by Tom Ashford
Welcome to the SPF Weekly Write-Up, where each Wednesday we’ll be collecting together the self-publishing news of the week so you don’t have to.

This week: science fiction writers predict the future for big corporations, a new Nook undercuts the market, and the SPF Foundation is open for its second year.

Dive in!

Visions of the Future

There was an interesting article posted to the SPF Facebook communities the other day that I thought might intrigue you. It’s about how the companies of today – Nike and Boeing are two examples – are paying sci-fi writers to predict their futures, and “casting these companies’ place in these future worlds” so that they can prepare for all possibilities… and invent products for that potential market.

There’s a compelling explanation why: “It took Intel 10 years to design and deploy a chip, so they needed to know 10 years out what people would do with computers.”

It’s a long read, but worth it if you’re a fan of science fiction.
You can read the full, original article here.

New Nook

Apparently Barnes and Noble haven’t given up on the eReader business just yet. Only last month it released its biggest Android ‘reading tablet’ yet – 10.1 inches. But last week they released a smaller, much more affordable device: the 7-inch Nook that costs only $49.

They’re probably hoping to undercut the rest of the market – their cheapest competitor is the basic Kindle, at $79. It might work, given that this cheap Nook comes with connection to the Google Play Store and therefore has access to Android apps.

SPF Foundation

The SPF Foundation is open for the second year running.

Not everyone can afford our courses, and yet we know there are plenty of writers in this camp who have great stories to tell. That’s why up to four authors each year are given not only free access to the 101 and Ads for Authors courses, but $2500 to be spent on author services at Reedsy too.

Applicants need a sponsor who has already taken one of the SPF courses, in order to vouch that the applicant would be a worthy beneficiary. Closing date for applications is December 31st. If you know anyone who might benefit, treat it like a Happy New Year present!

For more details, please head here.

Tom Ashford

Tom Ashford is a professional copywriter, author of numerous dark fantasy and sci-fi novels, and the Head of Content at the Self Publishing Formula Blog. His books include the Blackwater trilogy and the Checking Out series.

He lives in London with his wife, in an apartment that doesn’t allow pets. Find out more about Tom here.