Pyr

Books I Edited in 2009

So, it’s that time of year again….

Here is the list of all the books on which I served as editor (and art director) in my capacity as Editorial Director at Pyr books for 2009.

Chris Roberson, End of the Century
Kay Kenyon, A World Too Near (Book Two of The Entire and the Rose) (paperback after hc)
Kay Kenyon, City Without End (Book Three of The Entire and the Rose)
Ian McDonald, Cyberabad Days
Tom Lloyd, The Twilight Herald (The Twilight Reign 2)
Matthew Sturges, Midwinter
Ian McDonald, Brasyl (paperback after hc)
James Enge, Blood of Ambrose
Joel Shepherd, Crossover (mass market after trade paperback)
Sean Williams, The Hanging Mountains (3) (paperback after hardcover)
Mark Chadbourn, World’s End (Age of Misrule 1)
Joel Shepherd, Breakaway (mass market after trade paperback)
Mark Chadbourn, Darkest Hour (Age of Misrule 2)
Joel Shepherd, Killswitch (mass market after trade paperback)
Ian McDonald, Desolation Road (reprint)
Mark Chadbourn, Always Forever (Age of Misrule 2)
Mike Resnick, Stalking the Dragon (A Fable of Tonight 3)
Justina Robson’s Chasing the Dragon (Quantum Gravity 4)
Tom Lloyd, The Grave Thief (The Twilight Reign 3)
Paul McAuley, The Quiet War
James Barclay, Dawnthief (Chronicles of the Raven 1)
Joel Shepherd, Sasha (A Trial of Blood & Steel 1)
James Enge, A Crooked Way
James Barclay, Noonshade (Chronicles of the Raven 2)
Mark Chadbourn, The Silver Skull (The Sword of Albion)
Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Diving into the Wreck
James Barclay, Nightchild (Chronicles of the Raven 3)
Mike Resnick, Starship: Flagship (Starship 5)

What a year it’s been. I’m proud of every damn one of them, and all my fabulous authors and artists! Thank you all. 

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SF Reviews.net chooses its Publisher of the Decade 2000-2009

SF Reviews.net chooses its Publisher of the Decade 2000-2009. Thomas M. Wagner writes:

…if I had to boil it all down to one, there has been an imprint whose output and dedication has impressed me — not necessarily more than all the others, but in a way that has made them stand out boldly in a publishing field often marked by conservative (if not outright craven), bottom-line-driven choices. And that would be these folks.

Some of the many nice things Thomas M Wagner says about us are…

Pyr has risen in about 5 years to becoming one of the genre’s true successful stories.

And most commendably, Anders has done this by bucking conventional wisdom at every turn, choosing a merit-based strategy for the books he adds to Pyr’s catalog that has skirted the easy paths to bestsellerdom that bigger publishers, with their higher overhead, find it hard to ignore. If Lou thinks the book is really really good, it’s in, pretty much….

…I have no end of admiration for what he’s doing with Pyr instead. It’s all down to writers and their original works. He’s making it Pyr’s business to import talented names from outside the US, who have until now found it hard to get a toehold in the US market. He’s kept the careers of hard SF writers like Paul McAuleyand humanist SF writers like Kay Kenyonafloat, publishing some of their career-best work. He’s revived the occasional lost nugget of obscure genius, like Jack Dann’s The Man Who Melted…. And the quality bar has been uniformly high in a way that most publishers can only dream of.

So with all of my love for all my other publishers out there in the open, and without taking anything away from them, allow me to anoint with my mighty +4 sword of critical mightiness… Pyr SF, Publisher of the Decade 2000-2009! Now all of you out there start buying their stuff. And Pyr, once your victory lap is out of the way, do kindly get back to work! Think you can rest on your laurels now? Oh no you don’t. The pressure’s on. We all want more! We’re geeky that way.

Deeply humbled and appreciative of this. Love my +4 sword. Working ass off to make our five year anniversary year the best yet. Pretty confident it will be! Thanks!

SF Reviews.net chooses its Publisher of the Decade 2000-2009 Read More »

Happy New Year, Everybody!

Amazing how fast these past ten years have gone. Ten years ago today, I’d just lost my job in San Francisco due to dot com bubble burst, and was wondering what I was going to do next. Looking back, I can’t believe how much was packed into just ten years. Most of it is friendships I treasure that I didn’t even have in Jan 1, 2001. (A lot of it is family I didn’t have then either!). But Pyr itself will be turning five years old this March. I was collating our awards information yesterday, and so I’ll use this occasion to reflect back on some of Pyr’s accomplishments in the 00s.  Frankly I’m flabbergasted.

  •  2009 Chesley Award for Best Art Director: Lou Anders
  • 2009 Hugo Award for Best Editor Long Form, nominee: Lou Anders 
  • 2009 Hugo Award for Best Novella, nominees:“True Names” by Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow (Fast Forward 2)
  • 2009 Hugo Award for Best Novelette, nominee: “The Gambler” by Paolo Bacigalupi (Fast Forward 2)
  • 2009 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award nominees: “True Names” by Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow (Fast Forward 2)
  • 2009 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award nominee: “The Gambler” by Paolo Bacigalupi (Fast Forward 2)
  • 2009 Locus Award for Best Novella, Finalists: “True Names” by Benjamin Rosenbaum & Cory Doctorow (Fast Forward 2)
  • 2009 Locus Award for Best Short Story, Finalists: “The Kindness of Strangers” by Nancy Kress (Fast Forward 2)
  • 2008 Philip K Dick Award, nominee: Fast Forward 2, edited by Lou Anders
  • 2008 Hugo Award for Best Novel nominee: Ian McDonald Brasyl
  • 2008 Hugo Award for Best Editor Long Form, nominee: Lou Anders
  • 2008 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer nominee: Joe Abercrombie
  • 2008 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer nominee: David Louis Edelman
  • 2008 Philip K. Dick Award nominee: Adam Roberts Gradisil
  • 2007 Quill Award nominee: Ian McDonald, Brasyl
  • 2007 Hugo Award for Best Editor Long Form nominee: Lou Anders
  • 2007 Chesley Award for Best Art Director nominee: Lou Anders
  • 2006 World Fantasy Award – Special Award, Professional nominee: Lou Anders
  • 2006 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Novel nominee: David Louis Edelman, Infoquake
  • 2006 Independent Publisher Book Award winner: John Meaney, Paradox
  • 2005 Philip K Dick Award nominee: Justina Robson, Silver Screen
  • 2006 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer nominee: Chris Roberson
  • 2005 John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer nominee: Chris Roberson

Happy New Year, Everybody! Read More »

Pyr Publishing!

There’s a publishing company out there making a buzz! You may know who it is based off the fabulous authors they have come to swallow whole, like a frog swallowing mayflies, that the meager authorial mass may be added to the collective might of the industry. Fantastic authors such as Tom Lloyd, James Barclay, JOE “MUTHAFUGGIN” ABERCROMBIE.

And now…me! Yes, that’s right, it seems as though Sam “Sharkpuncher” Sykes (I gave myself that nickname because it sounded cool; also, I know the site is under construction, shut up) will be joining the stable kept by the highly praised (deserving every ounce of it) Lou Anders, Hugo-nominated editor and all-around nice guy.

What does this mean for you, the kind and gentle reader? Several things! First of all, this being as close as two authors can possibly get before the fierce undercurrent of rivalry and insecurity tears them apart, I can now officially ask Tom Lloyd for money.

More importantly, though, it means Tome of the Undergates will be available in the United States by 2010, courtesy of Pyr! I’m excited! Are you excited? I’m excited!

This now officially raises the things I have in common with Joe Abercrombie to:

Things we have in common: Pyr Publishing, Heyne Publishing, Mynx Publishing, the all-important Gollancz-Orion Publishing, a fondness for fine beers and a fierce love for all things David Bowie.

Things Joe Abercrombie does not have in common with me: A strong, creamy moral center of virtue, five inches (of height), three inches (of waistline), the ability to chew bricks for extended periods of time and biceps the size of overfed platypuses.

Things I do not have in common with Joe Abercrombie: Like, a million books sold and the respect and adoration of readers worldwide.

I hope you are as thrilled about this recent development as I am.

especially you.

Pyr Publishing! Read More »

Things to Look Forward To For the Next Year

Because I’ve just compiled this for Locus, no reason not to share here. (When we get as far out as next summer, things might shift a little bit, might drop another title in, etc… but…)

August 2009:
Mike Resnick, Stalking the Dragon (A Fable of Tonight, 3) – trade paperback, comedic urban fantasy
Justina Robson, Chasing the Dragon (Quantum Gravity 4) – trade paperback, urban fantasy

September 2009:
Tom Lloyd, The Grave Thief (Twilight Reign 3)- trade paperback, epic fantasy
Paul McAuley, The Quiet War – trade paperback, science fiction
James Barclay, Dawnthief (Chronicles of the Raven 1) – trade paperback, epic fantasy

October 2009:
Joel Shepherd, Sasha (A Trial of Blood & Steel,1) – trade paperback, epic fantasy
James Enge, A Crooked Way (2 of 3) – trade paperback, fantasy/swords & sorcery
James Barclay, Noonshade (Chronicles of the Raven 2) – trade paperback, epic fantasy

November 2009:
Mark Chadbourn, The Silver Skull (,The Sword of Albion, 1) – trade paperback, historical fantasy
Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Diving into the Wreck – trade paperback, science fiction/space opera
James Barclay, Nightchild (Chronicles of the Raven 3) – trade paperback, epic fantasy

December 2009:
Mike Resnick, Starship: Flagship (Starship, 5) – hardcover, science fiction

January 2009:
Kay Kenyon, City Without End (Entire and the Rose, 3) – trade paperback, sci-fantasy
Kay Kenyon, Prince of Storms (Entire and the Rose, 4) – hardcover, sci-fantasy

February 2009:
David Louis Edelman, Geosynchron (Jump 225 Vol III) – trade paperback, science fiction

March 2010:
Joel Shepherd, Petrodor (A Trial of Blood & Steel, 2) – trade paperback, epic fantasy
Adrian Tchaikovsky, Empire in Black and Gold (Shadows of the Apt 1) – trade paperback, epic fantasy

April 2010:
George Mann, Ghosts of Manhattan (1 of 2) – trade paperback, steampunk pulp/superhero adventure
Adrian Tchaikovsky, Dragonfly Falling (Shadows of the Apt 2) – trade paperback, epic fantasy

May 2010:
Mark Chadbourn, The Devil in Green (Dark Age Book 1) – trade paperback, urban fantasy
Adrian Tchaikovsky, Blood of the Mantis (Shadows of the Apt 3) – trade paperback, epic fantasy

June 2010:
Mark Chadbourn, The Queen of Sinister (Dark Age Book 2) – trade paperback, urban fantasy
Ian McDonald, The Dervish House – hardcover, science fiction
Matthew Sturges, The Office of Shadow – trade paperback, fantasy

July 2010:
Mark Chadbourn, The Hounds of Avalon (Dark Age Book 3) – trade paperback, urban fantasy

August 2010:
Kay Kenyon, Prince of Storms (The Entire and the Rose, 4) PB after hardcover, sci-fantasy
Jon Sprunk, Shadow’s Son (1 of 3) – trade paperback, fantasy

Excited?

Things to Look Forward To For the Next Year Read More »

Pyr Arrives on the Kindle

That’s right. After what for me has been an interminably long period of “hurry up and wait,” I woke up this morning to discover that our very first Pyr Kindle books have miraculously appeared. Five titles are available for download in the Kindle store. Oddly, it contains a second book in a series and a third book in a series, but I think these are just the first few to appear. There are a lot more coming in back of this, and the conversion process is on Amazon’s end, so I expect we’ll see more pop up in the near future as they get to them (and I’ll report here as I see them.) Meanwhile, many will be happy to learn that the often-requested Infoquake is in this first list of offerings.

The books:

Silver Screen

Starship: Pirate

Going Under (Quantum Gravity, Book 3)

Infoquake (Volume I of the Jump 225 trilogy)

Fast Forward 1: Future Fiction from the Cutting Edge

Pyr Arrives on the Kindle Read More »

Mind Meld: Best of 2008

SF Signal asks, “Q: What were the best genre-related books, movies and/or shows you consumed in 2008?” Their panel of experts include Mary Robinette Kowal, Ted Kosmatka, John Picacio, Paul McAuley, Marc Gascoigne, and Bob Eggelton.

Very happy to see several Pyr books get a mention: Fast Forward 2, Brasyl, River of Gods (even though it wasn’t a 2008 book) and even the forthcoming Age of Misrule trilogy.

And of course, in the film category, I’m always happy to see The Dark Knight get mentioned.

Mind Meld: Best of 2008 Read More »

The Pyr Party: What was that we were drinking?

So, having seen “mojito” online a few times, I’m here to tell you that, no, while it’s similar, what you were drinking last Friday was a caipirinha, made with lime and Pitu Cachaca.

Take 1 lime.
Slice and quarter it.
Put it in a glass.
Add two teaspoons of granulated sugar.
Muddle it (mush it up good).
Add 2 ounces of cachaca.
Add ice.

This guy here does a good job of demonstrating:

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The Pyr Party @ WorldCon

Last Friday night, August 8th, we threw a party at the 66th World Science Fiction Convention in honor of Ian McDonald’s nomination for Best Novel for Brasyl.The party was Brazilian themed, complete with capirinas, the official drink of Brazil, a Brazilian flag, multiple bowls of delicious futbol shaped chocalote balls in the distinctive black and white foil wrappers, various bits and bobs. And scores of plastic frogs all over the tables. (In fact, the frogs were a big hit – and were scooped up by the handfuls by parents taking them home to the kids.)

Enough about the frogs, you say. So how did it go?

We were PACKED – with a great mix of fans and pros. In fact, at one point, we had 3 of the 5 Best Novel Hugo Nominees sprawled out in the back room at the same time. Alas, Rob Sawyer was elsewhere with a cold, and Michael Chabon – the actual winner of the Hugo- unable to attend the convention. But it was a wonderful mix of people, and while the room waxed and wanned from “crowded” to “even more crowded,” it was never less than full.

Pictured above left is Paolo Bacigalupi, Yanni Kuznia and John Scalzi, reclining on the bed in the back room and up to no good (trust me). Pictured right is Pyr author Kay Kenyon and our guest of honor, Ian McDonald, who in addition to giving the stamp of approval to the Pitu Cachaca used in the making of the capirinas also supplied a selection of the Brazilian music that “soundtracks” his novel.

Also in attendance was Eisner-award winning writer Bill Willingham (left), of the incredibly-successful DC/Vertigo title Fables, who when I joked in an email the week previous – “What are you doing next Friday? Do you want to come to Denver for a party?” – was coincidentally planning on driving through Denver at the exact same time (to my delight and the delight of one very surprised fan!)

John W. Campbell Best New Writer nominee David Louis Edelman was in attendance as well, pictured here with his evil twin Scott. (The two are often mistaken, and, in fact, each have stories in separate volumes of The Solaris Book of New Science Fiction. My suggestion – they should collaborate for the next volume!)

I don’t think Night Shade Books’s uber talented publisher Jeremy Lassen was actually with these three woman, but somehow they complement the zoot suit, so maybe he should engage them for entourage purposes. I get shades of a notion about a gang boss and his faery family….

Oh! The swag! The first 100 guests received Pyr Pint Glasses – less the three that broke in transit, alas. The remaining 97 glasses were a HUGE success – real glass, with the Pyr logo, “Ignite Your Imagination”, “World Con 2008” and our url on the side in black lettering. We served the first of the capirinas in them, and when they ran out, folks were really disappointed. Fortunately, some glassware had been discarded by drinkers who either didn’t realize they could keep ‘em or didn’t want to, and so we had a steady trade in rounding them up, washing them out, and repurposing them all night, so anytime a glass was found a cry of “who wants it?” brought lots of eager shouts. (Four were left over that evening and went immediately on the panels I had left. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see these things show up on eBay…)

Enormous thanks to Jill Maxick, our publicist who procured all the decorations and the chocolates and was unfortunately unable to attend at the last minute, and to Amy Greenan and Lynn Pasquale for all the posters, invites, book covers etc… Enormous thanks also due to Alexis Glynn Latner, who drove me all over downtown Denver day-of to procure food and drinks.

Thanks also to Kristina Eccles (left), the bartender Jill engaged to make our Brazilian drink, and to Jetsie de Vries (Interzone co-editor) and Paolo Bacigalupi (award winning short story author) who volunteered their muscle and help setting up. And we REALLY owe Jetsie de Vries (below, left) for above the call of duty help. Kristina was top notch. Really good to work with, and stayed an extra hour on from what we planned when we hit 11pm and still had a full house and plenty of cachaca, but she was SLAMMED, never able to stop for a single moment. Jetsie volunteered to be her bar back, and washed 110 limes, hand washed and dried all the cups in the case with the broken one to free it of glass-dust, kept her in ice (even heading out to beg ice off other parties when we ran out), bagged trash, and washed the discarded glasses so we could keep the party favors coming. He was incredible, stuck mostly in the bathroom over the sink off where we set up the bar, covered in sweat he was working it so hard. We are totally indebted, and he is a golden god.

And Pitu Cachaca? That sugarcane rum is pretty strong stuff!

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