Just a quick update. Yesterday it was announced that Skyhorse Publishing/Start Publishing, the same entity buying Night Shade Books, is buying small publisher Underland Press.
There's nothing else on this yet, but it does look like this is an outright buy, unlike the situation with NSB, and that Skyhorse/Start is taking over all commitments of Underland Press.
I've also heard rumours that Skyhorse/Start is looking to buy other publishers, but I don't have any solid information that.
It's too early for me to have any sort of opinion on this specifically, but I must say I am a bit skeptical of an entity that we know so little about buying its way into SFF publishing. I'd like it if they had some SFF publishing experience of their own, and not just the money to buy their way in.
I'll write more about this, and the NSB situation, when I can get hold of more information.
Previous articles: Who Are The People Night Shade Books s Selling To?
The Night Shade Books Sale: It's Not Just The Authors Who Are Owed Money
Skyhorse still weirds me out with their $100 rush fee; I think no matter how many other reputable or unreputable companies they bought, I'm going to look at them with a jaundiced eye. The fact that I'd never heard of them before this doesn't exactly give them any points in my book, either.
ReplyDeleteGuess we'll just have to wait and see what comes of it all...
My main problem is that someone there's so little information about (,and what information there is doesn't look too good,) is looking to be a player in SFF publishing overnight. It would have helped a lot if they had been publishing SFF, even on a very small scale, for a couple of years.
Delete