Locus, April 2013
Page 6
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2012 BRITISH BOOK SUMMARY
UK publishing was down in 2012, the first drop after two years of increases, with 902 titles, down from 979 in 2011.
Most of the publishing changes in 2012 that affected the SF field were holdovers from 2011. Veteran editor Jo Fletcher debuted her new Jo Fletcher Books at Quercus at the end of the 2011, but we only saw two titles that year; we saw 12 in 2012; Quercus plans to expand into the US market later in 2013. Publishers hopping the pond in the other direction include Random House UK’s Ebury with a new Del Rey UK imprint starting in 2013. Orion/Gollancz also introduced their SF Gateway e-book imprint (and website) in 2011, primarily focused on making digital versions of hundreds of backlist Masterworks titles available, but now the site is expanding to include print titles, mostly omnibuses, starting in 2013. Since we weren’t counting e-books in 2012, their output did not affect our numbers. We didn’t see any SF titles from Anthony Cheetham’s start-up Head of Zeus, but expect titles of interest in 2013. We saw four titles from PS Publishing’s ‘‘new’’ mass-market imprint Drugstore Indian Press in mid-2012; although the books are apparently sold as mass market, they are large enough that we list them as trade paperbacks, a not-uncommon point of confusion for us, particularly with UK publishers.
The total number of books seen was 902, down 8% from 979 in 2011, but still up from 816 in 2010. New books (originals and first UK editions) were down 6% to 543 titles. Reprints were down 11%, making up 40% of the total books published, down just slightly from 41% last year. We consider 50% reprints ideal, as books are more likely to show a profit if they go into reprint. Our graph of UK Publishing History shows the relative proportions of new books – first and first UK editions – and reprints.
The data used to create these figures is extracted from our monthly ‘‘British Books’’ column; all the books counted here were listed there, but not all the books listed there are counted here, since we drop marginal items such as strictly associational titles or chapbooks. We include 2011 books not seen until 2012. ‘‘New Books’’ refers to originals, plus first UK editions of books originally published in English elsewhere – usually the United States, Australia, or Canada. Where mergers have occurred, we have combined data from past years to reflect the difference. Young-adult imprints are generally grouped with their adult namesakes, even if they are technically part of separate children’s divisions.
Little, Brown/Orbit topped the list of Total Books Published for a second year with 155 titles, down from 189 in 2011. Orion/Gollancz returns in second place with 138 titles, down from 182. Hodder & Stoughton moved up from sixth place to third with 69 titles, up from 54, knocking HarperCollins/Voyager back one spot to fourth with 55 titles, down from 78. Below that, publishers shifted around quite a bit, as usual. The list breaks down the output for all publishers with five or more genre titles in 2012. Publishers with fewer than five are lumped together under Miscellaneous Publishers. We saw books from 54 publishers, up from 45 publishers; 23 had five or more titles, down from 25. One small press made it onto the main list: PS Publishing.
We counted 31 publishers as miscellaneous, up from 20 last year, and very close to the 32 in 2010. We put strictly print-on-demand publishers in miscellaneous, regardless of the number of titles, though we undoubtedly missed some; POD editions can be hard to spot. (For that matter, if they were printed in the US and sent to us without a UK publisher address, they could have been listed with US books; a lot of small and self-publishers only give out website addresses these days.) We only listed four definite POD titles, down from seven last year; they came from three presses, none with more than two titles.
Chart #2 show the last five years’ totals for the top ten publishers on our list, who were evenly divided between those increasing their output and those decreasing. Up were PS Publishing (up 88%), Titan (up 57%), Transworld (up 45%), Black Library (up 39%), and Hodder & Stoughton (up 28%). Decreasing their numbers were HarperCollins/Voyager (down 29%), Orion/Gollancz (down 24%), Little, Brown/Orbit (down 18%), Random House (down 17%), and Pan Macmillan (down 14%).
The list of Books Published by SF Imprint show the numbers for the SF imprints separate from their corporate cousins. The top two imprints held on to their places from last year: Gollancz in first place with 124 titles and Orbit in second with 82. Voyager and Black Library swapped places again, Black Library moving up to third with 46 and Voyager dropping a spot to fourth with 34. Below that was the usual shuffling around, with one newcomer, Quercus/Jo Fletcher Books, in tenth place with 12 titles. We listed 11 imprints, which were responsible for 412 titles, 46% of the total books published, up from 45%. They had 271 new titles, or 50% of all new titles, up from 47%. (In the US, 19 imprints produced 31% of all titles and 20% of new books.)
Charts #3 and #4 break down the publishers’ new books by the Originals (first editions) in Chart #3, and First UK Editions in Chart #4. Little, Brown UK/Orbit leads on both lists, with 76 original titles and 30 first-UK editions; 68% of their books were new. Gollancz again came in second on both charts with 40 original and 18 first UK; 42% of their titles were new. Black Library came in third for Original titles with 39, but they had no first UK editions; their titles were 85% new. Titan Books came in third for first UK editions with 15; they had 13 Originals; 85% of their titles were new. The increasing globalization of publishing has changed the significance of original vs. first UK editions, as more and more publishers now try to bring US and UK editions out simultaneously (or just a month apart), rather than risk customers ordering foreign editions or e-books online; many publishers now have arms in both the US and UK, and make a point of acquiring rights in both regions.
Chart #1 shows the subject breakdown for new 2012 books. SF novels were down at 71; add an additional 22 young-adult SF novels, and there were 93 SF novels, 17% of the new books total, the same as last year. Fantasy novels were down slightly at 161; adding 53 YA fantasy novels, there were 214 fantasy novels, 39% of the new books total, up from 37% last year. Horror novels rose 10% to 46; plus the 12 YA horror titles, there were 58 horror novels, 11% of the new books total, the same as last year. Paranormal romances dropped 32% to 40 titles; plus the 17 YA paranormals there were 57 paranormal romances, 10% of the new books total, down from 15% last year, but the same as the year before that. Paranormals were slow to catch on in the UK; they may already have peaked.
Young-adult books saw a 13% decrease to 104 titles, the first drop after three years of increases. Fantasy led with 53 titles, up one from last year; they were 51% of the new YA titles, up from 44% last year. YA SF moved up into second with 22 titles, 21% of the new YA total, up from 14% last year. Paranormals followed in third with 17 titles, 16% of the YA new books total, down from 23%. Horror trailed with 12 titles, 12% of the YA new books, down from 19%. The number of YA titles is misleadingly low compared to US figures, particularly in paranormal romance and to a lesser extent fantasy; quite a few titles published as YA in the US get published as adult in the UK, where publishers don’t automatically put any book with adolescent protagonists in the YA category.
New anthologies dropped 29% to 12 titles, the second year in a row of serious decline; another six anthologies were counted as media tie-ins. Collections held steady for the second year in a row with 17 titles. We saw two reference titles, down from three, and four history/criticism titles, up from three. Art/humor, our grab-bag category, had four titles, up from three; there was one gaming art book, pictorial celebrations of Tarzan and Steampunk, and one humor book.
Media-related book
s were up 5% to 62 titles, 11% of the new books total, up from 10%. That total includes four omnibuses, one collection, and six anthologies. Black Library leads again with 37 Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 titles. The closest competitor was Random House with four Star Wars titles and 4 BBC Doctor Who titles. Most tie-in novels are published simultaneously in the US and UK these days. We don’t count tie-ins that are simply the US editions imported to the UK, such as Pocket’s Star Trek titles, just as we don’t count Doctor Who books distributed in the US.
Quality remains high according to our best indicator, our Recommended Reading list published in the February issue. We listed 61 UK titles, up from 49; those titles came from 27 UK publishers, up from 20 last year. Orion/Gollancz led with 16 recommended titles, followed by Little, Brown/Orbit with 12, and PS Publishing, Robinson, and Titan. each with three.
CONCLUSION
Not much changed from last year. As in the US, publishers have cut back a bit, at least on print genre titles – but we saw books from more publishers than last year. We still don’t have a clear picture of the state of genre publishing in the UK at present; the economy remains iffy and traditional brick-and-mortar bookstores struggle. But online sales have not only hurt traditional stores; they have also made it too easy to get books as soon as they come out in another country, leading more and more publishers to look at globalization as a response, acquiring world rights (in English, at least) and publishing titles nearly simultaneously around the world. It seems like the distinctive flavors of US and UK publishing are becoming homogenized, but that’s a subjective quality, hard to analyze.
E-books continue to be a bright spot, with growing sales and impressive projects like Gollancz’s SF Gateway – but it’s still not clear if e-book sales will ever completely offset declining print sales, particularly with buyers coming to expect very low prices. We’re still working on ways to track e-books for 2013, in an effort to get more of a handle on the situation in the field.
Overall, the health of book publishing in the UK remains uncertain, according to Neilsen Book. Print book sales fell by almost £74m last year, reaching their lowest point since 2003; the number of printed books dropped by 3% – and the average price fell slightly. Estimates show e-books accounted for 13-14% of unit book sales in the UK last year and around 6-7% of all monetary book sales. Looking at combined e-book and print sales, it appears people actually bought more books (up about 4-5%) but spent less (down 1-2%), thanks to low and deeply discounted e-book prices.
So numbers are down a bit, with publishers feeling their way in this evolving scene. As always, quality remains high – but the future remains cloudy.
–Carolyn Cushman
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Boskone 50 was held February 15-17, 2013 in Boston MA at the Westin Boston Waterfront hotel. Vernor Vinge was the guest of honor, Lisa Snellings was the official artist, John F. Hertz was the special guest, Heather Dale was the featured musician, Jerry Pournelle was the NESFA Press guest, and Jordin T. Kare was the Hal Clement Science Speaker. In addition to the usual panels, readings, art show, and dealers’ room, there was a special reception this year to celebrate the milestone 50th convention.
Boskone 51 will be held Feb 14-16, 2014 at the Westin Waterfront in Boston MA, with guest of honor Seanan McGuire and official artist David Palumbo. The annual convention is sponsored by the New England Science Fiction Association. For more:
A selection of photos from the convention follow.
John Picacio, Tara Smith, Parris McBride & George R.R. Martin; Beth & Mike Zipser, Rick Berry, Irene Gallo & Gregory Manchess
Sharon Lee & Steve Miller; Elizabeth Hartwell, Jerry Pournelle; Charles Stross & Feòrag NicBhride; Melinda Snodgrass, Michael Swanwick
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SAN FRANCISCO WRITERS CONFERENCE AND 46TH INTERNATIONAL ANTIQUARIAN BOOK FAIR
The annual San Francisco Writers Conference and the 46th International Antiquarian Book Fair were the hot tickets in San Francisco, the weekend of February 15-17, 2013. The word ‘‘Antiquarian’’ here refers to rare books and some extremely rare books (not just geezers out for a visit). At least one book was available for a mere $450,000; more on this later.
46th International Antiquarian Book Fair
Saturday, February 16: The Writers Conference was held at the Mark-Hopkins. This event focused on connecting aspiring writers with the publishing industry and each other. From what I saw I believe they succeeded very well. Of particular interest was the panel on ‘‘Science Fiction: The Promise of the Future?’’ with moderator Laurie McLean (literary agent) and three authors: Gabrielle Harbowy, Ross E. Lockhart, and Ransom Stephens. After a short discussion, the audience questions turned to the question of what separates or defines the categories of fantasy and science fiction. Lockhart replied, ‘‘Fantasy is about the improbable, and sci-fi more about the probable set in the far and/or near future.’’
When the panel ended it was time for lunch with guest speaker, author R.L. Stein of Goosebumps fame, considered one of the most successful children’s writers of all time (300 million books worldwide, translated into 16 different languages and a television series). His recounting of kids’ e-mails and book signing events was hilarious.
Sunday, February 17: If you are a collector, the 46th International Antiquarian Book Fair is a very exciting event; it’s the world’s largest book fair for rare books. Held annually, it alternates between San Francisco and Los Angles, and booksellers and buyers travel from around the world every year for the event from as far as Australia, Europe, Asia, UK, and coast to coast from the US and Canada. I found myself drooling over original science fiction posters from the John W. Campbell, Jr. era (1938) and first-edition books from Winston publishing (1950-’60s) with some signed by the authors. Of course, the price tag could be challenging with some over $50,000 dollars and higher, but not all, so there is hope for the rest of us. John W. Campbell’s Who Goes There? with original dustcover was priced at $950.00 (1948 first edition); while not cheap, is certainly more affordable and a pleasure to see. Another favorite. Islands in the Sky by Arthur C. Clarke (1952 first edition), was a bargain at $650 unsigned. Philip K. Dick brought in some respectable prices ($2,500-10,000), as did Ray Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man ($2,500), a 1951 first edition. Robert A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land ($8,500), Rocket Ship Galileo ($10,000), and Double Star ($15,000) were all first editions in excellent to good condition.
SF First Editions from Edgar Rice Burroughs, Arthur C. Clarke, John W. Campbell, and Winston Publishing
After hours of walking my legs and my feet needed to rest. For me this was a fun one-day tour of some of the rare books on offer at the fair; I would have needed much more time, and perhaps better shoes, to cover all the interesting books, charts, maps, and rare manuscripts.
–Dean Noble
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Caniglia’s work is in private collections around the world and is published worldwide on a regular basis, and has been exhibited at museums and galleries including the Society of Illustrators (NY), Allentown Art Museum, Walters Art Museum, and the Joslyn Art Museum. He currently teaches at Creighton University and The Kent Bellow Center for Visual Arts in Omaha NE. Caniglia gives art lectures at museums, universities, and galleries around the United States. He received his BFA in drawing, painting, and printmaking from Iowa State University in 1993, and his MFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1995.
Caniglia (2013)
Caniglia’s art has been featured in the Washington Post, CNN, Spectrum Fantastic Art Annuals, magazines, books, and CD covers. He has worked with Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Max Brooks, Peter Straub, William Peter Blatty, Michael Moorcock, and other great fantasy and horror writers. He was nominated in 2003 for the International Horror Guild Award for best artist in dark fantasy and horror, and he won in 2004. In 2005 he received his first World Fantasy nomination
for Best Artist in Fantasy.
To see more of Caniglia’s work visit his website at
How did you get your start as an illustrator? What artists most influenced you?
My approach to illustration was not the normal path that most artists take. I graduated with my MFA in painting in 1995. I thought I would show my art in New York, but what I found was it was really commercialized and contrived on many levels. They were giving the public what they thought they wanted in modern art, and realists had to take a backseat.
So I decided to forge my own path. I immediately started doing gallery shows around the United States and approached it like an independent band on a tour. I felt the only way people were going to get to know my art was to see it. I really took my time and sought out the galleries that were willing to show fantasy, surrealism, and art that dealt with the human condition. I started showing in Santa Barbara at a gallery called Darks Art Parlour, in L.A. at La Luz De Jesus with Billy Shire, and in Minneapolis at Gallery 360. Omaha had Visions Darkroom and Chicago Echo Gallery, etc. Every city around the United States had underground galleries that were selling my kind of art and doing really well at it. There had been this belief that realism was dead, but that was not the case.
Cover art for The Exorcist
I also decided to create a website around 1994, and took HTML and Javascript classes. It was in the early days of the web, but it was a good way to get my art and ideas to the public. In 2000, after a long night of painting, I sat down at the computer to check my comment/blog page and found a note from author Douglas Clegg, asking if he could buy rights to use one of my paintings on his latest book cover. I wrote him back and the rest is history, as they say. Publishers and movie companies contacted me, and I really enjoyed working on the projects that they had.
I feel fortunate in that almost every movie company, publisher, and art director I have worked with has given me the freedom to create without compromising my art, personal vision, and interpretation. As I start my 13th year in the field, I now realize how lucky I have been that they trust my creative vision.