Fans of sci-fi, horror and fantasy books now have another place to go to get their reading fix as Amazon yesterday announced its launched of their new imprint called 47North.
The name, 47North, is homage to the latitude of Amazon’s hometown of Seattle, Washington and will focus on publishing original novels, previously published works, and out of print books in the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres. Not only will these books be available online and to English Kindle readers, 47North also plans on having them available to national and independent booksellers.
The announcement also came with a publishing coup as Amazon announced that one of 47North’s first published books will be ‘The Mongoliad:Book One’. ‘The Mongoliad: Book One’ is a collaboration of authors led by Hugo and Nebula Award winning novelists Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear with contributions from other respected and up and coming writers. This is the first of a 5 book epic series called Foreworld.
Also in the announcement was a list of other titles and their release date. “Amazon customers have a huge appetite for science fiction, fantasy and horror books, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce readers to new and established voices in these genres,” said Victoria Griffith, Publisher, Amazon Publishing, West Coast Group. “We are especially happy to have a diverse list at launch, and look forward to publishing across a wide range of subgenres.”
Amazon started its publishing arm in 2009 in order to gain greater control over producing original content for its readers. Because of the popularity of science fiction, fantasy, and horror books amongst their customers, Amazon felt that starting 47North made sense for the company. 47North is the 7th imprint in the Amazon Publishing family joining Amazon Encore, AmazonCrossing, The Domino Project, Montlake Romance, Thomas & Mercer, and the New York. Below is the list of upcoming books from 47North and when they will be released:
- October 2011: Face of Evil by Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin. The first novel in The Dead Man series. Protagonist Matthew Cahill gains new sight into the netherworld after a terrible accident, making each day a living nightmare.
- January 2012: Against the Light by Dave Duncan. The story of a young, magical missionary’s arrest for heresy and treason in the land of Albi.
- January 2012: Resurrection by Arwen Elys Dayton. This out-of-print science fiction novel is about warring alien races and the two star-crossed pilots who hold the key to salvation will return to print in January.
- February 2012: A Good and Useful Hurt by Aric Davis. Tattoo artist Mike’s life is torn apart when a supernatural, psychopathic killer targets him and those he loves.
- March 2012: A new series (the Nightingale Series) from Stephen Leather will start in March and follow former cop and struggling private investigator Jack Nightingale, who is forced to confront the possibility that demons exist after inheriting a supernatural mansion.
- March 2012: Into the Black: Odyssey One by Evan Currie. A new edition of the first book in Evan Currie’s popular military space opera Odyssey series whose sequel will be publish later in the year.
- April 2012: The Mongoliad: Book One. Hugo and Nebula Award-winning authors Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear have teamed up with an ensemble of respected authors and newcomers to create the Foreworld series. The series will begin with The Mongoliad trilogy, an epic tale about the birth of Western martial arts.
- May 2012: Further: Beyond the Threshold by Chris Roberson. The writer behind DC’s iZombie and Cinderella pens a novel about a space explorer who is kept in stasis for too long and awakens to a universe that is terrifying and unfamiliar.
- June 2012: Technomancer by B.V. Larson. Detective Quentin Draith is tasked with solving impossible crimes, and each clue leads him further into a world that exists between the raindrops of the known world.
