. You're right to say it's not "clear-cut". But that doesn't mean it doesn't exist, or that the problem is just that women aren't interested. As the industry stands, women have good REASONS not to be interested! I know this is something that people at the publishing end can't just wave a magic wand and fix. I know you can't publish what you don't receive. But publishers do have a part to play, and that has to include recognising the complexity and scale of what's going on.
On a bad day I think the whole thing is hopeless and I'd be better off trying to be a literary writer. On a worse day I think I'd give up being a writer at all if I could. On a good day, I think, all of publishing (in the sense of the entire process from contract to bookshop checkout to review column) well, the whole world! — is sexist, but maybe SFF isn't worse, maybe it's better, because at least it knows and cares that it has a problem and is trying to change. Even though it is sometimes painful.
But I feel this piece will be taken as granting SFF permission to care less.
Challenge accepted.
This aspiring female fantasy writer is working as hard as she can to get her book out there, so I hope someday soon I'll be able to balance out those numbers a bit!
@ Jane
I don't care what gender a writer is either and I would have said that I had a pretty even spread when it came to reading (say 60 /40 in favor of male authors). Until I actually analysed what I read over a 12 month period. Turns out the ratio was more 85/15 in favour of male authors. So I now impose a loose ratio on my reading, trying to get it to parity. I review for a couple of the Big Six as well as small press so its not a stricture I would suggest for the casual reader.
The most interesting thing for me has been the absolute absence of the suggested drop in quality. I have discovered some great reads, some great authors. Its possible that my change in reading has also broadened what I consider quality. Allowed me to develop appreciation of styles of writing I might not otherwise have, but then this surely can't be a bad thing
I am one of those people who wrote one of those articles, because a publisher told me *in my face* that it was problematic to be a woman and write hard SF. In. My. Face. He was less interested in anything I had to offer, because I am a woman.
Very well said.
Very well said, Julie – I could not agree more!
Interesting and concerning stats
Interesting statistics, how do they correlate to what you publish?
In other discussions (eg convention panels, speakers) it appears women are less likely to put themselves forward, even if they are experts. But that it helps to make them aware they are welcome, leading to more diversity and higher quality. Which is probably something to keep in mind if you are looking for the best works out there.
Exactly: you can't publish what you're not sent. I have several published female SF writer clients and the idea that they faced discrimination by editorial teams is absurd.
Very refreshing piece.
Hi Julie, thanks for responding. I do get (now) that you're just trying to encourage more women to submit, and that couldn't be a bad thing. If you find more female writers this way I couldn't be more delighted. But the thing is, I still feel it's worth pointing out that publication is not one hurdle that you jump over and everything's fine and you'll never face sexism again. And though a lot of the trouble arises from readers and booksellers, in my experience, the way publishers REACT to that trouble can also be problematic. As I say, even entirely well-intentioned publishers, who are not personally sexist, think your writing is great and are honestly trying to help your book do well, can still place you in difficult quandaries that male writers do not face – e.g telling you your book will sell worse if you persist in writing about so many characters of your own gender.
If you're trying to get *in* to publishing, being told that female editors are eager to welcome you may help. If you're trying to *stay* there, it does feel a bit like being told that the trouble is all in your head (which was why I felt frustrated) and female writers just need to try harder. And that really isn't the only thing that needs to happen.
As a woman horror writer this article is both illuminating and faintly depressing. I've been shouting very loudly for years about the fact that women write horror, against the overwhelmingly prevalent atttitude that we don't. But according to your statistic above only 17% of horror writers are women. That seems such a small number. How can we change the established perceptions when there are so few of us to do so?
This entire piece is dead on and I'm glad to see the hard numbers–the bottom line is sales, which is I what I thought all along. I think most preconceptions and/or possible sexism come at the reader level and not at the publishing house/editorial level.
Having followed this issue for a couple of years, I've noticed that the gender related studies of book bloggers points out that female bloggers tend to read along a gender split while male bloggers tend to gravitate toward male authors. However, I think an important factor that is left out of all of these gender studies is the age of the people involved.
From reading comments of various people online through Reddit, Facebook, and Twitter, I realize that young men tend to gravitate toward male authors, and as they get older, they broaden their reading experience with female authors. Women, young and old, tend to read both genders without prejudice. All this tells me is that what we're all looking for is a good story that resonates with us.
Oh, and for the record, my first novel was purchased by a male editor and I used no pseudonym. I have seen no evidence that there is a great publisher conspiracy keeping women authors out of sight. Editors and publishers are looking for books that sell. Period.
Women can be sexist too. It comes from living in a sexist society.
One question to ask is 'What is it about my publishing company that results in fewer women submitting to us?"
I DO find there to be sexism in literature, but believe it stems from reader beliefs and publisher practices are a rational manifestation of what readers will spend money for. The listings of author by genre are VERY close to the sex breakdown of READERS for those genres. I believe (not always, but mostly) that women read both male and female authors and men have a strong preference for male authors. And as a female writer, this can frustrate me, but I have to admit, even though I write mystery and suspense, (and some YA)–all with darker themes, my voice is still undeniably female. I care about relationships and highlight those. I psychoanalyze (or my characters tend to) as no normal man ever does. My books are just going to appeal more to women than men.
"they will be judged exactly the same way as every script that comes into our in-boxes. Not by gender, but how well they write, how engaging the story is, how well-rounded the characters are, how much we love it."
I think that this is all that ANY author should expect, and all that ANY publishers should use as their criteria. Good for you – whatever reasons there may be for imbalances in M/F authors being published, you're doing the right thing. So just ignore the brouhaha and carry on.
Perhaps the problem isn't so much 'now' as 'historical' – that past discrimination has resulted in women not bothering to submit much now (speaking of SF in particular here). I know that this has certainly been the case for a friend of mine in the US. Some habits die hard…
That said, it is lovely to see that you are encouraging submissions. I hope that women SF writers take you up on this!
Thank you for posting this- it is interesting indeed.
I am actually one of your stats (which is rather an odd feeling). One of the 32%. I suspect that I am in the 'other' category as I has assigned 'literary fantasy' as my genre.
Since reading the comments here and on Twitter I'm surprised that it is almost considered a genre cop out. I love this genre. But my work, whilst certainly commercial in some aspects, has many others that veer. A couple of my chapters are prose poetry, there is an underlying focus on the themes of sexism, female empowerment and sexuality.
To me commercial-literary is a spectrum that can be applied to genre. I did not chose that label because of my gender. Nor did my gender put me off from submitting. I have lurked here, and on Tor.com, and know that you have an ethos that is very supportive of equality. That is something that I admire.
During my plunge into the writing world I have made a few observations (which of course will be generalised, people are wonderfully variable after all). Male writers have an innate privilege. The are raised to assert their opinions, expected to WIN, to pursue their goals, to be driven…regardless of their skill. They expect to get somewhere and so don't really consider whether or not to start the journey, but rather focus on the cake and trophies at the end.
Women are raised to be passive, polite, to second guess themselves. They are taught to have dreams, as if the dream is the goal itself. So many women write, but have to get over that socialisation to start submitting. Then there is the fact that being a Writer is very nearly always portrayed as a male profession. The perception that men are simply better at it. So a woman will have to work even harder to make sure her writing is as good as a man's, let alone better, before submitting.
Sometimes these things are stated outright, but more often than not it is an underlying attitude/perception. In an odd way I feel this point is clearly demonstrated when ever you come across a debate on writing a gender different to your own…as if men and women are completely different creatures. (Mars & Venus?).
Then there is the fact that this particular genre is *very* noisy about issues such as sexism and racism. As with any other area of life, we have some bigots and some issues that need ironing out…which is happening with a lot of vigorous discussion, campaigns, articles ect. But perhaps, conversely, to someone looking in it may seem like the issues thrown up are made to seem prevalent, over whelming. Like the hashtag that went around promoting attacking women at conventions. Where-as SFF genre fandom has actually become a very forward thinking group who are not afraid to tackle these issues, and are not cowed by the inevitable flare ups that ensue.
As you have demonstrated here, providing data for the debate :)
Here are my experiences with this as an AE.
Before I became acquisitions editor at Eternal Press and Damnation Books, I was editing and publishing the Time Yarns short story anthologies. Time Yarns isn't a pro market, but I think my experience with it is relevant because it's in the pays-in-copies markets that writers get their first publication credits and experience. The first two Time Yarns anthologies were mostly hard sf. When I recruited writers, I was touting these anthos as "in the tradition of hard sf by scientists" and I got no women submitting to them at all except in art, even though I went so far as to attend the Broad Universe breakfast at WorldCon Reno and beg for some submissions. Nada. Zip. I ended up sticking a story of my own in each book just so it wouldn't be an all-male cast of authors. When I set out to do antho 3, I really wanted some female authors. I tossed out "by scientists" first, thinking that because women are not as well represented in the sciences they might not think they qualify. Still nothing. Then I tossed out "hard sf." Still nothing. Then I thought, OK, what do I, as a woman, like? What would attract me to an obscure little pays-in-copies antho or zine? And I came up with cats. I made antho 3 a cat theme. It worked. For whatever reason, it worked, and I managed to get a lot of women writers. And a lot more reviews for antho 3 than either of the others (11 vs. 2 and 3 respectively.) Make of it what you will.
At EP & DB, I would like to have more women authors submitting sf and especially horror, where submissions by women authors are noticeably rare even though I don't keep statistics like this. EP also publishes romance, in which the overwhelming majority of submissions are by women authors. Male authors have even queried me asking if I'd consider a male author in the romance genre (yes.) So that's where a lot of female authors have gone: into the romance genre.
I'm not well versed in the backgrounds of SF authors, but I was wondering if part of the gap in SF specifically may come from the breakdown of gender for those going into Science itself. I know there have been a ton of studies on how much of that is sexism within the fields of Science (answer – some) and how much of that is just women not being as interest in going into Science as men (which once again would include a good dollop of societal sexism in the first place).
If many SF authors have a background in Science, then you would see this gender gap feed through to a gender gap in authors submitting SF stories.
As has been said several times both by yourself and in the comments, this is a very complicated issue with a lot more than one single cause.
I found this very interesting, thank you!
As an invitation for more women to submit, absolutely. The argument about sexism, real or implied, is gnarly, and probably there are arguments to support both sides. However, just think about it. Who are today's most successful writers in genre? J.K. Rowling, the author of the 50 Shades of Grey books, possibly Charlaine Harris, and a host of others. Sure, there are big name guys, too, the Dan Browns, the Stephen Kings, and the like. But my impression is that the balance, at least in terms of commercial success, is fairly even. So it would be extremely stupid for any publisher to be sexist – after all, they're in it for the money, as well as the art, of cours, regardless of whether it's a man or a woman who produces the goods.
@ SOPHIA MCDOUGALL – Ironically I've had the opposite happen. A former (female) editor insisted that the protag of a proposed YA series had to be a girl as teen girls wouldn't read the books if the lead was a boy.
I think there are biases on both sides of the fence.
To Ms. McDougall and those with her experience, from me, from across the Pond, in reference to:
>> When you're asked about your influences, can you stop mentioning women writers and namedrop these men instead? I don't care if you haven't read them, can you name them as influences anyway?<>" "If there's a woman on the cover, the book won't sell." <>"Can you turn your 50/50 male/female cast to 75% male?"<> "We don't want this book, because girls don't like books about space, and boys don't like books about girls."<>many of the women saying these things were honestly trying to help me!<>that trying to succeed in spite of sexism could only be done by stealth and by making a lot of concessions to it.<> It may be that they were RIGHT and that by talking about women writers and writing female characters, I've harmed my career. I certainly often worry that by talking about sexism, I will damage my reputation and saleability.<<
And here I talk about my own career. I have spent 30 years writing girl heroes–warriors and wizards, police, blacksmiths, and weather workers. No one was ever misled about my feminist intentions, but my girls are surrounded by boys and my books always have a heavy action component. I talk about my female and male influences and speak openly outside my books about the need for girls to have heroes (not within the books–the story matters). Boys and their fathers and their uncles read my work. No one ever suggested I turn a hero into a boy in order to publish. I did what I did, supported by my publishers, and have published steadily, helped by booksellers and librarians, as my audience grew and grew. I think you are doing the right thing, and you should tell these people that someone has to step up. If one person speaks up, then so will others. Are they going to live in purdah forever, or are they going to take a chance and remove the veil? If the story is engaging enough, boys will read. And girls need heroes, too.
I'm personally delighted to see you encourage science fiction submissions from female authors, if only to encourage more very talented women to write in the genre.
And yes I would have loved to submit my hard science fiction novel for consideration, but unusually for an engineer, I read the instructions… my novel's only c. 90k, and short for what you're asking for. Otherwise I would've given this opportunity more consideration. So you have one reason why one writer has not submitted.
The science fiction ratio of women 22%, men 78% sounds about right to me from what I've seen of published science fiction short stories. I think the why is very complicated.
What I am disappointed about is your comment about the difficulty in selling science fiction books… but not surprised. Part of the issue I have with books these days is the lack of the mind-boggling ideas that give my brain a buzz. The science is there to do this, but the science fiction of this ilk is not being written, submitted or published (not sure which).
Good luck in your endeavours!
Whilst the numbers look intriguing and I have NO access to the statistics, I would suggest these look similar to the number of women taking engineering/ science roles (outside medicine). My IMPRESSION is wholly based on working in the IT industry and on chemical / high tech installation sites.
If this is true, isn't it only to be expected the numbers would be similar? Nobody can write in a genre where they don't love the framework.
Oddly, as a lover of steampunk/ urban fantasy, I find that my Kindle is dominated by female writers.
Good article!
Julie, thanks for responding and thanks for linking to my post.
As for your statistics, this particular woman SF writer probably won't be adding to the 22% in the slush. I've found that mention of the name Analog in your author bio does wonders for acceptance by readers of self-published work. I took that route after the Great Slump of the GFC and am much happier for it. I know a lot of female SF authors who have done the same.
I'd like to add a personal comment to that of Erin Lale's. I write and read fantasy, not SF, because these days I find so much SF is bogged down with the 'how things work' ethos. The technological details. The hard nuts and bolts of things. Yet I used to devour huge quantities of the classic SF writers – Anne McCaffrey as well as Asimov to give just an example of the breadth. I wouldn't presume to speak for other women, but what attracts me to an SF story is to find out about the characters – that they're on a space ship/in an alternative time/ on a strange planet, is secondary to what they do there – and I find that increasingly hard to find in the SF I see being published in the last decade or so. And I suspect this answers the question of why go to see a film but not read. No film I've come across stops mid-story to tell you more about the setting – to give you a tour of the spaceship's engine room, or to examine the biology of the alien in question – it's all character/action focused!
So as a writer (albeit as yet only self-published) I've steered clear of even trying to write SF, because rightly or wrongly I've felt I would be wasting my time. I don't have sufficiently good a background in the sciences to even begin to be able to put in technical content, and when I see the predominance of such writing on the shelves of our local Waterstones, I'm led to believe that there's no market for the kind of stuff I'd want to spend many hours producing. This may, of course, come back to what Sophie MacDougall has said about the biases once a book gets beyond its publisher, but it's significant that Erin has clearly found other female writers put off by the 'techno-geek' requirement. So maybe if publishers want more female SF writer to submit, they need to make it clearer what they consider to fall into the SF catagory. Because my instinctive response to the idea of an anthology on a cat theme is that it falls into fantasy, not SF, and that brings us back to square one again!
Like many people, I was a major s.f. fan as a teenager and young adult. Then, in the 1980s or so, the growing insistence on "hard" sf and the demand for writing that followed Einstein's dictum that travel could not exceed the speed of light pretty much killed science fiction for me. I read it for the sense of wonder in roaming space and finding new worlds and peoples, not so I could have flashbacks of maths and science classes.
I did find an area of adult science fiction that I *did* enjoy: interestingly, it is written by women for the most part–Nancy Kress, Kathleen Goonan, Catherine Asaro, Nicola Griffith, Sarah Zettel, and Geoffrey Landis, and in short stories by Michael Burstein. I once saw a male sf writer tell Nancy Kress–to her face!–that her genetics and sociology based works weren't "real" science. Catherine Asaro has gotten the same. Thank heavens, they keep writing. It's people like this, the space opera folks, and the men who are loosening their hard science garters who are tempting me back to science fiction . . . a bit.
First, I appreciated your article and seeing the submission stats. As a writer, it's eye opening to see things from the other side of the desk.
Second, the comments and discussion are excellent. The issues round this are complex, and I think many valid points have been raised.
What comes through clearly is that there isn't an easy answer or fix to these questions. Good job. Keep prompting the discussion.
Great post.
Another issue for you to consider might be your constraints on submissions. You list a word count range of 95,000 to 150,000. Just based on my own reading experience in SFF I would say that men tend to write longer novels than women. It's possible that if you lowered your range to 85,000 or even 90,000 that you might attract a few more submissions from women. I know I'd then submit my novel.
Hi Julie, just wanted to say thank you for being brave enough to voice your thoughts at a time when women are shouting about sexism all over the net. As a woman writer of epic fantasy, I've kept quiet as I don't want to bring down a ton of criticism on myself, so it's nice to see my views echoed in your article. I have to say that the main sexism I have come across is from women ("Epic fantasy? Why are you writing books for guys?" As if that is sexist in itself). The majority of men who I tell I write fantasy and am a gamer are delighted and happy to spend hours talking about the topic without patronising me. That's not to say sexism doesn't exist or the experiences of other authors are not valid, but I haven't personally come across such problems. I have my first epic fantasy coming out with Angry Robot Books, and they clearly have no problem with the gender of their writers and publish many women authors. I didn't even think about my gender when I submitted, and I suspect neither did they. As you say, I think the statistics are skewed because less women submit F/SF/Horror than other genres, not because publishers are choosing male authors. Just like there are less male authors in romance. I love SF but have to admit to being put off writing it because I don't want the slew of comments about FTL travel being impossible and how what I've written couldn't possibly occur in real science. It's Science FICTION, people. But I'm happy to dip into Science Fantasy, if that's what everyone would rather it be called. Anyway, just wanted to say well done – it was a refreshing insight into publishing of these genres. Gender, race and sexuality should all be irrelevant when writing and publishing. What's important is: it is a good story?
I agree with M. Humphrey that word count constraints damage submissions, but would like to see the upper end moved too. I'm a female writer of fantasy whose books come in around the 250K limit. I've asked my readers if they think there's anywhere I could cut more words, or if there's a way to spit the four books up into smaller units, and they are telling me no, that the books work best as they are. I don't believe for one moment that I'm alone in having this problem!
I've written before about this in writing magazines that quality speaks whatever the length. If you'd applied such constraints in the past, not only would fantasy writers such as J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan and George R. R. Maritn not have been published; many of the classic SF writers' works would have disappeared – such as Asimov, Silverberg and Heinlein to name but three! [Please note I have deliberately used male writers as my examples, for whom it would have been presumably easier to get a foot in the door then just as now.] If Tor and other publishers want well written books in the SF/Fantasy genre, they have to appreciate that sometimes it takes more words to fully realise that world for the readers. Also, what happened to the novella? Surely that's an 80K book? And there were plenty of classics of that sort in the past, so why not now?
Perhaps female writers are more experimental with their writing, and find it harder to shoehorn their writing into such tight boxes? I wouldn't presume to know the answer to that, but if publishers want BETTER submissions, rather than just submissions which fit into a specific and very narrow band, maybe they should think about adjusting that word count!
I don't pretend to have answers for what is a fairly complex problem (as commenters have described in detail).
I did want to mention that your 70/30 gender split among submitters pretty closely mirrors what we see at Daily Science Fiction. So, from flash fiction to novels, our genre may have 2 male submitters for every female.
As a parent, I suspect that our upcoming generation of readers is/will be less gender-biased than previous ones. They do all grow up reading J.K. Rowling and Suzanne Collins, watching Korra and Kitara, etc.
Tamora– I am a a guy, and I read many, many of your books when I was younger, with both male and female MCs.
But every other single person I know who read them was a girl. Every single one.
I think something that's important to keep in mind when we have this discussion is that so many people are looking at the issue anecdotaly. They see that the story someone is telling doesn't match up with theirs, and they dismiss it. It has happened right in these comments.
Even when we have hard statistics like Julie has given in this article, that doesn't mean the data supports a statistically significant conclusion.
I think it's important for everyone discussing this issue to remember that a single blog post simply lacks the scope to address this issue at a level where we can come to concrete conclusions on the level of sexism in the industry.
That's not to say anyone should stop writing them, because any bit of data or story from someone in the industry is valuable information which we can use to reach a solid conclusion, but a single blog post in and of itself does not represent one of those solid conclusions.
Julie, the issues with the discussion of sexism aside, these statistics are really interesting, and I'm glad that people in the industry are putting out the call for more books in any genre written by female authors. As one of the people in the younger generation, I do agree that in many ways, sexism is waning, at least among the readership, and honestly I don't have any bias towards books by female authors or with female MCs, but I know people who do and I always try to pay attention to the gender of authors and characters, not to avoid certain groups, but to be aware of my own reading habits and those of the people around me. I think that sort of awareness is a between step towards eliminating sexism, and it has definitely helped me broaden my horizons in terms of what I read and how I respond to sexism I encounter. (And I still encounter a great deal.)
Just an update on Freya' Robertson's post – they now think FTL (Faster Than Light) travel could be possible with Alcubierre's Drive. There is still a lot of work to be done on the development side, but the principles have been established.
One of the issues with science and science fiction is that science keeps on developing, so the genre will always have something fresh to add to it. That's the plus side. The minus side is of course it's harder to write a novel because of all the extra background research and work that has to go into it. This is one reason why science fiction novels tend on the whole to be shorter than fantasy.
Another reason, to reinforce Linda Hutton's contribution, is that ladies tend to edit more than men before submitting, which means they get rid of the unnecessary bits that makes their novels shorter.
Hope these comments help.
I'm a female spec writer who often writes sci-fi (as well as fantasy, political sci-fi and horror) and I would definitely look at Tor when I have something good enough to send them. I know that Tor is a really tough market, so the reason I haven't submitted anything is because I don't know if I'm good enough yet.
(I've just had my first pro piece come out and am waiting on a whole bunch of submissions – I have collected a lot of rejections, also!)
Having said that, I will work hard and keep writing and hope I feel confident enough to submit in the future!
Julie, I've just read your blog post on encouraging female authors to submit to Tor UK. I'm massively excited by this. I've been a science fiction writer for a long time, but for the last decade have more or less given up submitting my work to SF publishers. Like a lot of other people who've commented on your post, I've had the feeling that SF didn't welcome a woman writer writing about the universe from a female perspective.
Every time I go to my local bookshop and scan the SF shelves I see only male authors writing what I call 'pure' SF. Most of the women, including the fabulous authors I grew up loving their SF work, are now writing fantasy. So the perception I've had over the last decade is that women writing SF, as opposed to fantasy, have no chance of getting that work published.
I'm heartened by your comments, and when I've given my novel Eyemind another thorough edit I shall be submitting it to you.
It's an interesting chicken-and-egg problem. In my experience there are plenty of female science-fiction authors, but they are getting published in the Romance genre rather than under Science-fiction. My guess is that Romance is perceived as more female-friendly, so that's where the new authors are going. I'm not sure how to fix this, other than perhaps providing incentives for some of those authors to make the switch.
One thing that might help is lowering the word limit to 80 or 85K as previously mentioned, especially if you're trying to attract some of those authors I've just mentioned. A lot of them seem to be writing for the ebook market as well, which means they're usually writing shorter works.
Wow, this is a breath of fresh air. For a minute there I was beginning to despair. Great piece, a calm clear look at the actual numbers behind the hysteria.


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This is a syndicated post from LifeSiteNews.com Latest Headlines. [Read the original article...]
by Michelle Kaufman, New Zealand Correspondent AUCKLAND, New Zealand, February 17, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A pro-euthanasia campaigner has called for New Zealand to follow Belgium's lead by legalizing euthanasia for children. Lesley Martin, who was convicted for attempting to murder her mother, believes the practice is already happening… (99)


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The highly acclaimed Full Spectrum Jazz has delighted audiences with traditional and modern jazz since 1996. Performance styles range from laid-back Count Basie swing to poly-rhythmic modern Latin. Full Spectrum Jazz has a diverse catalog of exceptional music, including original compositions and venerable jazz standards.
Full Spectrum is a full 18-piece big band, including vocalist Duane Lawrence as a regular feature.


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Remember our cute little space at Breeze Center in Taiwan that opened earlier this year? We opened a pop-up space in this fashion hotspot. Our retail debut was such a hit, we decided to make ourselves at home and opened our first boutique in Taipei!
Our corner at the Breeze Center:
If you weren't already aware, Taipei's Breeze Center is the first American-style shopping mall that combines shopping, entertainment, and dining areas in one place. Comfortably designed spaces and well-lighted interior make for a relaxing shopping environment. Taipei, officially known as Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China, for the ones who didn't know.
Nine floors of shopping, plus a basement food court, upmarket deli and supermarket. The luxury floor now includes MCM, fitted with beautifully designed spaces and well-lighted interiors to make for a delightful shopping experience. Glass facades, ashened wood, warm colours and cosy lights will make you feel like home! If you need more information, go check out BREEZE's official website!
The state-of-the-art new space is designed with brighter colours in a generously capacious interior: If you're looking for your next MCM-lovely, you could certainly find it here. I myself am surprised by the amazingly eclectic selection you'll find at our Taipei Breeze Boutique: From shopper to backpack, pouch to drawstring and from wallet to bucket bag - you'll find everything in every colour. My personal dreamland!
The Breeze Center is in the heart of Taipei, close to the Shimin Boulevard. If you need a bit of info about some attractions, you should definitely take a closer look at this list here.
Make sure to check the area around Zhongshan to take a closer look at those museums:
Taipei Fine Arts Museum (Zhongshan)
National Taiwan Museum (Zhongzheng)
Here you'll find our shopping paradise <3
MCM Taipei Breeze Center Store
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Store Opening Hours: 11:00am - 10:00pm
G/F, No. 39, Sec 1, Fuxing S. Rd.
Songshan Dist., Taipei City 10556 Taiwan (R.O.C)
Mon to Sun : 11:00am ? 10:00pm
Tel: +886-8772-7729


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Spring Drive RV Campground is a popular camping spot with access to a variety of recreational activities. It offers full hookups and spacious campsites...[more]
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[ * in straight line, not driving distance ] Bear Springs Campground is an ideal destination for families and groups that enjoy the outdoors in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. It offers spacious ...[more]
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Activities and Amenities:HIKINGPICNICKING This campground is near the Warm Springs Tribal Lands. Remember, tribal land is private land! Be sure not to trespass. Activities and Amenities:CAMPINGPICNICKINGRECREATIONAL VEHICLES Located at the edge of the National Forest. This campground is near the Warm Springs Tribal Lands. Remember, tribal land is private land! Be sure...[more]
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Activities and Amenities:BIKINGCAMPINGHIKINGPICNICKING Beautiful, out of the way campground on the Wild and Scenic White River. Activities and Amenities:CAMPINGPICNICKINGRECREATIONAL VEHICLESWILDLIFE VIEWING Near the headwaters of Lost Creek. Activities and Amenities:CAMPINGPICNICKINGRECREATIONAL VEHICLES Current Search Results:
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Staying at the Manor Apartment Hotel Brisbane, or just want to get your festive juices flowing, here are some ideas to get you in the spirit
Relaxed laneway tapas and cocktails @ Brew Burnett Lane
Fresh seafood riverside @ Jellyfish, Riparian Plaza
Drinks with a view @ Mr & Mrs G, Eagle St Pier – NEW
Australian produce by the river @ Pony Lounge, Eagle Street Pier - NEW
Award-winning inventive share menus @ Public, George St
Simple food - Philip Johnson style @ Bistro One Eleven, Eagle St - NEW
Craft beer & eclectic wines with a laneway twist @ Super Whatnot, Burnett Lane
Top-shelf spirits and opulent decor @ The Kitty, Treasury Casino & Hotel - NEW
Epicurean food in rustic surrounds @ The Survey Co, Burnett Lane
Turkey, bon bons, decorations, lights, the tree... the list of items to prepare for Christmas Day could run for miles! But never fear, The City is home to a huge selection of stores that will help you on your way to becoming the master of Christmas Day.
Food & Drink:
Chocolate to Die For, Adelaide St
Coles, The Myer Centre and QueensPlaza
IGA, Elizabeth St.
Jan Power's City Farmers Markets (every Wednesday at Reddacliff Place)
Poppy Cakes, Adelaide St
Shingle Inn, Brisbane Square, Eagle St Pier, MacArthur Central and The Myer Centre. Spoon, Albert St
Spring Deli, Mary St
Stamford Plaza, Edward St
Woolworths, MacArthur Central
The City is the ideal place to enjoy Christmas Day lunch or dinner with friends and family. From a traditional Christmas luncheon to a decadent modern Christmas dinner, there are dozens of restaurants, cafes and hotels to choose from.
Hotel Orient, Ann St. Enjoy a Christmas feast with a three course set menu encompassing all of the festive trimmings, from roast turkey to Christmas pudding.
NEW Kitchen, Treasury Casino & Hotel. Enjoy a glass of champagne on arrival followed by a three course luncheon. Plus there will be roving carollers and a visit from Santa.
Kookaburra River Queens. This Brisbane icon is serving up a three course seafood and carvery buffet lunch as you cruise along the river.
For a full list of the festive events in The City click here.


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Reviewed Angel Food Cake with Espresso Mascarpone Cream
Nov 29, 2012 in Food Network Community Toolbox on FoodNetwork.com
"This is a tasty, quick dessert that I'll make over and over. But you can get the same effect without expensive ingredients. I subbed a block of cream cheese for the mascarpone and added a splash of milk to thin it down a bit. In the future I'll use more powdered sugar since I think most people would like it a little sweeter. Instead of using coffe""


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Natural Care Ultra Vein-Gard Capsules is the exclusive homeopathic and nutrient formula designed to increase circulation in the legs and relieve symptoms associated with various vein issues. Decreased circulation is tied to spider veins; bulging, bluish, lumpy varicose veins; aching, sore, and swollen feet and legs; burning, stinging, itching, and crawling sensations; vein inflammation, Phlebitis (inflammation of veins, usually in the legs); and Ecchymosis (ruptured blood vessels).
The homeopathic ingredients in Vein-Gard have been indicated for these various symptoms. In a base of essential vitamins, enzymes, and botanicals, Vein-Gard capsules, taken with Vein-Gard cream, can relieve the painful, unsightly symptoms and reduce swelling in the legs and ankles.
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Adults take 1 capsule, 3 times daily with meals. For optimal benefits, take 2 capsules 3 times daily.
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Home › Admission and Financial Aid › City of Tulsa › Restaurants
Much like the vibrant city for which it is named, TU has an ecclectic selection of on-campus eating and drinking venues, many of which are located in the Allen Chapman Activity Center (ACAC). Tulsa hosts so many good places we can't fit them all here, but below is a sampling of some of our favorites. (We've provided links where available, but those without links can be located using your primary search engine.)


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September is National Nutrition Month, and the Produce For Better Health Foundation has a wide range of promotional tools to help retailers celebrate.
The Hockessin, Del.-based foundation's "Fuel Up with Every Form" toolkit highlights its "all forms" message with each week dedicated to a form of produce, starting with fresh produce in week 1.
Resources include ad slicks, memes, social media posts, point of sale or price signs and a calendar listing the fruit or vegetable PBH plans to highlight each day, according to a news release.
The materials are meant for retailers, processors, supermarket dietitians and other health professionals for consumer outreach.
"The available resources with the marketing toolkit coupled with the planned posts and tweets for September will easily enable everyone who supports PBH and Fruits & Veggies — More Matters to celebrate with us," said Elizabeth Pivonka, president and chief executive officer of PBH, in a news release. "The elements of the toolkit are colorful and eye-catching and can also be used at other times throughout the year."
PBH plans to highlight fruits and vegetables on its various social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
Access the toolkit from its website at pbhfoundation.org.


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Home Folkestone News Article
One of the workers was in a serious condition, French officials said on Sunday, but all those affected have now been released from hospital.
The first incident happened as some 60 workers were changing rail tracks on the line between Calais, France, and Folkestone, UK on Saturday night.
A welder was taken ill in the early hours of Sunday and carbon monoxide poisoning was later diagnosed.
Tunnel traffic was unaffected.
Eighteen other workers were also taken ill after it appeared the carbon monoxide detectors inside the tunnel failed to register levels were dangerous.
They were all sent to local French hospitals to give them "the time needed to remove the carbon monoxide from their system", an official said, adding their condition was not a cause for concern.
The 41 other workers went home.
An investigation has been launched into the cause of the incidents.
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The Commissioner in the Britney Spears custody case has written his order giving a blow-by-blow account of what went down in the case.
Commissioner Scott Gordon ruled that Spears "was not in substantial compliance with material provisions of the Court's September 17, 2007 order." He then continues.
He also ruled that her visitation rights will be terminated "if any conduct or action by (Britney) endangers the minor children." The monitor has the power to terminate her visitation rights.
Gordon said Britney "is ordered to undergo testing for the use of controlled substances and alcohol," something he required in a previous order. As we first reported, Spears did not submit to drug tests as required by the Court. Gordon now says "... refusal to submit to a test ... shall be deemed by the Court as a failed test."
She's also required to undergo "individual counseling" at least once a week as required by Gordon last month and must also meet with a parenting coach so they can "observe [her] interaction with the minor children and her parenting skills."
And as we first reported, both Britney and K-Fed are required to appear in court on October 26.


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"i used evaporated milk with regular milk, it didn't seem to take too long to thicken. i also used lime peel and 1 cinnamon stick. it tasted just like the arroz con leche u get in the market frozen, the ones that come in individual cups. i liked this recipe, not too complicated. i'm quite lazy. i also omitted the raisins, not a fan."
"This was better than the ones I used to buy at the bakery because it was like homemade and fresh from the oven. The ones at the bakery didn't have enough coconut syrup and sometimes been sitting there for a while not fresh and a little dry on the top. Very easy to do."


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In 1980, Stanley Kubrick came to the Timberline Lodge to film one of the all-time great horror classics, THE SHINING. In the film, Jack Nicholson slowly loses his grasp on reality and loses himself in a hallucination of a 1920s era ball. Twenty-Eight years later, Nike Sportswear and Fantastic Fest have joined forces to recreate the very same ball at the very same lodge--and you're invited this Halloween.
Choose from two party packages available for the event, which takes place on October 31. The first is the VIP Overnight Package, which allows you to stay at the Timberline that night. For $200, two people will have access to a room, dinner, 3 cocktails each, shows and live music, a screening of the movie in the room, a VIP gift package, and a continental breakfast the following morning. If staying at the Lodge is too much for you, then the Gold Room Ticket might be more your speed. For just 25 bucks you get dinner, 3 cocktails, shows and live music, a limited edition poster, and bus transportation to and from the event.
You must be at least 21 to attend the party, and formal attire is required. Considering that the party is a 1920s theme, that era of dress is preferred and special gifts will be given for the best period attire of the night. At the stroke of midnight, all VIP Overnight guests are required to return to their rooms and turn on their TVs for a very special screening of THE SHINING. All VIP guests will be watching THE SHINING simultaneously, but in the privacy of their own rooms.
» Go Crazy.
October 29, 2008


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From Thailand Travel Online:
Through the magic of YouTube we managed to find the commercial and I watched, several times, what turns out to be one of the most powerful commercials I have ever seen; it nearly brought me to tears. The commercial is promoting health insurance and was produced for a company called Thai Insurance Company. The production is beautiful and the message is crystal clear; we simply never know what life is going to deal us – Que Sera Sera.
The children in this video are from a special school called Srisangwan School. It is a school for disabled children and is a project of the Princess Mother's Volunteer Foundation. The commercial does a magnificent job of showing the joy in these children's hearts and the pride in their parent's eyes. Like it did for Bo, this commercial gives me strong feelings and I want to share it and I would especially like for people to learn about Srisangwan School.
playlists with this video:
who voted for this video:
- oxdottir
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- : doogle
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- : Ornthoron
- : ant
- : nanrod
- : Asmo


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reviews & comments (7)
As other reviewers noted, it was surprisingly flavorful. I didn't find it too sweet, but I doubled up on green beans and broccoli as the other reviewers have suggested. I didn't find the parmesan to be sufficient to cover the whole dish (and I'm a fan) so I tripled the amount of parmesan cheese. Next time, I'll add some sliced chicken. It's a lot of food. I froze about half of it.
I must have done something wrong...this was one of the most generic recipes I have ever made from this site. I looked at it and wondered how it could be so "flavorful" and figured the fennel must do it. This was just veggies and pasta. Nothing special, nothing complex, very boring. I suspect it started out very healthy but I had to add so much salt and cheese to it that I probably cancelled out the health factor.
This is excellent; I plan to make this often. I added 1 cup of rinsed black beans, and 1 tsp. each of dried oregano and basil.
I followed the advice of other reviewers and cut back on the sweeter veggies. I also added 3/4 lb. of shrimp -- more could be added for heavier fish/meat eaters (use the medium size, and add it at the very end to let them steam through but not overcook). Cayenne pepper flakes added a nice spice! BTW, I didn't have fresh fennel on hand (my fault) but added a bit of anise -- worked well.


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The price of Apple products in the UK is higher than anywhere else in Western Europe, when VAT is excluded, according to a report from price comparison company, Idealo.
Idealo compared the prices of five Apple products; an iMac, iPad 2; iPod touch; MacBook Air; and MacBook Pro. It priced each of the five on all 37 Apple online stores with and without sales tax. Idealo found that Malaysia has the cheapest prices in the world for Apple kit, closely followed by Canada and Hong Kong. The USA is fourth cheapest, followed by Singapore.
Brazil has the highest prices, followed by the Czech Republic, and Thailand.
The UK's unenviable position of being the most expensive place in Western Europe to buy a Mac, exclusive of VAT, changes when sales tax is added. Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, which have the highest rates of sales tax in the world narrowly overtake it.
Consumers in the UK, however, do well compared to those in Brazil, Czech Republic, and Thailand. Idealo compared prices in each country with the GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (the per capita GDP normalised using US prices) and found that those three countries, which have high prices for Apple kit, but relatively weak economies, get a particularly poor deal. By contrast, Singapore, USA, and Hong Kong, which have some of the strongest economies in the world, also benefit from relatively low prices for Apple products.