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Tor Books Announces Programming for San Diego Comic-Con 2013

July 8, 2013April 29, 2024torforge

Place holder of - 69

Celebrating LOCUS Magazine’s Best Publisher for the 26^th year in a row!

Once again Tor (Booth# 2707) continues our wildly popular *in-booth signings and giveaways, offering you a chance to meet your favorite authors up close and personal and pick up free books.

We’ve got a great line up including appearances by CORY DOCTOROW, BRANDON SANDERSON, and a special appearance and celebration for beloved Tor author JAY LAKE, author of Mainspring, Escapement, Green, Pinion, Endurance, and Kalimpura.

The big news this year is Summit Entertainment’s showcase for the highly anticipated film adaptation of

ENDER’S GAME

Coming to theaters November 1, 2013!

Summit will present never-before-seen new footage, appearances by cast members and filmmakers, and several massive, interactive fan events. A full slate of activities related to the film to be unveiled at this year’s Comic-Con, including:

Hall H Panel – The studio’s panel on Thursday, July 18th 3:50-4:50pm will feature ENDER’S GAME filmmakers and cast, including producer Bob Orci, director Gavin Hood, and cast members Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin.

Exclusive Fan Experience – Attendees will be able to visit an elaborate, specially constructed ENDER’S GAME exhibit outside of the Hilton Gaslamp, featuring 8 unique rooms representing the most iconic environments of Ender’s world, complete with original film props and set pieces used in the movie. Throughout the experience, attendees will be able to see exclusive film footage on LED screens, interact with new digital content, integrate photos of themselves into the highly anticipated Battle Room, and register to win a home make over.

Convention Floor Booth – Summit Entertainment’s booth located within the Grand Hall will highlight ENDER’S GAME footage. Premium promotional items will be distributed to the 120,000 attendees walking the convention floor, and booth visitors will be given the opportunity to win “fast passes” to the ENDER’S Game Exclusive Fan Experience, granting them entry without having to wait in line.

Thursday, July 18th

10:30 – 11:30am Panel: Paranormal Passion, Room 24ABC
Tor Teen favorite Kendare Blake (Antigoddess) joins Maryelizabeth Hart of Mysterious Galaxy for a discussion with Christine Feehan (Guest of Honor), Claudia Gray (Spellcaster) and others to discuss the inclusion of romantic elements in their action-packed novels.
12 – 1pm Signing to follow in the autographing area, Table AA09

12pm Tor Booth (#2707) Giveaway! The Hum and the Shiver by Alex Bledsoe, a Kirkus Reviews Top Pick for 2011!

1:45 – 2:45pm Panel: Ode to Nerds, Room 6A
Everyone knows that published science fiction authors reign on the Geek Heirarchy charts because the Internet tells us so! Join us on this epic panel as the genre’s top names in publishing celebrate all things geeky and nerdy with Charlie Jane Anders of io9.com! Geek out with Charlie Jane and Cory Doctorow (The Rapture of the Nerds), Chuck Palahniuk (Doomed), Austin Grossman and others.
3:15 – 4:15pm Signing to follow in the autographing area, Table AA09

2pm Tor Booth (#2707) KENDARE BLAKE will sign advanced copies of Antigoddess

5pm Tor Booth (#2707) Bestselling author CORY DOCTOROW will sign copies of Pirate Cinema

Friday, July 19th

12pm Tor Booth (#2707) JAY LAKE has candidly documented his battle with cancer on his blog and will appear at Comic-Con thanks to the kindness of friends and family. Tor is proud to host an in-booth signing and will offer copies of Green.

2pm Tor Booth (#2707) Dr. Who writer, PAUL CORNELL will sign copies of London Falling

2:30 – 3:30pm Panel: Epic Fantasy, Room 24ABC
Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn and the Wheel of Time series) joins genre’s biggest authors as they discuss the worlds of their own creation and what fantasy has to say about our own world: Robin Hobb (Blood of Dragons), Christopher Paolini (the Inheritance cycle), and Daniel Abraham (The Tyrant’s Law) and others.
4 – 5pm Signing to follow in the autographing area, Table AA09

5pm Tor Booth (#2707) New York Times bestselling author BRANDON SANDERSON will sign copies of The Way of Kings

7 – 8pm Panel: Publishing SF/F in the Digital Age, Room 25ABC
Moderated by Timothy Travaglini (Open Road Integrated Media); authors Kevin J. Anderson (Sisterhood of Dune), Rebecca Moesta (WordFire Press), Cory Doctorow (Homeland), Andy Briggs (Tarzan: The Greystoke Legacy), Sherri L. Smith (Orleans), and Nick Cole (The Old Man and the Wasteland), and bookseller Maggie Tokuda-Hall (Books, Inc) discuss impact of the digital age on writing, publishing, reading, bookselling, and the traditional book as we know it.

Saturday, July 20th

10 – 11am Panel: Urban Fantasy, Room 7AB
Paris, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Tucson, and cities of our own imagination come to life when tales of myth and magic are blended with the urban landscape. These stories are collectively known as Urban Fantasy, and many of today’s popular authors are adding their otherworldly ingredients to the melting pots of modern (and not-so-modern) society. Join authors Max Gladstone (Three Parts Dead), Jim Butcher (Cold Days), Kevin J. Anderson (Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I.) and others.
11:30 – 12:30am Signing to follow in the autographing area, Table AA09

12pm Tor Booth (#2707) Giveaway of signed copies of the Ender’s Game movie tie-in novel

2pm Tor Booth (#2707) Giveaway of Halo: Glasslands and Halo: The Thursday War

5pm Tor Booth (#2707) MAX GLADSTONE will sign advanced copies of Two Serpents Rise

Sunday, July 21st

12pm Tor Booth (#2707) S. M. WHEELER burst on the scene this year with her critically acclaimed debut novel, Sea Change. Meet the author and get a signed copy while supplies last.

2pm Giveaway of The Omen Machine

2 – 3pm Panel: Witches and Fey, Room 24ABC
That vamp’s a tramp; this witch is a real bitch. Pixies will pinch; and the fey go beyond fairly frightening. The ghouls are ghastly, and we mere mortals are growing testy. S. M. Wheeler (Sea Change) joins Brom (Krampus), Amber Benson (The Calliope Reaper-Jones series), Seanan McGuire (The October Daye series) and Rachel Caine (the Morganville Vampires series) to provide perspective on the monsters of myth.
3:30 – 4:30pm Signing to follow in the autographing area, Table AA08

Make sure to follow @Torbooks on Twitter for up to date information and last minute events!

All Tor Booth signings are on a first come first serve basis and while supplies lasts. Limit one book per person.

Events / What's New

Tor Books Announces Programming for New York Comic-Con 2012!

October 9, 2012May 30, 2024torforge

Celebrating LOCUS Magazine’s Best Publisher for the 25th year in a row!

Placeholder of -58 Once again, we continue our popular *in-booth signings and giveaways, offering you a chance to meet your favorite authors up close and personal! There will also be panels, autographings and spotlight stages including New York Times Bestselling author CORY DOCTOROW!

Stop by Tor’s Booth (#920), and pick up a schedule for a full listing of events!

Thursday, October 11

PANELS

5pm – 6pm | JUSTICE IS SERVED | Room 1A14

Cops, P.I.’s, government agents and regular Joe’s fight for all that is good and just in these Science-Fiction and Fantasy tales, even if the villains are vam | pires, telepaths, and the magically gifted. These protagonists solve crimes, kick-ass, and don’t let anyone – supernatural or otherwise – stand in the way of justice.

With Christopher L. Bennett (Only Superhuman), moderated by Michael P. Spradlin.

Friday, October 12

PANELS

11am | CHARACTERS: HARDCORE vs. BADASS | Author Spotlight Stage

What makes one character HARDCORE and another BADASS? Is there really a difference? Novelist Max Gladstone breaks it down by dissecting some of the greatest heroes and villains from books, gaming, comics, film, and television, revealing the unique alchemy of each one and what every writer needs to think about in order to create truly unforgettable characters.

With Max Gladstone (Three Parts Dead).

4pm – 5pm | PUBLISHER’S PARADISE: ADULT PUBLISHER SPOTLIGHT | Room 1A06

Get the inside scoop on upcoming SF/F novels publishing houses are buzzing about! Editors from Harper Voyager, Orbit, Del Rey Spectra, Ace and Roc, and Tor dish on forthcoming books from our exciting authors and licensed properties. You can expect lots of giveaways you won’t see anywhere else at the convention, including free advance reading copies!

With Tor’s own Melissa Frain.

SIGNINGS & GIVEAWAYS

12pm – Tor Booth giveaway, Bard’s Oath, the long-awaited sequel to the epic fantasy Dragon and Phoenix coming in November.

2pm – Tor Booth Way of Kings (by #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson) giveaway! First 25 fans in line will receive a Wheel of Time® bag.

3:30pm – Tor Booth signing with Max Gladstone, signing copies of Three Parts Dead, his brilliant debut novel (October).

5pm – Tor Booth signing with Christopher L. Bennett, signing copies of Only Superhuman, described by Kevin J. Anderson as a “heady comic book fix for the discerning SF reader” (October).

5pm – You can also head over to the autographing area and meet New York Times bestselling author, Cory Doctorow. Barnes and Noble will be on hand with a variety of books from his back list.

Saturday, October 13

PANELS

12pm | INFORMATION DOESN’T WANT TO BE FREE, BUT KIDS DO | Author Spotlight Stage

Every single kid in America is a presumed copyright criminal. We spy on them in school, we raid their parents’ life savings, we censor their creative works. And oh, how we LIE to them: “It’s not creative if you’re copying something else.” “All great art starts with permission and ends with a lawyer.” “Giving more money to the record industry will make musicians richer.” Kids are in the streets over SOPA, PIPA and ACTA. They know that the locks we put on their information aren’t for their benefit – because we won’t give them the keys.

With Cory Doctorow (Pirate Cinema).

12:15pm – 1:15pm | MYTH MIXOLOGY: HOW URBAN FANTASISTS CREATE THE PERFECT COCKTAIL | Room 1A08

Many New Yorkers know their Manhattans, Cosmos, and Long Island Iced Teas. While the average happy hour drink takes gin, rum, or vodka, these authors spice things up with mystics, witches, daemons, Celtic gods, and other magical beings. Join top-shelf authors, F. Paul Wilson, Kevin Hearne, Theo Lawrence, Anton Strout, Faith Hunter, Nancy Holzner, Allison Pang, and Nicole Peeler, as they discuss the elements of mythology that go into making your favorite cocktails of urban fantasy.

With F. Paul Wilson (Repairman Jack Series), moderated by Kim Alexander.

1:30pm – 2:30pm | HOCUS POCUS: MAGIC & MONSTERS IN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY | Room 1A08

Science-Fiction and Fantasy authors discuss the costs and consequences of “magic” in their novels. Moderator Beth Revis will have authors Andrea Cremer, Jacqueline Carey, Jocelynn Drake, Kim Harrison, Max Gladstone, Cecil Castellucci, Victoria Schwab, and Richard Kadrey dishing about the the scary, hairy, and dangerous creatures that lurk in the worlds they have created.

With Max Gladstone (Three Parts Dead), moderated by Beth Revis. (Signing from 2:45pm – 3:45pm at autographing tables 2, 3, and 4.)

2:45pm – 3:45pm | GENRE BENDERS: OUT-OF-THE-BOX SCIENCE-FICTION AND FANTASY NOVELS THAT BLUR THE LINES OF FANTASY, SF, HORROR, ROMANCE, STEAMPUNK, YOU NAME IT! | Room 1A01

Join authors in a discussion about stories that can’t be bound by the constraints of any genre. Whether mixing elements of romance with horror, or fantasy with thrillers, these authors show that a good tale can be spun from multiple traditions.

With Steven Walker (The Battle of Blood and Ink), moderator Cici James of Singularity & Co. (Signing from 4:45pm – 5:45pm at the autographing area.)

5:15pm – 6:15pm | HERO’S QUEST: SWORDS AND SORCERY IN FANTASY FICTION | Room 1A08

Some of the most unforgettable heroes in literature are characters that embark on a fantastical journey. Whether their tales tell of slaying dragons, overthrowing regimes, or magical lands, these authors put the EPIC in Fantasy fiction. Join authors Joanne Bertin, Peter Brett, Rae Carson, Peter Lerangis, Steve Bein, Stefan Bachmann, Sarah Beth Durst, and Matt Myklush as they discuss all things fantastical, from swords and sorcery to horselords and warlords.

With Joanne Bertin (Bard’s Oath), moderated by Gwen Reyes. (Signing from 11:45am – 12:45pm at autographing tables 2, 3, and 4.)

5:15pm – 6:15pm | GEEK THOUGHTS: TOP BLOGS DISCUSS WRITING ABOUT SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY AND FANDOM | Room 1A01 (otherwise known as The Sauce)

Your favorite Geek Blogs: Live! Join Tor.com, Boing Boing, The Mary Sue, io9, The Beat, and Bleeding Cool as they discuss how their blogs approach the conversation of science fiction, fantasy, genre and fandom online.

With Cyriaque Lamar, Heidi McDonald, Jamie Frevele, Jill Pantozzi, Rich Johnston. Moderated by Ryan Britt of Tor.com.

7:45pm – 8:45pm | THE WORLD OF GRAPHIC NOVELS | Room 1A06

Restaurants, outer space, fantastical worlds, high school – graphic novels today will take readers to all these places and more! How do graphic novelists combine words and pictures to create the worlds within their books? Authors discuss how world-building works in the world of comics.

With Fred Chao (Johnny Hiro: Half Asian, All Hero), moderated by Scott Robins. (Signing from 3:45pm – 4:45pm at autographing tables 4 and 5.)

SIGNINGS & GIVEAWAYS

11am – Tor Booth Dead Space: Martyr (by B. K. Evenson) giveaway!

12pm – Tor Booth signing with Halo: Silentium artist, Sparth. Come by for a copy of Halo: Cryptum, Halo: Glasslands, a poster, or a patch!

3pm – Tor Booth signing with Cory Doctorow, signing copies of For the Win, which Scott Westerfeld has called “a rousing tale of techno-geek rebellion.”

5pm – Tor Booth signing with F. Paul Wilson, signing copies of The Tomb, the first in his Repairman Jack series.

Sunday, October 14

PANELS

12:15pm – 1:15pm | OTHERWORLDLY WEENIES, TIME TRAVELING TWEENS, UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE, AND OTHER THINGS KIDS LOVE | Room 1A01

From creepy tales set in a spooky pet cemetery, to dreamy stories of time-traveling in style, to epic journeys featuring dynamic young heroes (with swords!), these middle grade authors know the secrets to entertaining the tween set. Join the group as they discuss superpowers, supervillians, and super-hilarious storytelling.

With David Lubar (Weenies Series) and Annette & Gina Cascone (Deadtime Stories Series), moderated by Matthew Cody. (Signing from 1:30pm – 2:30pm at autographing tables 2, 3, and 4.)

1:30pm – 2:30pm | KIDS/YA PUBLISHER SPOTLIGHT | Room 1A07

Come hear the advance buzz about what’s coming up from Disney-Hyperion, First Second, Macmillan Kids, HarperCollins, Little, Brown, Random House, Penguin Young Readers, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, and Tor! Editors and marketing staff come together to recommend their favorite upcoming books by exciting new authors and illustrators – accompanied with giveaways, trivia, and most of all, FUN!

With Tor’s own Susan Chang.

SIGNINGS & GIVEAWAYS

11am – Tor Booth joint signing with David Lubar, signing Attack of the Vampire Weenies, and Annette & Gina Cascone, signing Grave Secrets.

1pm – Tor Booth signing with Evie Manieri, signing Blood’s Pride, her epic fantasy debut coming in February.

3pm – Tor Booth giveaway of YA dystopian smash hit and series opener Article 5 (by Kristen Simmons)!

All giveaways are on a first come, first serve basis.

Author Features

The Secret World of Hardware Revocation

October 1, 2012January 25, 2024torforge8 Comments

Written by Cory Doctorow

The entertainment industry has a problem. It wants to sell you products—books, games, music, movies—that you look at on your computer, but it wants to control how you use those products after you buy them. The industry has been sold on the idea that there’s a fortune waiting in selling “rights” for “uses.” If that sounds weird, it’s because it runs totally contrary to the way that we use our media today.

When you bring home a Settlers of Catan game box or a DVD or a CD or a hardcover, you assume that you have the “right” to do anything you want with it. You can use it at home. You can bring it to a tournament, festival or convention. You can use it on vacation overseas.

But! (the entertainment industry digital strategist says), what if you could pay half as much, and get a game or book or movie or song that you can only listen to at home? And later, if you want to do any of those other things, you can pay for them on an a-la-carte basis? Wouldn’t that be great? Why buy the cow when we’ll sell you the milk one glass at a time, exactly as much milk as you want to pay for and no more?

In practice, no one really seems interested in this offer, with the exception of video-on-demand online “rentals,” and that probably has more to do with the fact that most of us only watch the movies we buy once, anyway. A lot of us (myself included) are suspicious of this sort of offer. I don’t want price-tags on every button of my remote control, I don’t want to have to buy the “right” to pause a movie while I get up for a pee, even if it only costs a penny. I don’t want to have to buy the “right” to watch a movie with my friends if my TV detects that there are six people in the living room when I switch it on.

But the industry has bet big on this. Your home entertainment systems—amps, satellite and cable tuners, screens, media appliances like the AppleTV, and laptops—is designed to support it. And therein lies the problem.

Say your amp is designed to allow for full stereo surround-sound, except when a movie copyright holder chooses to limit you to mono sound. (Why would they do this? Believe it or not, the industry has said that it’d like to do this in connection with the distribution of new release movies, to keep “high quality audio track” from leaking online). The receiver receives the movie, checks to see what restrictions go along with it, and passes it on to the receiver, saying “Only play this in monophonic sound.” The receiver, being an obedient beast, obliges.

How does the receiver know that the amp will follow the message? Because the amp and the receiver do a little cryptographic handshake, exchanging keys that are only made available to manufacturers that agree to follow the rules. Inter-industry consortia like the Digital Transmission Licensing Administrator, Digital Content Protection LLC, Advanced Access Content System Licensing Administrator, and other dwellers in the smoke-filled rooms of the corporate world, set out and enforce agreements backing technologies like Blu-Ray, HDCP, and DTCP (those mysterious logos on your TV and associated stuff).

These arrangements include ongoing “management” of your devices. If someone on the Internet finds a way to trick your receiver into ignoring the restriction-messages that travel with media, the licensing bodies can force the manufacturer to automatically update it to avoid the hack. But that’s only half the problem.

What a specific device’s key leaks and is used to make “non-compliant” devices or software—that is, a program like VLC that will play DVDs even if they’re coded for a region other than the one your computer is registered in? VLC uses keys that leaked from other players to accomplish this trick. The manufacturer can fix their devices so that they no longer leaks keys, but the keys have been leaked.

Or what if a manufacturer goes out of business and later its products are found to have flaws that allow for “non-compliant” uses? With the company out of business, there’s no one to cajole into issuing a patch to restore the old restrictions.

The answer is “revocation,” a controversial idea that is present in some form in nearly all modern restricted media formats. In a revocation world, the licensing body periodically “revokes” certain keys and devices, either by requiring manufacturers to send out updates with lists of equipment that is no longer considered safe for restricted content, or by embedding the revocation codes in new movies, games, etc, so that the first time you play them, your equipment receives the list and updates its blacklist accordingly.

In the real world, the way that this is supposed to work is this: one day, you wake up and your amplifier, or projector, or DVD burner, or PVR, or laptop video app no longer works with any of the new media you buy. And when you try and play your old media, the parts won’t talk to each other: your computer will play the video back, but when it sends the audio to your home theater over Bluetooth or WiFi, no sound is played. Perhaps you get an onscreen message or an email that explains what’s happened, and perhaps you don’t. But either way, your stuff is broken, until the licensing body and the manufacturer come to terms on what it will take to un-break it.

There’s a flipside to this: the value of blacklisted equipment quickly falls to zero. If you want to have a home theater where you can play legit media, you need to throw out, update, or disconnect any blacklisted gear.

But say you don’t want to play by the rules. Say you want to be able to rip old media that was pressed before the revocation message went out and put it on the Internet. Or say you want to be able to play back the media that has been ripped and uploaded? Well, so long as you don’t care about buying the media you want to play, so long as you’re content to download it all with BitTorrent and its successors, you can happily go on using that “useless” blacklisted equipment—the kind of thing that will show up in e-waste landfills by the megaton. The kind of thing that people might pay *you* to take away.

That’s an idea I explore in Pirate Cinema, my new novel. Kids who want to make their own remix movies need equipment and tools that let them tear apart movies and music and reassemble them to their taste. The best way to get this is to simply step outside of the system altogether. The price is right—free. Not just free downloads, but free/near-free hardware already.

My friend Darren Atkinson supports his family by rescuing high-tech trash from the dumpsters outside of high-tech firms in Toronto’s suburbs. Today’s obsolescence curve already generates a massive surplus of technology that we literally can’t get rid of. Once you mix in deliberate, mandatory obsolescence for gear that pisses off technophobic Hollywood execs, we will move to an era of unparalleled plenty for people who don’t give a damn about playing by Hollywood’s rules.

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Sweepstakes

Pirate Cinema Sweepstakes

September 5, 2012February 26, 2024torforge

Pirate Cinema releases next month but we have a chance for you to win one of three advance reading copies now. Comment below to enter for a chance to win.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins September 5, 2012 at 10 a.m. ET. and ends September 12, 2012, 12:00 p.m. ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. Please see full details and official rules go here. Sponsor: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

Sweepstakes

Cory Doctorow Collection Sweepstakes

August 1, 2012February 27, 2024torforge

Sign up for the Tor/Forge Newsletter for a chance to win the following collection:

About our newsletter: Every issue of Tor’s monthly email newsletter features original writing by, and interviews with, Tor authors and editors about upcoming new titles from all Tor and Forge imprints. In addition, we occasionally send out “special edition” newsletters to highlight particularly exciting new projects, programs, or events.

If you’re already a newsletter subscriber, you can enter too. We do not automatically enter subscribers into sweepstakes. We promise we won’t send you duplicate copies of the newsletter if you sign up for the newsletter more than once.

Sign up for your chance to win today!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins August 1, 2012 at 12 a.m. ET. and ends September 4, 2012, 11:59 p.m. ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. For Official Rules and to enter, go here. Sponsor: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

Celebrating LOCUS Magazine’s Best Publisher for the 26th year in a row!

Tor Books Announces Programming for New York Comic-Con 2012!

The Secret World of Hardware Revocation

Tor/Forge Blog

Tor/Forge Blog

Celebrating LOCUS Magazine’s Best Publisher for the 26^th year in a row!