Anthony Ziccardi, Vice President and Deputy Publisher of Pocket Books and Publisher Jacob Kier of Permuted Press have signed a seven-book co-publishing venture, which was brokered by Marc Gerald of The Agency Group. The deal is an attempt to capitalize on the current zombie craze, and the first book under the deal—Day by Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne—will appear this October.
Kier said of the deal “I couldn’t be more excited about teaming up with Pocket Books to bring some of Permuted’s most exciting and thought-provoking tales of the end of the world to a larger audience.”
Ziccardi echoed the sentiment: “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Permuted Press and expand their very successful brand. We feel the horror genre and zombies in particular, will be a growing category at retail. Even Hollywood seems to be focused on zombie tales and we feel that we are well positioned to capitalize on this trend.”
The books covered by the deal include:
Day by Day Armageddon and its sequel by J.L. Bourne
Plague of the Dead by Z.A. Recht
Dying to Live by Kim Paffenroth
Down the Road by Bowie Ibarra
Empire by David Dunwoody
The Zombie Chronicles: Escape by James Melzer
Of his role in the program, author Bourne said “I am excited to be the pioneer author for the Pocket Books and Permuted Press joint publishing venture. Horror fans are in for an absolute thrill and can expect to enjoy bold, fresh and riveting fiction as a result of this project. The journey with Permuted Press has been a great success and I know that success will be further enhanced as we shift gears into a new and exciting relationship with Pocket Books. Keep your doors locked!”
Permuted Press debuted in 2004, and publishes horror fiction. Bourne’s Day by Day Armageddon is the publisher’s biggest seller, having moved about 25,000 copies. The other titles in the deal have sold fewer copies.