Prologue Books And Me

PROLOGUE BOOKS AND ME Several months in the past I began working with my pals at Adams Media (an F+W Publications company, and publishers of The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction and How to Start Your Own Religion) on a brand new e-e-book imprint called Prologue Books. This is a noble effort to get out-of-print booksâ€"together with some as soon as-beloved, now obscure texts from authors each legendary and forgottenâ€"again into the hands of readers. I’m one of those people who thinks no writer ought to be forgotten, and obscure books are just classics that have but to have their fair listening to. There’s lots being stated about the “E-guide Revolution,” and so much being accomplished, each above board and below. A lot of books are getting the e-e-book “therapy,” however there are literally hundreds . . . no, most likely millions . . . of terrific books that haven't been broadly out there for a very long time. In some cases, the rare extant copy of those forgotten texts can fetch e normous costs on the collector’s market. Sometimes they find yourself in bins at garage sales, left to the moths and mold at thrift shops, or deserted beneath flea market tables. What a shame. Now right here we're, in the daring new digital landscape of the 21st century, and we've the ability to save these thingsâ€"all of these things, and I can not be extra delighted than to be a part of it. It was, oh, way again within the dim recesses of history, like 2006 or 2007, that for somebody to resurrect a guide like, say, Joan Conquest’s delightful Leonie of the Jungle, somebody would have to sit down and fill out a P&L (profit and loss) statement, justifying the considerable expense of printing, binding, shipping, distribution, returnsâ€"and much more likely than not come to the inevitable conclusion that there’s no method to justify that cost, nonetheless charming the e-book could also be. Now, e-books are on no account free to create, however boy are they cheaper than all of tha t paper. And there are not any returns, no waste. They take up a tiny sliver of server space, not a corner of a warehouse or precious bookstore shelf space. They don’t have to promote 1000's of copies in the first few months or face abstract execution come returns time. E-books will be there, ready so that you can discover them. And if you’re something like meâ€"not simply an author and editor but a fan and pupil of the styleâ€"you’re going love discovering these sensible lost treasures as a lot as I have. I’d like to take this opportunity to spotlight two titles particularly. These two books serve to ascertain the far ends of the spectrum of books that Prologue Books SF/Fantasy will encompass. The Galaxy Primes The first is The Galaxy Primes by SF legend E.E. “Doc” Smith. Smith is actually greatest identified for his Lensman sequence, which outlined a generation of area opera and is extensively thought of one the great classic collection of the style. But The Galaxy Pri mes, first printed in serial kind in Amazing Stories, is not any much less superb than Lensman. This is pure space opera from a bygone period. Yogi Berra as soon as said, “The future ain’t what it was.” It was as though he had The Galaxy Primes (from the perspective of fifty three years after it was first printed) in thoughts. The Galaxy Primes’s enormous allure comes from its mixture of out-there and antiquated concepts. The gender relationships, for example, are straight out of Mad Men. It’s chock full of Cold War militarism. But then there’s an odd modernity leaking in across the edges that gives the book a weight that could be a bit tough to nail down at first blush. There might be many more bizarre old tales of futures previous to come from Prologue Books, but let’s start with The Galaxy Primes. Then there’s the other finish of the spectrum. When I was at Wizards of the Coast, we boldly launched into a new imprint, Wizards of the Coast Discoveries, all filled wi th piss and vinegar and promises and budgets . . . and the final two evaporated immediately after take-off. The good news is we discovered some amazing books by outstanding new authors, the dangerous news is those books died together with the imprintâ€"a little cataclysm all too acquainted in the publishing world. A Song in Stone I have taken a measure of reduction prior to now few years as I’ve seen many, if not all of these books discover new houses with totally different publishers in numerous formats. One of these Wizards of the Coast Discoveries was A Song in Stone, by Walter H. Hunt. I met Walt Hunt on the World Science Fiction Convention in Anaheim, California in 2006, just as we have been beginning to read for this new imprint. He pitched me a time travel story involving the Knights Templar, and conspiracy theories that at the time had been getting an terrible lot of play in The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I even have to admit, I wasn’t too hot on what might be seen as o ne other Da Vinci Code knock-off, however Walt’s pitch piqued my curiosity and I requested him to ship me the manuscript. I was immediately hooked by this good, impeccably-researched time journey tale and stayed hooked all through to its surprising, lyrical ending. This isn't any knock-off. A Song in Stone is likely one of the best, most original time journey books I’ve ever read. And because of Prologue Books I had my chance to help it find a new viewers as an e-guide launch. I could not be happier that A Song in Stone is there to usher in Prologue’s SF/fantasy record the way in which it helped give start to Wizards of the Coast Discoveriesâ€"we’ll all be working onerous to ensure Prologue Books is round so much longer! Only the primary spherical of a handful of science fiction and fantasy titles have been launched so far. Prologue started with thriller and crime titles, curated by editor Greg Shepard. I’ve got some catching as much as do, as does Prologue’s own website online, however we’re comin’ out, individuals, and we’re comin’ out strong. Keep an eye on us, and with a couple clicks of the mouse you’ll be exploring some strange worlds, both new and old. â€"Philip Athans About Philip Athans