HarperCollins UK’s new sf imprint, Angry Robot Books, is leaving the nest after a scant year in business. HC started hiring staff for the imprint in September 2008 (see this article), and it debuted last July under the direction of founder and publisher Marc Gascoigne.
Now, Angry Robot Books is becoming an independent publisher (niche publisher Osprey Publishing is providing financing). The newly independent company “will continue to operate from its Nottingham office with its existing team,” according to Publishers Weekly.
Announcing the move, Gascoigne said “With the support of HarperCollins UK, my team and I have worked very hard on Angry Robot since it was founded. We have a great publishing programme in place and a dedicated bunch of supporters, the Robot Army, as well as some excellent sales of our first titles in the UK and an imminent launch into the USA. We are very pleased to have become part of the burgeoning Osprey empire. They understand our business and the enthusiasts who drive it.” Angry Robot’s 2010-2011 list will be “basically unaffected by these changes,” he said, but noted there will be a short break during the transition.
The parting is apparently amicable on both side. Chris Michaels, HarperCollins Digital Publisher, Fiction/Non-Fiction, who helped set-up Angry Robot, said: “Having helped build the foundations for a successful future, we are delighted that the Angry Robot team has found a new publishing partner in Osprey. We believe this will help them develop their niche offering, supported by Osprey’s specialist sales and marketing teams. We wish them good luck for the future.”
The first six titles to be published in the US, which will appear on 31 August, are:
Kelly’s Legend by Andy Remic
Moxyland by Lauren Beukes
Sixty-One Nails by Mike Shevdon
Slights by Kaaron Warren
Triumff: Her Majesty’s Hero by Dan Abnett
Winter Song by Colin Harvey
Osprey debuted in 1968, and is experienced in niche publishing. The company is best known for its military history (Osprey Publishing), but also produces heritage and nostalgia titles under its Shire Books imprint. Osprey Marketing Director Richard Sullivan said of the new relationship, “Angry Robot is a great fit with our existing businesses. We are very excited about the opportunity to enter into a new market.”