Hey, gang. We promised you some more cover goodness imminently, and cover goodness is what you shall have! Click each thumbnail to see heartstopping levels of detail.

The cover to vN by Madeline Ashby is by the remarkable Martin Bland, aka Spyroteknik. You really should click to get a better look at this, because the poor fellow almost sent himself blind working all of the detail in those robotic components that are surrounding poor Amy.

Night’s Engines is the second of Trent Jamieson‘s explorations into the apocalyptically storm-damaged Nightbound Land, and as with Roil the cover is by Angelo Rinaldi. Less in your face than Margaret, the first book’s kick-ass heroine, David as seen here is a feckless wastrel forced into action by destiny. I know, happens to us all. He’s scrubbed up rather well for the climax to this two-volume adventure.

Jo Anderton‘s disgraced pion-controller Tanyana is fully Suited on the cover of Debris‘ sequel. The first book in the defiantly science fantasy Veiled Worlds series has been getting rave reviews everywhere, along with plenty of “Is it SF, is it fantasy?” deliberation from the worthies of the SF/F blogosphere. All we know is that she looks damn mean in that suit. You’ll have someone’s eye out with that!

And ultimately, Steve Stone‘s none-more-noir cover to the collected Matt Richter tales by the redoubtable Tim Waggoner. The Nekropolis Archives has all three wonderfully entertaining novels featuring the undead detective and his half-vampire sweetheart Devona, along with a swathe of short stories. All in a paperback so chunky it really should come with health & safety warnings.

Just in case you hadn’t noticed – and to be fair because Angry Robot readers are brighter than the average droid you probably did – there’s a crafting revolution going on. From Etsy to your local knitting shop, people all over the recession-hit western world are rediscovering the pleasures of doing it oneself. This Christmas, always one for an internet trend, we’d like to suggest a “make” for you of our own – with these deeply festive Angry Robot Christmas Snowflakes.

Making one isn’t so very hard, we reckon, our reasoning being that if we can make them without severing any major arteries, so can you. You’ll need a printer and appropriately sized paper (you can resize to suit), a pair of scissors or sharp craft knife… and Your AR Snowflake template (PDF) – don’t forget to right-click or alt-click, as is your wont.

So here’s all you have to do:
1. Download the PDF.
2. Open it up and print it. It’s set to just go onto some UK A4 (letter) but you may want to resize it to fit the paper size your printer can handle. Big is nice, weeny means you’ll probably lose a thumb trying to trim it, but feel free to experiment.
3. Fold it up (NB, you don’t need to cut the circle out first, unless you really want to). You might just cock the folding up first time but don’t worry about it. First, fold in half horizontally, then along one edge of the grey-tined segment. Then fold again so the grey-toned segment is on top. Fold the segment beneath it back the other way so it’s a “Z” in profile not a flattened spiral.
4. Using your preferred hacking implement, trim off all the grey parts, leaving the white. You’re going through 12 layers, so watch it!
5. Unfold. Wow, it’s like Christmas day already. Do a few, using different coloured papers, stick them up somewhere, and marvel at your crafting skills every 20 minutes until Twelfth Night. Then throw them in the recycling bin.

twitter.com/#!/angryrobotbooks/angry-robot-authors

It’s a rather handy way to check out all the tweets from all you favourite Angry Robot authors and the list page can be loaded into Twitter clients such as Hootsuite or Tweetdeck for on-screen updates as they happen.

Even better, if you click through to the list page’s Following tab whilst logged in to your own Twitter account, you can whizz down the list to make sure you’re following everyone, and click the big, friendly ‘follow’ buttons to catch up with anyone you’re missing:

Follow! Follow them All!*

*Yes, we know there are a few names missing, but we’ve double-checked and the authors in question don’t have a Twitter account yet…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TOP SOUTH AFRICAN PRODUCER WINS COVETED FILM RIGHTS IN INTERNATIONAL “BID FEST” TO MULTIPLE AWARD-WINNING AND BESTELLING NOVEL ZOO CITY BY SOUTH AFRICAN AUTHOR LAUREN BEUKES

“Beukes’ energetic noir phantasmagoria, the winner of this year’s Arthur C. Clarke Award, crackles with original ideas.” (Jeff VanderMeer, New York Times Book Review)

South Africa, November 22nd
Helena Spring, widely regarded as one of South Africa’s most accomplished motion picture producers, has just been awarded the highly sought-after film rights to Zoo City, the Sci-Fi thriller penned by South African author Lauren Beukes – who garnered the 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award for best Science Fiction novel. In the wake of whopping sales figures, multiple awards and critical acclaim Beukes’ book generated fierce interest from numerous bidders in the entertainment industry, putting Spring alongside major US and UK producers eager to tell Beukes’ unique tale.

Zoo City was published first in South Africa by Jacana Media and thereafter internationally by by Angry Robot.

The urban fantasy is set in a futuristic, gritty and hard-core Johannesburg where the eponymous ghetto has been colonised by society’s outcasts – like criminals, drug-dealers and psychopaths, and their animal companions. Like the other residents of the Zoo City slum, Zinzi, the anti-heroine, is “animalled”, but she is also a shrewd, street-smart girl with the gift (or burden) of finding lost things. Zinzi wears her power animal, a sloth, on her back. When she is hired to find a missing teenybopper star, she hopes that it will be her ticket out of Hell’s waiting room.

“I’m delighted to have secured the film and television rights for Zoo City,” commented Helena Spring. “It is a groundbreaking, magical novel begging for a life on the big screen. Lauren’s storytelling is masterful – edgy and futuristic, unique yet universal. It is high in entertainment value yet emotionally charged, a dream project for any producer.”

Beukes positively acknowledges the choice of the winning producer. “Every novelist dreams of a movie deal – but you actually want more than that. You want to find a producer of great vision and integrity and experience who fundamentally gets the book and understands how to transform it into an entirely different creature based on the same genetic material. I’m thrilled that it’s being produced in South Africa – for an international audience.”

Spring’s career in the entertainment industry spans nearly three decades, during which time she has produced over twenty motion pictures – including the first ever South African film to receive recognition at the Academy Awards®: Darrell Roodt’s Yesterday earned a Best Foreign Picture nomination in 2004.

Spring, who has worked with some of the foremost filmmakers in the world – such as Paul Greengrass who helmed the box office smash hits The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, and Academy Award® winner, Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech), will soon be putting the project out to a select party of directors, while Beukes has first look as screenwriter to adapt her novel for the screen. “Lauren is perfectly placed to do this. The characters are alive inside her,” says Spring.

Julian Friedmann of Blake Friedmann (the literary agency that reps Beukes), says that: “Helena outbid all the others in a spirited auction for film rights to this extraordinary book. She had an extremely proactive, writer-friendly approach to working with Lauren and offered an imaginative and creative proposal that was irresistible.”

Lauren Beukes’ meteoric rise seems unstoppable and recently a new megabucks book deal was announced. The working titles of the two novels – due in 2013 and 2014 – are The Shining Girls and Broken Monsters. They were picked up by publishers in the US, the UK, South Africa, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany.

The thing is, no one at Angry Robot just does one thing. We’re not that sort of company. We like multi-taskers who can turn their hand to more than one role. This is essential as we grow from our current small scale, our eyes firmly set on a worldwide presence.

Right now, the areas we want to expand are our rapidly-growing digital publishing programme, and our marketing and publicity activity. So we’d like someone – a bright, hard-working someone – to cover those roles. Both of those areas are set for large-scale expansion over the next 18 months, so this role will require an experienced self-starter, with clear project management skills, and a proven ability to deliver. Book marketing and metadata use, and familiarity with webstores and Ebook creation, are essential. And of course a strong knowledge of Science Fiction & Fantasy would obviously be most welcome.

The job is based in … well, there’s another thing. The AR editorial offices are in Nottingham, our parent company Osprey has its HQ in Oxford, but we’re very happy to encompass telecommuting. However, this job is definitely for someone who lives in the UK.

If you are interested… well, you’re too late. This role was filled back in August 2011. Keep your eye on our website if you dream of working for us.

There are plenty more to come, but here are the first… years in the making!

6 September — Moxyland by Lauren Beukes (sf)
13 September — Reality 36 by Guy Haley (sf)
20 September — Roil by Trent Jamieson (fantasy)
27 September — Debris by Jo Anderton (sf)
27 September — Darkness Falling by Peter Crowther (sf)
4 October — Zoo City by Lauren Beukes (uf/sf)
11 October — Triumff: Her Majesty’s Hero by Dan Abnett (fantasy)
18 October — Infernal Devices by K W Jeter (steampunk fantasy)

… and that’s just for starters. Huzzahs all around, with a doubly large glassful for the tireless John Grace of Brilliance for pulling all this together.

ANGRY ROBOT’S LATEST SIGNING: TITANIC WITH VAMPIRES!

The tireless team at Angry Robot have joined forces with author Matt Forbeck for an outrageous re-imagining of the events following the sinking of the SS Titanic in April 1912. Carpathia tells the story of the handful of the survivors of the disaster being rescued by the vessel of that name… only to discover the ship is full of vampires!

The deal was arranged between Matt Forbeck and Angry Robot’s Publishing Director Marc Gascoigne, who enthused: “When Matt and I first sat down to discuss the concept I was hooked instantly. With the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic due next April, we are sure to be bombarded by the usual array of documentaries and re-runs of a certain Di Caprio film – but this is going to turn that on its head. Matt has a genuine talent for cinematic writing, and Carpathia is going to be like Titanic meets 30 Days of Night.”

The deal, which includes worldwide publication in paperback, eBook and audio formats, will see Carpathia released in March 2012, just ahead of the centenary of the real disaster.

Matt Forbeck added: “I couldn’t be more thrilled than to be back with Angry Robot again for my third original novel. As they proved with Amortals and Vegas Knights – as well as with the rest of their fantastic line of books – they know and love great, fun fiction and are leading the charge to bring it to readers around the world.”

The bottom line: We cannot wait to read this book!

Lively British science fiction and fantasy publisher Angry Robot (that’s us!) has signed an exclusive licensing deal with the renowned Brilliance Audio. The US-based company will create and release audio editions of the imprint’s titles, including new releases and selected backlist. Recordings will be available for the retail and library markets on compact discs, MP3-formatted compact discs, and as files for download worldwide.

Brilliance Audio, a Michigan-based audiobook publisher that is part of the Amazon.com group of companies, publishes more than 600 audiobook titles annually. They are a leading publisher of Science Fiction and Fantasy in audio, having published multiple Hugo and Nebula nominees and winners.

Briliance’s SF & Fantasy Manager, the tireless John Grace said, “The one thing I know is that the face of publishing will be very different ten years from now. What I don’t know is what it will look like. What I am personally sure of is that publishers like Angry Robot who are focused and specialize in something they are passionate about will flourish in the future, which is why I’m very glad to join forces with them.”

Meanwhile, our Marco added: “Today’s customer wants great stories, as they always have, but they want them in the format that’s most convenient to them – which isn’t always the traditional one. Our ultimate aim is to have our books appear in all popular formats, to any reader anywhere in the world, at the same time. Brilliance will help us realise this aim, brilliantly.” (See what he did there?)

Additionally, we can tell you that titles will be appearing as soon as this summer! As soon as we have a confirmed set of release dates, you’ll read them here first.

We love science fiction, fantasy and horror, and our genres have become part of the mainstream – you can’t move for SF films and TV series. It was only a matter of time before we turned our attention to another popular genre.

Romance and eroticism have been outselling SF for decades, and the readers of these works – like SF fans – are fiercely loyal, so we have decided to launch a romance/eroticism imprint. We’re not going to be going down the same route as other publishers, though – that’s not the Angry Robot way. No, all of the titles written for the newly-formed Robot Amour, will be penned by existing Angry Robot authors and based on their existing titles. SF and romance – now that’s something special!

We’ll start off with just one title per month (from September 2011).

Our first few titles are:

Soulmate Stealers by Andy Remic
When Saark’s childhood sweetheart is captured by the evil vachine, he turns to his old friend Kell for help.
File Under: Romantic Fantasy [ Stolen Kisses | Land Of The Lost | Pork Swordmaster | To Kell With It ]

Triumff: Her Majesty’s Paramour by Dan Abnett
Sir Rupert Triumff has returned from another quest to find more magical lands for his Queen, but a chance encounter at the palace makes them both realise that the one true magic is… love.
File Under: Romantic Comedy [ Puns-a-million | Comedy Of Errors | A Royal Pardon | Knight Time Activities ]

Emma, Bedded by Dan Abnett
Lex Falk is on another mission – this time, with the aid of his dog, Patch, he infiltrates the bordellos on the prisoner planet of Mattress Springs, though they’re fiercely protected by the Military. To get inside, he must get his mind chipped into the brain of a veteran courtesan – Emma Climatis – but will he be able to fight off the advances of the owner of the the bordello for long? And does he really want to…?
File Under: Erotic SF [ Hard Time | Penile Colony | Thrilling Climax | Wet Patch ]

Sixty-Nine Nails by Mike Shevdon
Rabbit and Blackbird fight to preserve one of the world’s oldest activities, when six of the Seven Courts vote to outlaw it. They decide to enlist the aid of the Seventh Court, who always fight to get a head. The task seems hopeless, until they discover an ancient French rite involving nine bread-based foodstuffs.
File Under: Erotic Urban Fantasy [ Croissant Neuf | Man Of Iron | Like Rabbits | Feyre Comment ]

All titles will be released as eBooks and paperbacks, worldwide.