E-Reads and Fictionwise.com Annouce Strategic Relationship

Below is some news about a new venture that Pam's agent, Richard Curtis, is involved in that will help keep Pam's books available.

PRESS RELEASE

May 9, 2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

E-READS AND FICTIONWISE.COM ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP

May 9, 2001 - E-reads, a leading publisher of quality fiction and nonfiction reprints, and Fictionwise.com, a top-selling web publisher and retailer, announced today that the two companies have formed a strategic relationship. As part of the agreement, Fictionwise will be the preferred distributor of e-reads' extensive list of titles.

E-reads currently boasts nearly 1,400 previously-published titles by leading authors in fantasy, science fiction, horror, thrillers, romance, and general fiction and nonfiction. Its authors include Harlan Ellison, Greg Bear, Robert Silverberg, Dan Simmons, John Norman, Dave Duncan, Graham Masterton, Janet Dailey, Jennifer Blake, Laura Kinsale, Jim Thompson, Leonard Maltin, and Earl Mindell.

Fictionwise.com, launched by founders Steve and Scott Pendergrast in June 2000, is a highly dynamic retail eBook web site that both authors and eBook buyers have praised. Currently, the majority of Fictionwise's catalogue is short fiction eBooks, focusing on award-winning science fiction and fantasy.

The combination of e-reads' high quality, full-length titles with Fictionwise's advanced retail channel makes the strategic relationship a formidable player in the emerging eBook industry. The core competencies of each firm generate exciting possibilities. Richard Curtis, founder of e-reads, holds a distinguished position in the traditional publishing world as the head of a leading literary agency. His reputation in the author and agent communities is a perfect fit with the technical savvy and online marketing skills brought to the table by the Pendergrast brothers, who come out of strong technology, Internet, and new media backgrounds.

Curtis describes Fictionwise.com as "the most technically advanced eBook website I know of. Although our books are distributed by numerous online retailers, Fictionwise's skills in reaching fans and other consumers are peerless. The technology behind the Fictionwise website, from their micropay system to the numerous eBook formats they support, makes them a clear leader."

Scott Pendergrast, co-publisher of Fictionwise, commented, "Our members have been asking for more variety, more authors, more categories of both fiction and nonfiction. E-reads owns a killer list of titles that fits right in with that demand. This relationship will benefit customers and authors alike, as well as both of our companies. It will allow e-reads to focus on content acquisition and Fictionwise to focus on keeping our technology and delivery systems cutting-edge."

Under the agreement, Fictionwise.com will create a special page on its web site for e-reads titles and information, and in turn will gain access to e-reads' entire catalog of high-quality novels and nonfiction titles. E-reads will designate Fictionwise.com as its preferred ebook sales retailer. The companies are exploring other ways to work together, including joint marketing opportunities and technology sharing.

About e-reads:

In 1999 Richard Curtis, one of the publishing industry's most prominent literary agents, founded e-reads in anticipation of the eBook revolution he had long predicted. Focusing on the most popular categories of fiction and nonfiction, Curtis acquired a stellar array of titles by big-name authors. His approach to publishing is radically simple: "It consists of an author, a reader, and a server, and everything else is irrelevant." Thanks to the vast economies produced by electronic text-delivery systems, he created what he terms an "author-centric" publishing model in which the author contributes more to the publication and promotion processes and is rewarded with a much greater share of revenue than is paid by conventional publishers. Besides Fictionwise.com, numerous "e-tailers" distribute e-reads titles, generating cash flow from so many sources that Curtis developed a special program, The Royalty Tracker, to generate checks and reports to authors. E-reads has also created important alliances in the print area and recently formed New World Publishers, a joint venture that will print and distribute paperback books. For further information, contact info@ereads.com

About Fictionwise.com:

Fictionwise.com is a leading independent eBook publisher and distributor. The company publishes award-winning and high-quality fiction eBooks by top authors in multiple formats, including Palm (for Palm, Visor and Win CE), Adobe Acrobat, Rocket/REB1100, Microsoft Reader (Pocket PC and PCs), and Franklin eBookMan. Fictionwise authors include Larry Niven, Harlan Ellison, Robert Silverberg, Nancy Kress, Damon Knight, Gregory Benford, Mike Resnick, James Patrick Kelly, Pamela Sargent, and Kate Wilhelm, amongst many others. Fictionwise also distributes eBooks by other high-quality publishers. It is believed that Fictionwise.com has the largest eBook collection of major award-winning and nominated science fiction stories on the Internet. For further information, contact Scott Pendergrast at scott@fictionwise.com.

Child of Venus to be published in May!

The BIG news: The long awaited conclusion to Pamela Sargent's Venus trilogy, Child of Venus, will be published by Avon Eos in hardcover in May 2001. Easton Press will also be publishing this book in their Signed First Editions series. Venus of Dreams and Venus of Shadows, the first two volumes, are going to be published by E-Reads.com in various electronic formats and in print-on-demand trade paperback copies sometime in early summer.

cover art by Jean Targete

(Click here for a jpeg of the full wraparound cover by Jean Targete.)

Pamela Sargent has sold a collection of her short fiction to Meisha Merlin Publishing, to be published in 2002.

A short piece, "Too Many Memories," appeared in
the "Futures" series of the British science journal Nature, in the November 30, 2000 issue.

Short stories available on Fictionwise

 Pamela Sargent's classic political alternate history
stories, "Danny Goes to Mars" and "Hillary Orbits
Venus," are now available in electronic formats, along with
several of her other stories, at HREF="http://www.fictionwise.com/">Fictionwise.

The stories are for sale there and are downloadable to Rocket
Books, Palm Pilots, and other equipment, so those of you who
have already read those two stories may simply want to check
out this site--and see what else is available. Stories by several
prominent writers are now available, and many others soon will be.

Pam and George honored by SFWA

At the SFWA Nebula Awards Banquet tonight, George Zebrowski
and Pamela Sargent were honored with a "Service to SFWA"
award by President Paul Levinson. Between the two of them, they
have given well over 25 years of service to this organization
since its founding in 1965! George was editor of the SFWA Bulletin
from 1970-1975. Pamela and George were its editors again from
1983-1991. Further, George oversaw SFWA's annual Nebula Awards
volume for 12 years. Pamela edited three of them. George served
on other committees. What makes this extraordinary service even
more impressive is that George and Pamela managed it while turning
out some great writing, which continues full court. Pamela is
a Nebula-award winner ("Danny Goes to Mars," best novelette,
1992) and George won the Campbell for best novel (Brute Orbits)
last year.

CONGRATULATIONS Pam and George!

Signing at NYC during the Nebula Awards

Pamela Sargent will be one of the many authors at a major booksigning to be held at Barnes & Noble, north corner of Union Square (East 17th Street), in New York City on May 19, 2000, from 7 to 9 PM. At least seventy-five notable science fiction and fantasy authors will be on hand for this event, sponsored by the Science-fiction and Fantasy Authors of America in conjunction with their annual Nebula Awards weekend.