Apex Publications is proud to announce the release of DESCENDED FROM DARKNESS: APEX MAGAZINE VOL I. Descended From Darkness collects all our original short stories published online in Apex Magazine into one bound physical book.

The anthology contains stories by Mary Robinette Kowal, Ekaterina Sedia, Theodora Goss, Peter M. Ball, Lavie Tidhar, and more.

We’re counting on sales of Descended From Darkness to help finance the 2010 year of Apex Magazine. If you like what you read in Apex Magazine, then please consider buying a copy because we can’t do this without YOU!

Grab your copy from our store for maximum Apex-goodness.

If you’re a member of the HWA, don’t forget that 1-15-10 is the last day for Stoker recommendations.

Apex Publishing has a number of books and short stories that are Stoker eligible. At this stage of the game, we’re only able to offer PDFs of our books, but if you’d like one or more to read for Stoker consideration then let me know.

Collections:
Taste of Tenderloin by Gene O’Neill
The Monster Within Idea by R. Thomas Riley

First Novel:
The Changed by B.J. Burrow

Novel:
The Changed by B.J. Burrow

Anthology:
Harlan County Horrors edited by Mari Adkins

Feel free to shoot me an email (jason@apexbookcompany.com) to take a look at any of these books.

The past year has been phenomenal for both the book and magazine side of the business. While Apex still has some work to do in terms of revenue, great strides have been made (especially in the book side of the business).

This past year we released the following titles:
The Monster Within Idea by R. Thomas Riley (horror collection)
The Convent of the Pure by Sara M. Harvey (dark fantasy novella)
Open Your Eyes by Paul Jessup (space opera novella)
Prime by Nate Kenyon (cyberpunk novella)
Taste of Tenderloin by Gene O’Neill (horror/dark fantasy collection)
When Darkness Loves Us by Elizabeth Engstrom (horror double novella)
The Apex Book of World SF edited by Lavie Tidhar (sf/dark fantasy/horror anthology)
Harlan County Horrors edited by Mari Adkins (horror anthology)
The Changed by B.J. Burrow (horror novel)
Last Dragon by J.M. McDermott (eBook only, dark fantasy novel)

My goal for 2009 was to release ten books during the year. Goal accomplished.

Other high level accomplishments included:

*** Receiving our first Starred Review from Publishers Weekly (for Taste of Tenderloin)
*** Getting distribution for our book titles (Pathway Book Service)
*** Signing Gary Braunbeck, Nick Mamatas, Dru Pagliasotti, and Lavie Tidhar to book deals
*** Dark Faith coming together under the guidance of Maurice Broaddus and Jerry Gordon
*** Lavie Tidhar receiving accolades for The Apex Book of World SF
*** Receiving a Stoker Award nomination for Mama’s Boy and Other Dark Tales
*** Winning the Black Scribe Award for Mama’s Boy and Other Dark Tales

Okay, enough about 2009. Let’s look onward to 2010.

As it stands, we have two major releases scheduled for 2010. The first is the Dark Faith anthology. I’ve read all the stories in this 120k+ beast and think the book has a chance of being a milestone in terms of quality. The second is the release of Gary Braunbeck’s Cedar Hill novel. Again…milestone-quality-success.

We have fantastic novels coming from Dru Pagliasotti (An Agreement with Hell) and Lavie Tidhar (Martian Sands). Our second non-fiction title, the first from Nick Mamatas. We have an anthology waiting in the wings from Jennifer Brozek (Close Encounters of the Alien Kind). There will be a second volume of Descended From Darkness anthologizing the year’s Apex Magazine stories. Finally, we have the second Penemue book from Sara M. Harvey.

I don’t think we’ll be able to match our output from last year. I’m looking at doing 6-8 books during 2010.

Apex Magazine goes into its third year. Mid-2009 the magazine received SFWA qualification status. We published 11 issues with 22 new stories, 10 or so reprints, and a bunch of non-fiction.

In 2010, we plan on producing 12 issues with 23 new stories. Beginning in March, we will start publishing poetry on a monthly basis.

Coming in a few days (January 4th, 2010), we’ll be releasing our Mayan 2012 Disaster Issue. We’ll have new stories by Genevieve Valentine and James Reilly. Dr. Amy H. Sturgis has penned an extensive look into what exactly might happen on 2012 based on scientific and historic fact.

February will be our special Mary Robinette Kowal issue. We have a lengthy novelette (about 14,000 words) from the Campbell-winning author and will reprint a pair of her stories. (The novelette is why we will be doing 23 and not 24 stories in 2010).

As you can see, we’ve got a full slate on our plate. I look forward to another great year with Apex and hope that we can continue to entertain the hell out of you!

Andrew Porter has put up his interview with APEX MAGAZINE slusher and invader-in-training Maggie Jamison on his blog The Science of Fiction. The blog focuses on the process, the joys and pains, and the industry involved in publishing science fiction. Drop by and take a look at what Maggie has to say about slushing, brain slugs, rejections, and world-building:

“Andrew) Do you ever rely on the ‘form’ rejection or do try and give notes? Is there a quality threshold that triggers a personal reply (negative or positive qualities to be sure).

M.J.) Most times, these days, I do use the form rejection letter APEX has, though it is modified so that we can check-off the specific category a story fell into that made it be a “no” rather than a “go”. (Most used explanations being: “no sufficient sci-fi element”, and “didn’t hold interest”, though lately I’ve been using the “poorly-edited manuscript” choice much too often.) I do have a section on my form letters that I’ll leave in if I want to make a comment. I tend to take at least brief notes while reading a story, jotting down what page I start losing interest, what irks me, what works for me, and if there’s something constructive I can say, I usually try to say it. I always make comments if a story is really close to what we’re looking for, but just doesn’t quite measure up, particularly if it’s a mechanical issue (there’s too much standing-and-talking to explain the back story; or,  I love the idea, but I didn’t feel anything for the main character).

Andrew) Is Jason Sizemore a member of a radical Michigan based group bent on overthrowing the government?

M.J.) I’m sorry. My brain slug is telling me there’s no such person as “Jason Sizemore”, and no such place as “Michigan”. But my brain slug does get updates from Wikipedia, so it may just have been poorly edited.“

Read the whole interview here!

Greetings Apex fans!

The editorial team at Apex Publications would like to wish each of you a Happy Holidays! It’s certainly been a wild year…

We’ve got some cool announcements to make:

***

DESCENDED FROM DARKNESS: APEX MAGAZINE VOL. I has been officially released. Those who pre-ordered should be seeing their books shipped later this week. The book is a bit of a limited release in that it will only be available through our web store and via online retailers (meaning no distribution for this one). Remember, ALL proceeds from the sales of DESCENDED FROM DARKNESS goes toward funding APEX MAGAZINE.

The Apex Store:
http://www.apexbookstore.com/collections/apex-magazine/products/descended-from-darkness-apex-magazine-volume-i-edited-by-jason-sizemore-and-gill-ainsworth

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Descended-Darkness-Apex-Magazine-Vol/dp/0978867696/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261411884&sr=1-1

***

Our first novel-length title THE CHANGED by B.J. Burrow is now available in a multitude of digital formats.
Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/The-Changed-ebook/dp/B00300H1JU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1261069852&sr=1-1
Fictionwise: http://www.fictionwise.com/ebooks/b101439/The-Changed/BJ-Burrow/?
DriveThruHorror (PDF): http://horror.drivethrustuff.com/product_info.php?products_id=68846

***

Please vote in our first annual Apex Magazine Story of the Year contest. The author of the winning story will receive a nifty alien head trophy along with the honor of being the fan-voted best of 2009.

Here’s the link to vote: http://fs19.formsite.com/jasonb57/form015936628/index.html

***

We have three rare copies of Apex Digest #12 available for order. These were found by Justin Stewart and he graciously donated them back to us. They’re going for their listed retail of $7.00.

http://www.apexbookstore.com/collections/apex-magazine/products/apex-digest-issue-12

***

Finally, we ask that you consider becoming a patron of Apex Magazine. So far we’ve only received 24 patrons. Becoming a patron earns you a acknowledgment in the next volume of DESCENDED FROM DARKNESS and a 10% coupon to the Apex store that lasts for twelve months.

http://www.apexbookstore.com/collections/apex-magazine/products/apex-magazine-subscription

We are in need of a talented submissions (aka ‘slush’) editor.

Job duties include:
Reading and responding to a couple dozen short story submissions a week

Knowledge of the type of fiction we prefer is a must. Interested parties with experience will be given priority. This is a voluntary position, though you will receive copious amounts of free books from Apex (and these I consider to be as valuable as gold bullion) as a token of my appreciation.

If you’d like to be considered, send an email to jason@apexbookcompany.com.

Paige MacGregor and Kelly Melcher if Fandomania have put together their list of 15 Best Books of 2009, and Paul Jessup’s OPEN YOUR EYES is on it! Lauded for its originality, its language, and its intensity, OPEN YOUR EYES is a surrealistic space opera novella with a cast of bizarre, fascinating characters. Here is what MacGregor and Melcher had to say:

“Words: you can’t avoid them. If you’re reading this list at this point you have already read 449 of them. What if those symbols were all it took to corrupt your mind? Jessup doles out the bizarre in Open Your Eyes, published through small press Apex Book Company, and while it is “space opera” in genre, it’s unlike almost anything else you have ever read. The imagery is surreal and takes you right out of your comfort zone, and the threat is pervasive. What is more prevalent or more exchanged than language? If you’re looking for your run-of-the-mill space opera, you will have to look elsewhere, but that is also why you don’t see any of those books on this list. Even months after reading, this book will stay with you if not for its surreal landscape than its imaginative prose. This book takes risks — this isn’t a comfortable space opera even if it does have some of the traditional tenets of the genre within its pages. This novella packs as much punch, if not more than novels twice its size. For those reasons alone it deserves recognition. Open your eyes and read this book.”

See what other books were selected for their Top 15 Best Books of 2009 here!

Three weeks ago I placed a call for poetry editors. To my amazement, I received fifteen applicants. Nearly all of them had rock-solid credentials making a final decision difficult. In the end I chose Lester Smith and he accepted.

Lester has published poetry in such places as Wisconsin Academy Review, Free Verse, Dragons of the Highlord Skies, Wisconsin Poets’ Calendar, Vicious Verses and Reanimated Rhymes, Anthills, and an upcoming issue of Big Pulp magazine. He has a BA in English and has served as president of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets (WFOP) (2007-2009). Lester works at a educational publishing house and runs a micropress called Popcorn Press that publishes poetry.

Apex will pay what is deemed by the Horror Writers Association as the baseline professional rate for poetry (25 cents a line with a minimum payout of $5).

We will begin accepting poetry submissions on January 1st. Two poems a month will be printed starting in February. Full guidelines for poetry submissions will be posted sometime in the next week or so.

To celebrate the end of our first year of becoming a professional level digital magazine, I’m pleased to announce that we will be presenting an award to the best original fiction published by Apex Magazine. The award will be voted on by the fans, meaning you! Voting starts tonight and will continue through January 30th. The story receiving the most votes will be announced on February 1st.

The author of the Apex Magazine Story of the Year will receive a trophy and the unique distinction of being the best Apex had to offer during 2009.

Place your vote here: http://fs19.formsite.com/jasonb57/form015936628/index.html

To celebrate the end of our first year of becoming a professional level digital magazine, I’m pleased to announce that we will be presenting an award to the best original fiction published by Apex Magazine. The award will be voted on by the fans, meaning you! Voting starts tonight and will continue through January 30th. The story receiving the most votes will be announced on February 1st.

The author of the Apex Magazine Story of the Year will receive a trophy and the unique distinction of being the best Apex had to offer during 2009.

Presented below are the twenty-two original stories published during 2009:
“59 Beads” (4300) by Rochita Loenen-Ruiz
“Overclocking” (2600) by James L. Sutter
“After the Fire” (2900) by Aliette De Bodard
“Benjamin Schneider’s Little Greys” (2100) by Nir Yaniv
“A Poor Man’s Roses” (2400) by Alethea Kontis
“To Dream of Stars: An Astronomer’s Lament” (5500) by Peter M. Ball
“Fungal Gardens” (6100) by Ekaterina Sedia
“Advertising at the End of the World” (4100) by Keffy R.M. Kehrli
“Kenny 149″ (2700) by Brad Becraft
“Pimp My Airship” (6000) by Maurice Broaddus
“She Called Me Sweetie” (4500) by Glenn Lewis Gillette
“…That Has Such People in It” (2300) by Jennifer Pelland
“Hideki and the Gnomes” (500) by Mark Lee Pearson
“Clockwork, Patchwork and Ravens” (7500) by Peter M. Ball
“Waiting for Jakie” (3000) by Barbara Krasnoff
“Hindsight, in Neon” (2400) by Jamie Todd Rubin
“The Mind of a Pig” (3000) by Ekaterina Sedia
“The Puma” (6700) by Theodora Goss
“Dark Planet” (4300) by Lavie Tidhar
“Cai and Her Ten Thousand Husbands” (4500) by Gord Sellar
“On the Shadow Side of the Beast” (3900) by Ruth Nestvold
“Starter House” (5000) by Jason Palmer

Place your vote here: http://fs19.formsite.com/jasonb57/form015936628/index.html