"Australian SF book publishing has undergone a boom recently, and sometimes it's easier for new writers to sell a book to a local publisher first, which then makes a US edition more likely"
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Australian SF doesn’t just “boom” in Greg Egan’s framing; it functions like infrastructure. The line is pragmatic to the point of being quietly radical: instead of treating the US market as the natural center of gravity, Egan describes a pathway where legitimacy can be manufactured locally and then exported. The “sometimes” does a lot of work, signaling he’s not selling a fairy tale of meritocracy. He’s describing an industry logic: publishers, like readers, take social proof seriously. A local deal becomes a credential, a risk-reduction device that makes a later US edition feel less like a gamble and more like an inevitability.
The subtext is about gatekeeping and geography. Science fiction prides itself on imagining post-national futures, yet its real-world economics still run on old hierarchies: US and UK imprints confer prestige; “international” often means “validated by America.” Egan flips that script without preaching. He’s pointing to a moment when Australian publishing has enough capital, confidence, and audience to act as a first mover rather than a consolation prize. That’s what a “boom” actually changes: not just the number of books, but the bargaining position of writers who can now enter the global conversation with receipts.
Context matters, too. Egan is an Australian SF heavyweight who’s watched talented newcomers hit the same bottleneck for decades: foreign editors who want something “proven,” but only in the markets they already trust. His intent reads like advice and diagnosis at once: build your launchpad at home, then let the empire come knocking.
The subtext is about gatekeeping and geography. Science fiction prides itself on imagining post-national futures, yet its real-world economics still run on old hierarchies: US and UK imprints confer prestige; “international” often means “validated by America.” Egan flips that script without preaching. He’s pointing to a moment when Australian publishing has enough capital, confidence, and audience to act as a first mover rather than a consolation prize. That’s what a “boom” actually changes: not just the number of books, but the bargaining position of writers who can now enter the global conversation with receipts.
Context matters, too. Egan is an Australian SF heavyweight who’s watched talented newcomers hit the same bottleneck for decades: foreign editors who want something “proven,” but only in the markets they already trust. His intent reads like advice and diagnosis at once: build your launchpad at home, then let the empire come knocking.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
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