At the beginning of the week I promised you a new publisher in the bookstore. That’s moved a little slower than I’d expected, and I’m still waiting for mobi files for the books, but I have put one on sale just to give you a taste of what is coming.
Dog Horn Publishing bills itself as, “dedicated to publishing the best in cutting edge literature”. Being smart people, they know that means doing a lot of SF&F fiction. They’ve only done paper up until now, but they are branching out into ebooks and I have 18 titles waiting to upload. Some of the books look very interesting indeed. For example, Women Writing the Weird sounds right up my street. Most of the contributors are unfamiliar to me, but it does contain Aliette de Bodard and Eugie Foster. It also has a fabulous cover.
Adam Lowe, the publisher, is talented, gay, and handsome. So, I encourage everyone to read his press’s wonderful titles.
Hmm. I might well buy that book, if it didn’t have a cover that basically said “women = tits”. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a book called “Men writing Whatever” that was covered by a picture of a naked man, his dick carefully shaded to achieve prominence, the knob rouged to demonstrate arousal.
Interestingly enough, this art had already been created as a homage to the writer of the story it references, long before we conceived the book. The question was simply whether to use it as the artist created it, or to censor it. Personally, I liked it. It’s bold, tragic and glows with an eerie light that fits the story of the lovesick catfish girl hopelessly mired in the thick decaying waters of the Mississippi River. I had, at one point, suggested to the publisher that he put a banner over the girl’s nipples, not because I thought they were vulgar, but because there was not a doubt in my mind that some boob would object, and it could cost the publishing house a few sales.
I have a 12×18 of the cover framed and hanging in my office, and Catfish Girl has turned out to be excellent, if somewhat melancholy company. You should try looking at her eyes. They’re lovely.
Deb