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44-570: Webster was a contributing editor and columnist for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Bulletin and published a collection of those columns titled Anthropology 101: Reflections, Inspections and Dissections of SF Anthologies through Merry Blacksmith Press. His Bulletin column, "Anthropology 101", examines the history of science fiction and fantasy through classic anthologies and anthologists, frequently pairing books by different editors but also presenting two or more books by

88-514: A "knock out", an article by C. J. Henderson praising Barbie for maintaining "quiet dignity the way a woman should", and the " exploitative " cover image of no. 200 of the Bulletin depicting a woman in a chain-mail bikini. Several authors used the occasion to speak out against sexism in science fiction genre circles more broadly. The controversy continued through Bulletin no. 202, which contained another column by Resnick and Malzberg, discussing

132-660: A California nonprofit 501(c)3 organization with new bylaws. In 2022, the organization filed to do future business as the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association to reflect the participation of their non-US members. SFWA participates in various trade shows and publishing industry events in the United States and abroad, including BookExpo America , the American Library Association Midwinter Conference,

176-599: A Communist country. As a result, in 1976 SFWA rescinded Lem's membership. Several members protested that decision, notably Ursula K. Le Guin , who resigned her membership and refused the Nebula Award for Best Novelette for The Diary of the Rose . In 1982, Lisa Tuttle withdrew her short story "The Bone Flute" from the final Nebula ballot, to protest what she saw as excessive campaigning for awards and that voters did not receive copies of nominated works. Her withdrawal

220-420: A DBA must be registered with a local or state government, or both, depending on the jurisdiction. For example, California, Texas and Virginia require a DBA to be registered with each county (or independent city in the case of Virginia) where the owner does business. Maryland and Colorado have DBAs registered with a state agency. Virginia also requires corporations and LLCs to file a copy of their registration with

264-467: A DBA statement, though names including the first and last name of the owner may be accepted. This also reduces the possibility of two local businesses operating under the same name, although some jurisdictions do not provide exclusivity for a name, or may allow more than one party to register the same name. Note, though, that this is not a substitute for filing a trademark application. A DBA filing carries no legal weight in establishing trademark rights. In

308-511: A collection of Webster's essays about science fiction and fantasy authors and books titled Past Masters and Other Bookish Natterings , including articles on Clifford D. Simak . R. A. Lafferty , Judith Merril and others. This volume also includes short-short essays originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction as part of their "Curiosities" column, as well as three articles co-written with Jerry Pournelle . Webster

352-650: A forum for discussion. Writer Beware receives the support of the Mystery Writers of America and the Horror Writers Association . Writer Beware maintains an extensive database of complaints on questionable literary agents, publishers, independent editors, writers’ services, contests, publicity services, and others, and offers a free research and information service for writers. Writer Beware staff assist law enforcement agencies with investigations of literary fraud, and have been instrumental in

396-464: A party to the class action suit, SFWA had recently explained its reservations about the settlement and declared its intention to file an objection. In 2013, the SFWA Bulletin was the subject of a controversy about sexism ( see below ). This led to a brief hiatus, followed by a reboot of the magazine. In 2014, the original Massachusetts corporation was dissolved and SFWA reincorporated as

440-697: A subpage of the SFWA website, which provides the latest information on literary schemes, scams, and pitfalls; the Writer Beware blog, which provides the latest information on literary schemes, scams, and pitfalls; the Writer Beware blog, which provides up-to-the-minute information on specific scams and schemes, along with advice for writers and industry news and commentary; and the Writer Beware Facebook page, which posts links to articles, news items, and warnings of interest to writers, and provides

484-474: Is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization of professional science fiction and fantasy writers. While SFWA is based in the United States, its membership is open to writers worldwide. The organization was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight under the name Science Fiction Writers of America . As of 2022, SFWA has about 2,500 members worldwide. Active SFWA members may vote for the Nebula Awards , one of

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528-533: Is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name . Registering the fictitious name with a relevant government body is often required. In a number of countries, the phrase " trading as " (abbreviated to t/a ) is used to designate a trade name. In the United States , the phrase " doing business as " (abbreviated to DBA , dba , d.b.a. , or d/b/a )

572-636: Is also available (by subscription) to non-members. The Bulletin carries nonfiction articles of general interest to writers, especially science fiction and fantasy writers. It accepts submissions, for which the pay rate is 8 cents a word. The current Bulletin editor is Neil Clarke . In 2013, a controversy about sexism in the Bulletin led to the resignation of editor Jean Rabe on June 5, 2013. More than 50 authors wrote blog posts in objection to comments by longtime contributors Mike Resnick and Barry N. Malzberg that included references to "lady editors" and "lady writers" who were "beauty pageant beautiful" or

616-488: Is open to qualifying writers worldwide. Authors, regardless of nationality or residence, must be professionally published in a qualifying market as listed by SFWA in order to become SFWA members. At present, all listed qualifying markets publish only in the English language. Dues for most member categories are $ 100 annually. SFWA presidents have been: Trade name A trade name , trading name , or business name

660-424: Is too similar to a name that is already registered. Using one or more fictitious business names does not create additional separate legal entities. The distinction between a registered legal name and a fictitious business name, or trade name, is important because fictitious business names do not always identify the entity that is legally responsible . Legal agreements (such as contracts ) are normally made using

704-481: Is used, among others, such as assumed business name or fictitious business name . In Canada , " operating as " (abbreviated to o/a ) and " trading as " are used, although " doing business as " is also sometimes used. A company typically uses a trade name to conduct business using a simpler name rather than using their formal and often lengthier name. Trade names are also used when a preferred name cannot be registered, often because it may already be registered or

748-475: The Bulletin was put on hiatus for six months. It reappeared with the Winter 2014 Special Issue, #203, but has been on a reduced schedule, publishing an average of 2 issues per year. The special issue was edited by Tansy Rayner Roberts and Jaym Gates and "was specially created to be used as an outreach tool for conventions and other events." The issue's contents and cover were welcomed by some as an antidote to

792-466: The United Kingdom , there is no filing requirement for a "business name", defined as "any name under which someone carries on business" that, for a company or limited liability partnership, "is not its registered name", but there are requirements for disclosure of the owner's true name and some restrictions on the use of certain names. A minority of U.S. states, including Washington , still use

836-493: The Estate Project is now headed by Mishell Baker . It maintains a list of the estates of deceased SFWA member writers and coordinates with living member writers to make arrangements for their future estates. The Estate Project also accumulates information about authors' archives for member writers, living or dead.29. The SFWA Bulletin is a quarterly magazine that SFWA members receive as part of their membership, but it

880-418: The U.S., trademark rights are acquired by use in commerce, but there can be substantial benefits to filing a trademark application. Sole proprietors are the most common users of DBAs. Sole proprietors are individual business owners who run their businesses themselves. Since most people in these circumstances use a business name other than their own name, it is often necessary for them to get DBAs. Generally,

924-767: The USA Science & Engineering Festival, and several major (and minor) science fiction, fantasy and media conventions. SFWA holds a semi-annual business meeting at the World Science Fiction Convention ( Worldcon ) when it is held in North America, and at the North American Science Fiction Convention (NASFiC) otherwise. SFWA also hosts its own events, which include: As an organization, SFWA acts as an advocate to effect important changes within

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968-592: The agents or individuals who represent the literary estates of deceased science-fiction and fantasy writers so that material by those authors can be reprinted. The Estates database currently contains information on more than 450 sf/fantasy authors. In March 2012, SFWA announced that Webster would be given their Service to SFWA Award at the Nebula Awards banquet in May for his work on the SFWA Estates Project. In June 2013, Merry Blacksmith Press published

1012-634: The authors covered in the "Past Masters" series include Zenna Henderson , Fredric Brown , Edgar Pangborn , and Murray Leinster . Webster was poetry editor at Black Gate , a print fantasy magazine, for which he also wrote a column about little-known authors titled "Who?!" The only one of the columns appeared in Black Gate 15 and discussed author Tom Reamy . In 2007, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) appointed Webster Estates Liaison, placing him in charge of their Estates Project, which makes it possible for publishers to contact

1056-407: The business. Numbered companies will very often operate as something other than their legal name, which is unrecognizable to the public. In Chile , a trade name is known as a nombre de fantasía ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and the legal name of business is called a razón social (social name). In Ireland , businesses are legally required to register business names where these differ from

1100-604: The convictions of several literary scammers. Griefcom, or the Grievance Committee, is formed of member volunteers who undertake to mediate writer disputes and grievances between member writers and their publishers. SFWA's Emergency Medical Fund was established to assist eligible writers who have unexpected medical expenses. SFWA's Legal Fund was established to create loans for eligible member writers who have writing-related court costs and other related legal expenses. Founded by longtime SFWA member Bud Webster,

1144-534: The county or city to be registered with the State Corporation Commission. DBA statements are often used in conjunction with a franchise . The franchisee will have a legal name under which it may sue and be sued, but will conduct business under the franchiser's brand name (which the public would recognize). A typical real-world example can be found in a well-known pricing mistake case, Donovan v. RRL Corp. , 26 Cal. 4th 261 (2001), where

1188-470: The fact that the organization had always included writers working in multiple genres. After the name change, both SFWA and SFFWA were used as acronyms. The acronym SFWA was re-established officially in 1996. In 1973, SFWA awarded an honorary membership to Polish author Stanisław Lem . Some SFWA members, notably Philip José Farmer , were incensed by Lem's negative opinions of American science fiction, while others opposed Lem's membership because he lived in

1232-402: The law is to protect the public from fraud, by compelling the business owner to first file or register his fictitious business name with the county clerk, and then making a further public record of it by publishing it in a newspaper. Several other states, such as Illinois , require print notices as well. In Uruguay , a trade name is known as a nombre fantasía , and the legal name of business

1276-399: The legal name of business is called a razón social (social name). In Brazil , a trade name is known as a nome fantasia ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and the legal name of business is called razão social (social name). In some Canadian jurisdictions , such as Ontario , when a businessperson writes a trade name on a contract, invoice, or cheque, they must also add the legal name of

1320-461: The named defendant, RRL Corporation, was a Lexus car dealership doing business as " Lexus of Westminster ", but remaining a separate legal entity from Lexus, a division of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. . In California , filing a DBA statement also requires that a notice of the fictitious name be published in local newspapers for some set period of time to inform the public of the owner's intent to operate under an assumed name . The intention of

1364-488: The perceived sexism of past issues though Sue Granquist felt that something looked "suspiciously like a woman in a burka". The Forum Binary is a biannual publication that functions as SFWA's internal publication of record for members. As such, it is not available to non-members. SFWA also publishes short essays and other content relevant to writers on the SFWA Blog. Most members live in the United States but membership

Bud Webster - Misplaced Pages Continue

1408-828: The principal English-language science fiction awards . SFWA informs, supports, promotes, defends and advocates for its members. SFWA activities include informing science fiction and fantasy writers on professional matters, protecting their interests, and helping them deal effectively with agents, editors, anthologists, and producers in print and non-print media; encouraging public interest in and appreciation for science fiction and fantasy literature; sponsoring, editing, and disseminating writings, papers, books, pamphlets, and other publications which exemplify science fiction and fantasy literature of high quality; conducting conferences, public discussion groups, forums, lectures, and seminar programs; and furnishing services connected with this stated purpose. Science Fiction Writers of America, Inc.

1452-404: The publishing industry, especially among publishers of science fiction and fantasy, by promoting author-friendly copyright legislation, equitable treatment of authors, and fair contract terms. SFWA sponsors Writer Beware, whose mission is to track, expose, and raise awareness of the prevalence of fraud and other questionable activities in and around the publishing industry. Writer Beware exists as

1496-403: The registered legal name of the business. If a corporation fails to consistently adhere to such important legal formalities like using its registered legal name in contracts, it may be subject to piercing of the corporate veil . In English , trade names are generally treated as proper nouns . In Argentina , a trade name is known as a nombre de fantasía ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and

1540-481: The response to their earlier column. Their column framed that response as censorship, referring to their critics as "liberal fascists". In February 2014 a proposal to establish an advisory board to oversee content was met by a petition circulated by editor and critic Dave Truesdale supporting freedom of speech in the Bulletin. As a result of the controversy, SFWA president John Scalzi apologized to members, and

1584-785: The same anthologist. The column has included multi-installment pieces on Frederik Pohl , Robert Silverberg , Harry Harrison and more recently, Terry Carr . In addition, he has co-wrote three Bulletin articles with Dr. Jerry Pournelle . He was also a frequent contributor to the "Curiosity" page of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction . He was the poetry editor and columnist for Helix SF , an online speculative fiction quarterly. After Helix SF ceased publication, he took his column, "Past Masters", to Jim Baen's Universe , and when that closed, to Eric Flint 's Grantville Gazette . The "Past Masters" columns are retrospective appraisals of so-called "classic" science fiction and fantasy authors, and include extensive bibliographies. Some of

1628-459: The surname(s) of the sole trader or partners, or the legal name of a company. The Companies Registration Office publishes a searchable register of such business names. In Japan , the word yagō ( 屋号 ) is used. In Colonial Nigeria , certain tribes had members that used a variety of trading names to conduct business with the Europeans. Two examples were King Perekule VII of Bonny , who

1672-469: The term trade name to refer to "doing business as" (DBA) names. In most U.S. states now, however, DBAs are officially referred to using other terms. Almost half of the states, including New York and Oregon , use the terms assumed business name or assumed name ; nearly as many, including Pennsylvania , use the term fictitious name . For consumer protection purposes, many U.S. jurisdictions require businesses operating with fictitious names to file

1716-459: The time of his death, he was living in Richmond, Virginia, with his long-time companion, Mary Horton; whom he married May 26, 2013. Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America , doing business as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association and commonly known as SFWA ( / ˈ s ɪ f w ə / or / ˈ s ɛ f w ə / )

1760-491: Was active in the Richmond music scene in the 1970s and 1980s performing in several bands, writing music reviews for various free newspapers, working as disc jockey on local radio, and managing a used record store. He also produced the CD Not Necessarily Serious of original folk-rock music by Richmond musician-songwriter Christie Oglesby in 2000. Raised a Baptist, he subsequently became an agnostic. At

1804-600: Was also a collector of science fiction books, and is the author of The Joy of Booking: Webster's Guide to Buying and Selling Used SF and Fantasy Books . Webster was born in Roanoke, Virginia to Edna Urquhart Webster and Clarence H. Webster. He attended Crystal Spring Elementary, Woodrow Wilson Junior High and Patrick Henry high schools. In 1970 he graduated from Hermitage High School in Richmond . He studied music at Virginia Commonwealth University , majoring in composition. He

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1848-625: Was founded in 1965 by Damon Knight in association with a group of writers connected to the Milford Conference, which he also headed. According to Todd McCaffrey , the organization immediately "acquired great status in its efforts to help J.R.R. Tolkien get fair recompense in America for pirated sales of The Lord of the Rings ". In 1991, the name of the organization was changed to Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, to reflect

1892-553: Was known as Captain Pepple in trade matters, and King Jubo Jubogha of Opobo , who bore the pseudonym Captain Jaja . Both Pepple and Jaja would bequeath their trade names to their royal descendants as official surnames upon their deaths. In Singapore , there is no filing requirement for a "trading as" name, but there are requirements for disclosure of the underlying business or company's registered name and unique entity number. In

1936-573: Was sent after voting had been completed. When informed she had won, she contacted SFWA and told them she refused to accept it. She was told that her reasons for doing so would be announced. Her publisher accepted the award in her place, apparently with no knowledge of her withdrawal, and there was no mention of her objection. In September 2009, SFWA joined the Open Book Alliance to oppose the Google Book Settlement . As

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