Tor Books is heading to San Diego Comic Con!
San Diego Comic-Con begins on July 18, and it is bigger and better than ever this year! Tor Books and Tor.com Publishing are proud to announce a long list of programming, so see below for panels, signings, giveaways, author meet & greets with Nerdist, and more!
Every purchase at the Tor Booth (#2701) will receive a free ARC while supplies last. Attendees can choose to Save the World (#SaveSDCC) with A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine or Destroy It (#DestroySDCC) with The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons.
Additionally, they can also choose a sampler of The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders or an ARC of Zero Sum Game by S.L. Huang.
Visitors to the booth will also be able to enter to win an exclusive V.E. Schwab collectible box including a SIGNED early bound manuscript of Vengeful!
Authors making appearances this year include Susan Dennard, Cory Doctorow (SDCC Special Guest), Sherrilyn Kenyon, V.E. Schwab, R.A. Salvatore (SDCC Special Guest), Seanan McGuire, Demetra Brodsky, Jason Denzel, Prentis Rollins, Mark Altman & Ed Gross, and Mark Oshiro!
For the first time, Tor is partnering with Den of Geek to host a Comic-Con Happy Hour! The event is an invite-only exclusive for industry insiders on Thursday, July 19 at the Horton Grand Hotel Courtyard. We’ll be toasting our #GeekRetreat with special cocktails, an Instagram photo booth, and more. The party will include special giveaways of ARCS and VICIOUS/VENGEFUL Tote Bags!
Additionally, Tor is partnering with Legendary Entertainment who will be hosting authors for Meet-and-Greet/signing sessions in their NERDIST HOUSE activation off-site at Sparks Gallery downtown. We’ll also be giving away tote bags and ARCS there throughout the show.
To learn more about SDCC 2018, find the website here. Can’t attend? Follow the #TorSDCC hashtag on Twitter and Instagram for live updates from the show!
THURSDAY, JULY 19
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Signing & Giveaway: Susan Dennard, Truthwitch (Tor Booth #2701)
1:00-2:00 p.m.
Finding Comfort in the Apocalypse – Followed by Autograph Area Signing (Room 32AB)
Some apocalyptic or dystopian novels allow people to explore larger issues (or serve as a reminder of the threats facing society). Meanwhile others serve up a heavy dose of humor to remind people that surviving the unthinkable is possible and maybe things aren’t as bad in real life. Whether horrifying or humorous, the novels that paint a picture of a grim future can be surprisingly comforting and fun for both author and reader alike. Emily Suvada (This Mortal Coil), Cory Doctorow (Walkaway), Elizabeth Hand (Fire), Douglas Holgate (Last Kids on Earth and the Cosmic Beyond), Andrew Smith (Rabbit & Robot), and Scott Westerfeld(Impostors, Spill Zone: The Broken Vow) discuss approaches with Adron Buske (Fictitious podcast).
1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Once Upon Forever – Followed by Autograph Area Signing (Horton Grand Theater)
Panelists examine the enduring appeal of fairy tales and other classics of speculative fiction, and the important choices authors make in retelling them. Featuring E. K. Johnston (That Inevitable Victorian Thing, Star Wars Ahsoka), Jonathan French (The Grey Bastards), Katherine Arden (Winternight trilogy), Brandon Mull (Five Kingdoms #5: Time Jumpers), April Genevieve Tucholke(The Boneless Mercies), Sherrilyn Kenyon (Deadman’s Cross and The Dark-Hunters series), and Petra Mayer of NPR. Entry to each Horton Grand Theatre panel requires a separate ticket and a Comic-Con badge.
2:00 -3:00 p.m.
So Say We All: 40 Years of BSG (Room 5AB)
Film and TV critic Scott “Movie” Mantz talks with authors Mark A. Altman (The Fifty-Year Mission) and Edward Gross (Slayers & Vampires) about their new oral history, So Say We All (Tor Books), an exhaustive look at the classic 1978 original series, Ronald D. Moore and David Eick’s beloved 2004 re-imagining, and even the much maligned Galactica 1980. Find out the untold secrets and incredible true stories of these classic shows in this celebration of four decades of Battlestar Galactica. Win a chance to be the first to get a copy of the new 700+ page hardcover book autographed by the authors.
Authors: Mark Altman & Ed Gross
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Signing & Giveaway: Jason Denzel, Mystic & Mystic Dragon(Tor Booth #2701)
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Tor Presents #FearlessWomen – Followed by Autograph Area Signing (Horton Grand Theater)
Tor celebrates women in publishing: their worlds, their voices, and their unique stories. Rachel Caine (The Great Library #4: Smoke and Iron, Honor Among Thieves), Cinda Williams Chima (Stormcaster), Susan Dennard (Witchlands series), Seanan McGuire (The Girl in the Green Silk Gown, Wayward Children series), V. E. Schwab (Shades of Magic trilogy, Villains series), and Laini Taylor (Strange the Dreamer) celebrate with Kayti Burt, books editor/Den of Geek. Entry to each Horton Grand Theatre panel requires a separate ticket and a Comic-Con badge.
7:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Here There Be Dragons (Room 24ABC)
Every genre has its tropes, and fantasy has many: swords and sorcerers, castles and cavalries, dungeon crawls and dazzling dragons. But with more than a century of fantastical storytelling behind us, how does a writer deliver fresh, exciting ideas while giving readers what they want and expect? Adron Buske (host of the Fictitious podcast) talks with a group of professional genre authors about writing to market, how to subvert clichés and expectations, and blazing new trails on the well-trod map of fantasy. Featuring Tomi Adeyemi (author of Children of Blood and Bone), Mary E. Pearson (author of The Remnant Chronicles, Dance of Thieves), Robert Jackson Bennett (author of Foundryside, City of Blades), R. F. Kuang (author of The Poppy War), and Jason Denzel (author of the Mystic trilogy, founder of Dragonmount).
FRIDAY, JULY 20
10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Nerdist Offsite Meet & Greet: V.E. Schwab (The Nerdist House @ Sparks Gallery)
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Nerdist Offsite Meet & Greet: Susan Dennard (The Nerdist House @ Sparks Gallery)
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Signing: R.A. Salvatore, Child of a Mad God(Tor Booth #2701)
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Shades of Magic – From Prose to Panels (Titan Comics) – Followed by Autograph Area Signing (Room 4)
V. E. Schwab’s bestselling novel series Shades of Magic makes the jump to comics this year with an all-new series written by Victoria herself. In this spotlight panel, the Comic-Con special guest will discuss the origins of this critically acclaimed world and how comics enable her to tell new stories that have never been seen before.
1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
Cory Doctorow Spotlight Panel – Building a Skeptical Techno-Utopia with Optimistic Disaster Stories – Followed by Autograph Area Signing (Room 24ABC)
Comic-Con special guest Cory Doctorow (Walkaway, In Real Life, Little Brother) has been writing and fighting to make technology safe for human habitation for decades. Cecil Castellucci (Soupy Leaves Home, Shade the Changing Girl, Plain Janes) interviews him about the urgent need to tell stories and take action to conjure forth technology that serves its users, not corporations, and what that means for science fiction and the human race.
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
The Thrill of the Chase – Followed by Autograph Area Signing (Room 29AB)
Readers turn the pages of mystery, suspense, science fiction, and thriller novels for a variety of reasons including the tension of the pursuit, the challenge of unmasking the villain, and the satisfaction of justice served. Moderator Brendan Reichs (Nemesis, The Darkdeep) investigates process with Edgar Cantero(Meddling Kids and This Body’s Not Big Enough for Both of Us), W. L. Goodwater(Breach), Alex Grecian (The Saint of Wolves and Butchers), Kerri Maniscalco(Escaping from Houdini), Marie Lu (Wildcard), and Demetra Brodsky (Dive Smack).
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Tor Booth Guest Bookseller: Mark Oshiro, Anger is a Gift (Tor Booth #2701)
5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Signing: Cory Doctorow (Tor Booth #2701)
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Into the Fanzone! Celebrating Pop Culture in YA Literature (Room 24ABC)
A growing number of YA books celebrate the awesomeness of fans, pop culture, comics, and fandom. Anger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro, Not Your Sidekick by C. B. Lee, All the Feels by Danika Stone, Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde, and Riverdaleand Ship It by Britta Lundin are just a few. In this interactive panel, authors share their ideas about modern publishing with Holly West (Feiwel & Friends and Swoon Reads), an editor who knows how important it is to appeal to a varied readership, as they talk writing, publishing, and-most important-the fans!
SATURDAY, JULY 21
10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Nerdist Offsite Meet & Greet: R.A. Salvatore (The Nerdist House @ Sparks Gallery)
11:45 – 12:45 p.m.
Nerdist Offsite Meet & Greet: Cory Doctorow (The Nerdist House @ Sparks Gallery)
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Spotlight on R.A. Salvatore – Followed by Autograph Area Signing (Room 7AB)
Comic-Con special guest R. A. Salvatore (Child of a Mad God) discusses all things Drizzt Do’Urden and beyond. The legendary author talks about epic fantasy, The Forgotten Realms, and more. Moderated by Harper Voyager executive editor David Pomerico.
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Fantasy Literature (Room 28DE)
Learn about writing fantasy novels, publishing, and book-to-movie adaptations from New York Times bestselling authors Livia Blackburne (Midnight Thief series), Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid series), V. E. Schwab (Shades of Magic series), Maggie Stiefvater (Raven Cycle series), and Laini Taylor (Daughter of Smoke and Bone series). Moderated by Henry Herz (Alice’s Magic Garden).
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Tor Booth Guest Bookseller: Prentis Rollins, The Furnace (Tor Booth #2701)
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Signing & Giveaway: Sherrilyn Kenyon, Styxx & Death Doesn’t Bargain (Mysterious Galaxy Booth #1119)
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Signing: V.E. Schwab (Tor Booth #2701)
5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Signing and Giveaway: Sherrilyn Kenyon, Styxx(Tor Booth #2701)
SUNDAY, JULY 22
11:00 – 12:00 a.m.
An Author’s Guide to D&D – Followed by Autograph Area Signing (Room 28DE)
Many SFF authors writing today grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons. The game is experiencing a resurgence today. Hear some of today’s most popular authors of science fiction and fantasy talk about how the classic game of the imagination inspired their own writing. Dungeon master Naomi Novik (Spinning Silver) guides authors Lila Bowen/Delilah Dawson (Treason of Hawks, Kill the Farm Boy), Kevin Hearne (Kill the Farm Boy), Matt Forbeck (Dungeons & Dragons: An Endless Quest series), R. A. Salvatore (Timeless, Child of a Mad God), Raymond E. Feist (King of Ashes), and Kyle Newman (Dungeons and Dragons Art and Arcana).
11:15 – 12:15 p.m.
Marvel Comics: X-Men (Room 5AB)
Editor-in-chief C. B. Cebulski, Sina Grace (Iceman), Seanan McGuire (X-Men Gold Annual), Matt Rosenberg (Astonishing X-Men), and Tom Taylor (X-Men Red) take you through the full spectrum of current X-Men madness! The Red, Blue, and Gold teams confront Atlanteans, uncertainty, and extermination, and the secrets of a new X-team are revealed! Deadpool and X-23 both rediscover their roots, and the astonishing team faces ever stranger challenges. Plus, stay for the whole panel for an exclusive giveaway variant comic!
1:00-2:00 p.m.
How I Got Here: Paths to Comics (Room 28DE)
Aminder Dhaliwal (Woman World), Cory Doctorow (In Real Life), and Nalo Hopkinson (House of Whispers) all began their careers in other fields-animation, journalism, and writing-before turning to comics. Guided by Calvin Reid (Publishers Weekly senior news editor), they’ll discuss what brought them to the graphic novel medium, what’s special and exciting about creating comics, and their current projects.
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Signing and Giveaway: Seanan McGuire, Every Heart a Doorway (Tor Booth #2701)
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Signing: Sherrilyn Kenyon (Mysterious Galaxy Booth #1119)
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Signing: Cory Doctorow (Autographing Area #AA18)
Tor Books is heading to San Diego Comic-Con!
