Brian “Enemy of Civilization” Alexander
@brianralexander.bsky.social
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Books: Glass House, The Hospital, The Mayor. BrianRAlexander.com. Past: Atlantic/Wired/Outside/Washington Monthly/MIT Tech Review/Janitor/Gas Station Attendant/Lifeguard. Subscribe to my newsletter By.BrianRAlexander.com Speaking: BrightSight.
![MEMO FROM JOHN PICACIO TO MUST READ MAGAZINES • OCTOBER 8, 2026
Thank you for the reply. I'm passing on the Asimov's 50th Anniversary cover art opportunity.
Although changes to the contract have been offered, I'm still expected to surrender Moral Rights to my Work and waive my Copyright. This will not happen. The truth is the Company's original boilerplate clauses expecting waivers of Moral Rights (amongst other demands) should have never existed.
I appreciate the offer to negotiate further, and perhaps even arrive at a unique set of contractual conditions just for me. But even if we landed upon suitable terms, there's no guarantee an up-and-coming artist would not be presented the original, overly-aggressive boilerplate terms, instead of those offered to me. I'm a 30-year veteran artist of the SFF publishing field. I just won my fourth Hugo Award. I care about the future of this field, and the future of my fellow writers and artists. I care about their rights, just as much as my own.
There's no way I want them waiving their Moral Rights to their work either.
A final thought -- the SFF literary and arts community is tight-knit. The recent history of Must Read Magazine's contractual dealings is not positive. Yes, some creators have reportedly received better deals than others, and Must Read has been willing to negotiate in certain cases. But the fact is -- none of these professionals should spend weeks and months fighting for basic creative rights that encroach upon their livelihoods and futures. Must Read's policy choices are tarnishing the proud assets that they purchased, and that's a great shame.
Thank you for your time, and I wish better days ahead for Asimov's and her sister magazines,
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