Tachyon Launches Particle Books
Tachyon Publicationshas announced the launch of Particle Books, an e-book imprint, on February 27. The imprint will publish YA and adult science fiction, fantasy, horror, and thrillers.
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Baen Adds MVMedia for Distribution
Baen Books has signed a deal to offer MVMedia ebooks on the Baen Ebooks web site. The first MVMedia books to be offered will be The Dark Universe Anthology, edited by Milton J. Davis and Gene Peterson and From Here to Timbuktu, by Davis. MVMedia joins WordFire Press, Fairwood Press, Electricstory.com, Infinity Plus, and Yard Dog Press in being distributed electronically by Baen.
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Lost Butler Stories to Be Published
Two early stories by Octavia Butler, “A Necessary Being” and “Childfinder,” have been located and will be published as an e-book on June 24. Unexpected Stories will be published by Open Road Integrated Media with an introduction by Walter Mosley. The stories were discovered by Marilee Heifetz, Butler’s agent, while looking through Butler’s papers at the Huntington Library in San Marino, CA.
Hodder Launched Childrens E-book SF Line
British publisher Hodder Children’s has announced the creation of Hodder Silver, a series of classic children’s science fiction which will be reissued as e-books. The series is scheduled to launch in May with five titles by Richard Carpenter, Jean Ure, Nicholas Fisk, Jan Mark, and Louise Lawrence with plans to release a total of 21 titles by September.
Baen Adds Kobo
Baen Books has announced that beginning on March 24, its e-0books will be available on the Kobo platform for download. Baen has been a leader in DRM free e-books for fifteen years.
Fictionwise Closing
Barnes and Noble, which purchased e-publisher Fictionwise is 2009, has announced that it will be closing Fictionwise in December. U.S. Fictionwise customers will cease to have access to their Fictionwise Bookshelf through the site after December 21, 2012. Customers outside the U.S. will cease to have access to their Fictionwise Bookshelf through the site after January 31, 2013. Fictionwise customers will be notified of this and U.S. and U.K. customers will be given an opportunity to move their customer accounts, including their eBooks purchased at the Fictionwise websites, to a Barnes & Noble NOOK Library.
E-Book Bundle For Charity
Eight authors, including Cory Doctorow, Mercedes Lackey, Paolo Bacigalupi, Lauren Beukes, Kelly Link, John Scalzi, Neil Gaiman, and Dave McKean, are offering up a bundle of e-books. The books are available in DRM-Free versions for a donation which will go to the authors and a variety of charities. Six books by the first five authors are available to anyone making a donation. Two additional books by Scalzi and Gaiman & McKean are available to anyone who donates more than the average donation at the time of purchase. The titles included are Doctorow’s Pirate Cinema, Lackey’s Invasion, Bacigalupi’s Pump Six, Beukes’s Zoo City, and Link’s Stranger Things Happen and Magic for Beginners. The addition books are Scalzi’s Old Man’s War and Gaiman & McKean’s Signal to Noise. The charities being helped include the SFWA Emergency Medical Fund, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Child’s Play Charity.
EPIC Nominations
The Electronic Publishing Industry Coalition has announced the nominees for the 2012 Epic Awards for e-published books. Categories with nominees of genre interest are listed below. The winners will be announced at EPICon in March, 2012.
Anthology
- Dame Topaz Treasures, by Carrie S. Masek
- Dragon’s Lure, edited by Neal Levin
- Winter Wishes, edited by Angela James
Fantasy
- Psyche’s Prophecy, by Ann Gimpel
- The Sevenfold Spell, by Tia Nevitt
- Thief of Hope, by Cindy Young-Turner
Horror
- Pillar’s Fall, by Ben Larken
- The Death of Lou Grant, by David Halliday
- The Last Vampire, by Kathryn Meyer Griffith
Paranormal
- Healey’s Cave, by Aaron Paul Lazar
- One Blood, by E.F. Watkins
- Piper’s Fury, by Rachel Firasek
- Revelations, by Carrie Lynn Barker
Science Fiction
- Crewkin, by Rhobin L. Courtright
- The Crystal Desert, by Catherine Wells
- The Immortality Virus, by Christine Amsden
Novella
- “Almost Heaven,” by Kimberly Gardner
- “Do Over,” by Mari Carr
- “Eagle’s Redemption,” by Cindy Spencer Pape
- “Hearts in Darkness,” by Laura Kaye
- “Jaq’s Harp,” by Ella Drake
- “Song from the Abyss,” by Margaret L. Carter
- “Stormy Wedding,” by Kelli Scott
Fantasy Romance
- Bound: A Faery Story, by Sophie Oak
- Knightfall, by Berinn Rae
- One Thousand Kisses, by Jody Wallace
- The Sleigh Maker, by Candace Sams
Horror Romance
- A Demon Inside, by Rick R. Reed
- Demon’s Dance, by Evey Brett
- Devil Music, by E.C. Stacy and Thia Myles
- Endless Lust, by Lexxie Couper
Paranormal Romance
- Blacque/Bleu, by Belinda McBride
- Capricorn: Forgotten Faces, by Vivien Dean
- Dead Sexy, by Paige Tyler
- Key of Solomon, by Cassiel Knight
- Mask of Ice, by Elaine Lowe
Science Fiction Romance
- Outcast Mine, by Jamie Craig
- Silver Bound, by Ella Drake
- Steam and Sorcery, by Cindy Spencer Pape
- To Kiss Or To Kill, by Jean Lorrah
Strangeways Launched
James Patrick Kelly has announced the launch of Strangeways, an e-zine available for Nook and Kindle for .99c per issue. Each issue will include reprints of two short stories, two essays, and bonus materials. The first issue, currently available, includes “Plus or Minus” and “The Propagation of Light in a Vacuum.”
Macmillan Surprises Authors
Macmillan Publishers, which includes Tor Books, has announced that they will pay royalties to authors based on estimated lost sales from the period when Amazon.com removed the “buy” button from Macmillan books during a period of negotiations over the pricing of e-books for the Kindle. The payment is called the “Amazon Kindle Outage Adjustment.” In addition, many authors will receive royalties based on 25% of net receipts, instead of 15% of list price, which will work out to the authors’ benefit.