Amazon Starts SF Line

Amazon, rapidly becoming a major publisher of paper-and-ink books, now has moved into the sf, fantasy and horror genres with its seventh new imprint, 47North.  

Among its first 15 titles will be a paper edition of The Mongoliad, currently being produced online a chapter at a time as a serial novel designed to be read with a browser, smart phone, or tablet. The writers are Erik Bear, Greg Bear, Joseph Brassey, E. D. deBirmingham, Cooper Moo, Neal Stephenson and Mark Teppo. The book version will be released April 24, 2012.

In The Mongoliad: Book One, it is the spring of 1241. The Mongol takeover of Europe is almost complete. The hordes commanded by the sons of Genghis Khan have swept out of their immense grassy plains and ravaged Russia, Poland, and Hungary… and now seem poised to sweep west to Paris and south to Rome. King and Pope and peasant alike face a bleak future–until a small band of warriors, inheritors of a millennium-old secret tradition, conceive of a desperate plan to kill the Khan of Khans.

Their leader, an elder of the order of warrior monks, will lead his elite group on a perilous journey into the East. They will be guided by an elusive and sharp-witted young woman, who believes the master’s plan is insane. But this small band is the West’s last, best hope to turn back the floodtide of the Mongol Empire.

As you probably already guessed, 47North is the latitude of Seattle, Washington where Amazon was founded.

[Via Michael J. Walsh, John Mansfield and Andrew Porter]

2 thoughts on “Amazon Starts SF Line

  1. This appears to be a regional imprint. All the authors involved with this whose names I recognize are in the Pacific Northwest.

    On the one hand, as a big fan of Dave Duncan, I see he’s listed prominently there, and anything that gets him more publicity is an excellent thing. On the other, as a reader for the Endeavour Award (a regional award for sf/fantasy), I’m mainly hoping there will be editorial standards and that this doesn’t lead to a sudden massive increase in the number of books submitted for the award.

  2. “This appears to be a regional imprint. All the authors involved with this whose names I recognize are in the Pacific Northwest.”

    Interesting.

    I suspect amazon is hoping for more than regional sales .

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