Pyr

Pyr Party @ WorldCon

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Hi all,

This forthcoming World Science Fiction Convention, on Friday night, August 8th, from 8pm to 11pm, at the Sheraton Denver Hotel …

We will be hosting a Pyr Party in specific honor of Ian McDonald’s Best Novel Hugo nomination for Brasyl,and in general for all of our authors and readers and friends. And you are all invited!

I say “we” are hosting because my Director of Publicity, Jill Maxick, will be making her first ever convention appearance at this time. (The first official visit from anyone else at my company, though Editorial Assistant Jacinta Meyers did visit Prometheus-local EerieCon last April and wrote up this excellent report.)

Jill will be coming in Friday to help set up for and host the party, and she’ll be staying through Sunday morning so that she can attend the Hugo ceremonies as well. (This means that she’ll be available all day Saturday if any of the authors, reviewers, critics, bloggers etc… that she deals with would like to take a meeting. Please do! I want it to be worth her time so she’ll come again.)

Naturally, the hotel is unable to give me a suite number until check in that Friday morning, but fortunately the Pyr Books Presentation will be held at 5:30 PM that Friday afternoon – so I’ll be able to announce the room number to everyone there. And, the Sheraton being the only party hotel, it shouldn’t be too hard to find this and every other party, as per always, right? If not, just look for the bald guy running around doing 1,000 different things and ask him where the party is going to be.

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2008 Locus Poll

The current issue of Locus magazine lists the full poll results of their 2008 Locus Readers Poll & Survey. They received 1,012 votes, only 382 (or 38%) from Locus subscribers.

  • Ian McDonald’s Brasylcame in 4th for Best Novel with 204 votes (75 of which were first place votes)
  • Fast Forward 1came in 9th for Best Anthology with 87 votes (30 of which were first place votes)
  • Yours Truly also came in 9th for Best Editor with 88 votes (41 of which were first place votes)
  • Pyr came in 10th for Best Publisher/Imprint with 104 votes (25 of which were first place votes)

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3 Years Old – Happy Birthday Pyr

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I just realized Pyr is three years old this month. Let’s recap, shall we:

  • 2008 Hugo Award nominee – Best Novel: Ian McDonald, Brasyl
  • 2008 Hugo Award nominee – Best Professional Editor, Long Form: Lou Anders
  • 2008 John W. Campbell Best New Science Fiction Writer Award nominee: Joe Abercombie, David Louis Edelman
  • 2008 Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Memorial Award nominee: Joe Abercrombie’s The Blade Itself
  • 2008 Silver Spectrum Award – Book Cover: Stephan Martiniere’s illustration for Kay Kenyon’s forthcoming City Without End
  • 2008 Nebula Award nominee: Mary Turzillo’s “Pride” (published in Fast Forward 1)
  • 2007 American Library Association’s Reading List Awards: Ian McDonald’s Brasyl, Kay Kenyon’s Bright of the Sky
  • 2007 Philip K. Dick Award nominee: Adam Roberts, Gradisil
  • 2007 Quill Award nominee: Ian McDonald, Brasyl
  • 2007 Hugo Award nominee – Best Professional Editor, Long Form: Lou Anders
  • 2007 Chesley Award winner – Best Cover Illustration: Stephan Martiniere’s cover for Ian McDonald’s River of Gods
  • 2007 Chesley Award nominee – Best Art Director: Lou Anders
  • 2006 World Fantasy Award nominee – Special Award, Professional: Lou Anders
  • 2006 John W. Campbell 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 Best New Science Fiction Writer nominee: Chris Roberson
  • 2005 John W Campbell Best New Science Fiction Writer nominee: Chris Roberson

Not too shabby for three years, no?

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For Your Consideration: Pyr Books I Edited in 2007

Since everybody’s doing it, here’s my 2007 output. Or rather, here are the 17 books that Pyr released in 2007, on which I served as editor, in order of appearance.

The Man Who Melted, Jack Dann (reprint)
Fast Forward 1, Edited by Lou Anders (anthology)
Gradisil, Adam Roberts
Keeping It Real, Justina Robson
Breakaway, Joel Shepherd
Bright of the Sky, Kay Kenyon
Context, John Meaney (paperback after hardcover)
Brasyl, Ian McDonald
The Hanging Mountains, Sean Williams
Hurricane Moon, Alexis Glynn Latner
Ivory: A Legend of Past and Future, Mike Resnick (reprint)
The Blade Itself, Joe Abercrombie
River of Gods, Ian McDonald (paperback after hardcover)
The Metatemporal Detective, Micheal Moorcock
Selling Out, Justina Robson
Killswitch, Joel Shepherd
Starship: Mercenary, Mike Resnick

More on these titles on the catalog page of the Pyr website, including substantial excerpts for many of them.

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2 Years, 4 Months and Counting…

…since we launched in March, 2005. For my edification, and not meant to be comprehensive by any means, I put together this round-up of awards, notable recommendations, recent news etc… that I could have to hand and we could file under “why we’re hot.” This is what I came up with, which looks so nice laid out in one place like this I had to post it:

“Pyr is quickly becoming the standard by which all other sci-fi imprints are judged.” – Bookgasm.com

Ian McDonald’s Brasyl:
Quill nominee, Salon.com’s Summer Reading Recommendation, Starred Review in PW, Starred Review in Booklist, A grade in SciFi Weekly, B+ in Entertainment Weekly. Ranked # 5 on the bestselling hardcover list at San Francisco-based independent genre bookstore Borderlands Books for May 2007

  • Boing Boing: “…his finest novel to date”
  • Salon.com: “…you will delight in Brasyl.”
  • Amazon’s Bookstore Blog: “McDonald deserves to be going up against most of the world’s top fiction writers, period.”
  • Sci Fi Weekly: “…hot and tropical and full of music.”
  • Publishers Weekly: “Chaotic, heartbreaking and joyous, … must-read”
  • Locus: “…without doubt one of the major SF books of 2007.”

Ian McDonald’s River of Gods (paperback available September 2007):
BSFA Award winner, Arthur C. Clarke nominee, Hugo nominee, starred review in Library Journal

  • Washington Post: “…a major achievement from a writer who is becoming one of the best sf novelists of our time.”
  • Library Journal: “Highly Recommended.”
  • Asimov’s: “A literary masterpiece.”
  • San Francisco Chronicle: “…one of the best science fiction novels published in the United States this year.”
  • Publishers Weekly: “…sure to be one of the more talked-about SF novels of the year.”

Justina Robson’s Keeping It Real (Quantum Gravity Book One)
Locus Recommended Read, Starburst Five Star Review

  • Entertainment Weekly: “”For fans of Tolkien, had he gone electric, dropped acid, and discovered tantric sex.”
  • Ain’t It Cool News: “This isn’t SF for SF readers. This is SF for a generation raised on anime, manga, and MMORPGs. This is SF for the Wii gamer. ”
  • Monsters & Critics: “This action-packed futuristic sci-fi that will appeal to techies and fantasy fans alike.”
  • Library Journal: “…skillfully builds a seamless connection between sf and fantasy in this fast-paced series opener featuring a strong, action-oriented heroine and a unique world setting.”
  • SFX: “…a novel packed with memorable characters and ideas but that doubles as holiday-reading escapism.”

Kay Kenyon’s Bright of the Sky (Book One of The Entire and the Rose):
Starred Review in Publishers Weekly, A grade in SciFi Weekly

  • Publishers Weekly: “Kenyon’s vision of a unique universe ranks with those of such science fiction greats as Frank Herbert and Orson Scott Card.”
  • Sci Fi Weekly: “”a bravura concept bolstered by fine writing; lots of plausible, thrilling action; old-fashioned heroism; and strong emotional hooks.”
  • Booklist: “…a fascinating and gratifying feat of worldbuilding… a grand epic, indeed. “
  • Library Journal: “Reminiscent of the groundbreaking novels of Philip K. Dick, Philip Jose Farmer, and Dan Simmons.”

David Louis Edelman’s Infoquake (Volume One of the Jump 225 Trilogy):
Barnes & Noble’s # 1 Editor’s Choice Top 10 SF&F Novels for 2006, John W. Campbell Memorial Award Nominee for Best Novel 2006, Bookgasm’s 5 Best SciFi Books of 2006

  • Publishers Weekly: “Bursting with invention and panache.”
  • B&N Explorations: “The love child of Donald Trump and Vernor Vinge.”
  • SFFWorld: “This may be THE science fiction book of the year.”
  • Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show: “Like a more accessible Charles Stross.”
  • Asimov’s: “A high-speed, high-spirited tale of capitalist skullduggery.”

Mike Resnick’s Starship: Mutiny and Starship Pirate (5 book Starship series):
B in Sci Fi Weekly

  • Publishers Weekly: “Readers craving intelligent, character-driven SF need look no further.”
  • Analog: “…a fast, smooth, utterly effortless read.”
  • SF Reviews: “…simply pure escapism, impossible to resist by anyone who still remembers that good old fashioned sense of wonder.”
  • Sci Fi Weekly: “…good old-fashioned space adventure.”
  • Library Journal: “Snappy dialog, intriguing human and alien characters, and a keen sense of dramatic focus.”

Recent Awards & Nominations for Pyr:

  • 2007 Quill Award nominee: Ian McDonald, Brasyl
  • 2007 Hugo Award nominee – Best Professional Editor – Long Form – Lou Anders
  • 2006 World Fantasy Award nominee – Special Award, Professional – Lou Anders
  • 2006 John W. Campbell 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 Best New Writer nominee – Chris Roberson
  • 2005 John W Campbell Best New Writer nominee – Chris Roberson

Recommendations/Endorsements:

  • Locus magazine’s Recommended Reading: 2006 : Joe Abercombie – The Blade Itself, Justina Robson – Keeping It Real
  • 3 Pyr Books included in the B&N Editor’s Choice: Top Ten SF&F Novels of 2006: David Louis Edelman – Infoquake (#1), Sean Williams –The Crooked Letter, John Meaney – Resolution
  • 2 Pyr Books included in Waterstone’s Top Ten SF for 2006: Joel Shepherd – Crossover, Chris Roberson – Paragaea: A Planetary Romance
  • 3 Pyr Books included in Bookgasm’s Top Five SciFi Books of 2006 – Ian McDonald – River of Gods (#1), Joel Shepherd – Crossover, David Louis Edelman – Infoquake
  • Sean Williams, The Hanging Mountains selected as a BookSense Notable Book for July
  • Kay Kenyon, Bright of the Sky – one of four novels selected by ReaderCon “the con that assigns homework” for their attendees to read pre-convention
  • Justina Robson, Silver Screen selected for Kirkus Reviews Best SF&F Books of 2005
  • John Meaney, Paradox – #2 on Barnes & Noble’s Editor’s Choice: Top Ten SF&F Novels of 2005

Foreign Awards given to Pyr books for their overseas editions:

  • 2007 Arthur C Clarke Award nominee – Adam Roberts, Gradisil (Gollancz)
  • 2005 Arthur C Clarke Award nominee – Ian McDonald, River of Gods (Simon & Schuster)
  • 2004 British Science Fiction Association Award winner – Ian McDonald, River of Gods (Simon & Schuster)
  • Spain’s Xatafi-Cyberdark Awards. nominees: Mike Resnick, New Dreams for Old and Ian McDonald, River of Gods.

2 Years, 4 Months and Counting… Read More »

Book Expo America 2007

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We’re back, and reasonably rested, from Book Expo America 2007. Was an incredible weekend in New York City, and one that – what with hanging out with Jim Minz, Irene Gallo, Chris Roberson, George Mann, Gail Z. Martin, Ellen Datlow, Gavin Grant, Kelly Link, Liz Gorinsky, Andrew Wheeler and many more – felt a good deal more like a science fiction convention than a publishing trade show.

Pictured here on the right is the Prometheus Books booth, featuring as you can see stacks of arcs of both forthcoming Pyr fantasy title, Joe Abercrombie’s The Blade Itself and parent company Aine Collier’s The Humble Little Condom: A History. Prophylactics in matchbox-sized packages displaying the cover were also given out. As were t-shirts advertising Nothing: Something to Believe in by the wonderful Nica Lalli.

Meanwhile, Pictured left, Prometheus President Jon Kurtz in another shot of our booth. And left is Yours Truly, photo courtesy of Irene Gallo, standing in front of posters of The Blade Itself, Ian McDonald’s Quill Award nominated Brasyl, and – tantalizingly blocked in the photo – the US cover for Selling Out (Quantum Gravity, Book 2), sequel to Justina Robson’s wildly successful sci-fantasy Keeping It Real.

BEA is lived on your feet, fueled by Starbucks, and endured by great conversations, great people, and in the evenings – great food (thanks, George!). All told, it was probably the best BEA show I’ve personally ever attended. Wonderful to see everyone and apologies to those I missed!

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Book Expo America

Pyr will be at Book Expo America next weekend, from May 31st to June 3rd, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York. We’ll be in parent company Prometheus Books’ booth, # 4532, and, FYI, its possible we’ll only be listed in the program as “Prometheus Books.” I’ll only be there Friday and Saturday myself, but attendees will want to stop by and pick up the exclusive Part One galley we’ve made for Joe Abercrombie’s The Blade Itself. Oh, and while we’re on the subject, check out the subtly different US cover.

Other Prometheus freebies include t-shirts, books and buttons, and in addition to The Blade Itself, they’ll be featuring their titles Nothing: Something to Believe in by Nica Lalli, Evil Genes: Why Rome Fell, Hitler Rose, Enron Failed and My Sister Stole My Mother’s Boyfriend by Barbara Oakley, and something tantalizingly titled The Humble Little Condom: A History by Aine Collier.

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The Music of Pyr

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Jeff Vandermeer takes an unusual tack for a literary blog in his first Amazon Bookstore Book Blog about Pyr’s books: music!

Jeff talks about the suggested soundtrack Ian McDonald supplies for his latest novel, Brasyl, as well as the elf rock song that Icelandic-based band Cynic Guru supplied as the official music track for Justina Robson’s Keeping It Real.

To round it off, Jeff asked me who would score a soundtrack for the entire Pyr line if such a thing were possible. My answer got truncated, so with Jeff’s kind permission and tongue firmly in cheek, I’ll run the whole thing here:

From the get go, I’ve wanted Pyr to have both a respect for speculative fiction’s illustrious history and an eye on the future.

I’ve maintained that you can have mild blowing concepts and good characters in the same book, action/adventure with sensawunder, literary sensibilities with mass appeal – that commercially-viable action set pieces did not preclude asking the big questions or aiming for the stars. One can have their cake and eat it too.

I’ve mixed old masters like Moorcock, Resnick and Silverberg with new voices like Edelman, Robson and Williams.

And we’ve published everything from epic fantasy to space opera to literary soft-science SF to urban fantasy to new weird to wacky sci-fantasy with elves on motorbikes.

I’ve tried to publish a diverse line where the only thru line is quality.

Obviously, the Pyr soundtrack can only be scored by one musician.

A man who can be as deep and mysterious as 2001 and as relevant and dangerous as 1984, or as surface and pop as fashion and dance, sound and music.

He writes about sex and drugs and gender issues, and spacemen and aliens and technological innovation slash alienation.

He has been there first in glam, soul, new age, fusion and a dozen other muscial genres.

He never does the same thing twice and he never runs out of imagination and he never gets tired.

He puts out fire with gasoline.

He is the Man Who Fell to Earth, the Man Who Sold the World, the Laughing Gnome, the Goblin King.

Obviously, only David Bowie could possibly score Pyr.

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