What Is Whatever (whatever.scalzi.com)?

Updated

Whatever is the personal blog of science fiction author John Scalzi, published at whatever.scalzi.com under the tagline "Digital Content From Analog People." It is a running, frequently updated site where Scalzi posts short personal updates, notes about convention appearances, and recurring features such as "The Big Idea," in which guest authors describe the ideas behind their books. If you are looking for Scalzi's official commentary, schedule information, or pointers to his published work, this is the site to check; if you want a formal publisher page or a storefront, this is not that.

Who runs it and what you'll find

The blog is written primarily by John Scalzi, with some posts credited to Athena Scalzi (for example, "The Big Idea" entries). The site's own menu lays out what it covers:

  • Home — the main feed of posts
  • About — background on the site and its author
  • A Brief Biography of John Scalzi — a short author bio
  • Books and Other Projects by John Scalzi — a list of his published work and related projects
  • Contact Information — how to reach the site/author
  • Guidelines for Publicity, Blurbing, Unpublished Work, Story Ideas, Social Media Boosting, Guest Blogging, Charitable Solicitations, Autographing, Fan Mail, Educational Use and School Assignments — a detailed policy page for people who want to ask Scalzi for something
  • Optioning/Licensing Work, Writing Queries, Interview and Appearance Availability — guidance for professional and media requests
  • Scheduled Appearances — where Scalzi will be appearing
  • Site Disclaimer, Comment, Privacy and "AI" Policy — site rules and policies
  • The Canonical Bacon Page — a long-running humor page
  • Scalzi Enterprises · The Scalzi Family Foundation — links to related entities

What the posts look like

The content is a mix of three broad types, visible in the recent posts on the page:

  1. Personal, low-stakes updates. For example, "Please Admire My MileHiCon Mad Scientist Coat" (October 24, 2026) shows off a steampunk-themed lab coat Scalzi received as a guest of honor at MileHiCon, with a short, joking note that "everyone will be wearing them soon."
  2. Convention and travel notes. "View From a Hotel Window, 10/22/26: Aurora, CO" is a recurring-style post showing the view from a hotel room, here in Aurora, Colorado, where Scalzi was attending MileHiCon as a guest of honor alongside TK Kingfisher and others, with panels and signings announced.
  3. Guest book features. "The Big Idea: A. T. Sayre" (October 21, 2026), posted by Athena Scalzi, is part of a series where authors explain the central idea behind a new book.

Posts are short, first-person, and often end with a "— JS" signature and social sharing links (Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon, Facebook, Reddit, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, WhatsApp, email). Comments are enabled, and individual posts show comment counts.

When this site is useful to you

  • You want Scalzi's own words and schedule. The "Scheduled Appearances" page and convention posts tell you where he'll be; the biography and books pages orient you to his work.
  • You have a request for Scalzi. Before emailing, read the guidelines page — it covers publicity, blurbs, unpublished work, story ideas, autographing, fan mail, educational use, and interview/appearance availability, so you know which requests are addressed and how.
  • You're an author with a new book. "The Big Idea" is an established feature for guest authors to describe their book's core concept; check whether submissions are open through the contact/guidelines pages rather than assuming.
  • You want light, ongoing reading. The blog is informal and updated often, so it suits readers who enjoy short personal posts and publishing-world notes rather than long-form articles.

What it is not

The page evidence does not show pricing, a store, or a login area, so do not treat the site as a place to buy books or access subscriber content. For purchases, use a bookseller; for formal rights and licensing questions, the site's own "Optioning/Licensing Work" guidance is the starting point. The site also states its own comment, privacy, and "AI" policy, which is worth reading before engaging in the comments.