We will be hiring someone with experience of the crime fiction field –although not necessarily someone with a specifically publishing background. Duties will be to source new titles for the imprint, buy them, get them edited and ultimately published in digital and book format, using AR’s existing resources and systems.

The imprint will be a standalone line, with its own name and presence, but will employ the same fresh and distinctly modern approach that AR has in the SF/F world. The editor will play a key role in building the personality of the imprint, and telling the world about its brilliant books, especially online.

The key skills this role demands, therefore, are an up-to-date knowledge of US and UK crime fiction publishing, eBooks, editing, project management, negotiation – and the ability to walk the walk as the mouthpiece of the coolest new crime imprint on the block.

This role could be based in either the US or UK. The Osprey Group, of which Angry Robot is a part, has offices in Oxford and Nottingham in the UK, and New York in the US, but we also have employees who telecommute and work from home offices. If you’re the one for us, we can be flexible.

If you are interested, please apply with your CV and salary expectations to Marc Gascoigne, care of incoming [at] angryrobotbooks.com or via our Contact page. Closing date is noon GMT on 24 Jan 2012.

PS, Yes this does mean AR are in the advanced stages of launching a crime fiction imprint. Debuting in 2013, it will employ the same young and lively approach as AR does, using social media, street teams and all. We’ll tell you more as soon as we are able, promise.

Here at Angry Robot we’d rather see you meat-sacks relaxing, feasting on turkey dinners and downing pints of egg-nog (thereby making you all sluggish, slow, and much easier to catch) than worrying yourselves skinny (and irritatingly nimble) with all that difficult decision-making.

Which is why – out of the goodness of our diamond-encased heart-analogues – we’ve come up with the perfect solution to save you from the hours of pain, torment and deep psychological scarring that a trip to the mall at this time of the year is guaranteed to entail.

Give the gift that says you understand. Give the gift that says you care. Give the gift that says: “I like and respect you enough to trust you to make your own purchasing decisions.”

Give the gift of Angry Robot Store Gift Vouchers!

Now available from the Angry Robot Store in handy £5, £10 and £20 denominations, they’re redeemable against all other items on sale there, including all Angry Robot novels, short fiction and, of course, our subscription packages.

Speaking of the latter, we’ve also introduced a new, 6 month ebook subscription package at the low, low price of £39.00. That’s at least 12 top-notch, brand new Angry Robot ebooks at a hefty discount on the £53.88 individual price total.

What’s that? 12 discounted ebooks isn’t enough for you? We applaud your dedication! And we’re happy to remind you that you can still get a full year’s worth of 24 brand new ebook releases with our original 12 month subscription package for a startlingly reasonable £69.00, an even more impressive discount on the £107.76 individual price total.

We’re sure you’ll agree that any or all of these things would make a perfect seasonal gift – either from you or to you – whatever season you and your loved ones happen to be celebrating.

[If you don't agree, well, that's fine, of course. But do bear in mind that it's not just Santa who maintains a global naughty/nice database these days. And when the Robots come down your chimney in the middle of the night, they won't just be armed with candy canes and mistletoe...]

The first is an interview with Amanda Rutter, soon-to-be editor with our new YA imprint, Strange Chemistry. You can find the full interview over at YAtopia.

I would like to see more science fiction oriented submissions. I think we’ve seen a healthy mix of fantasy, horror, dystopia and romance within YA, but where are all the robots and spaceships? If I could introduce more teens, via YA science fiction novels, to fantastic adult authors such as Peter F Hamilton and Alastair Reynolds, I would be more than happy.

The second is with Angry Robot editor, Lee Harris, at 12 Books in 12 Months.

“How important is social media and engagement to you?”
Very. It’s a fantastic way for us – and for our authors – to engage with the readers. In the olden days, say 5BF (Before Facebook), there was a lot of distance between the reader and the writer, and even more between the reader and the publisher. the walls have fallen, my friend, and we’re all better off for it.

We are absolutely thrilled to be able to announce the launch of our new YA imprint, Strange Chemistry.

The imprint will launch in September 2012, with five titles appearing before the end of that year, before settling down to one book each month. Strange Chemistry will follow AR’s strategy of co-publishing its books simultaneously in the US and UK, in both eBook and paperback formats. Subject matter will include fantasy, science fiction, supernatural and horror, and as with Angry Robot the lines between those genres are likely to be very blurry at times.

We mentioned the need to have all the right pieces in the right places, earlier. One of the pieces we needed was an editor to run the imprint. We found the perfect person in Amanda Rutter, who, until recently was best known as the tireless blogger behind genre review site, Floor-to-Ceiling Books, and who also edited for Morrigan Books. She takes up her position in Angry Robot’s headquarters in Nottingham on December 12th.

Angry Robot’s managing director Marc Gascoigne said: “The key to any truly successful genre imprint is the personality of its editors. In Amanda we’ve found the perfect mix of editing skills and wild, wild enthusiasm for the subject. Her first signings are already making us jump up and down in excitement. We’re beyond delighted to welcome her to the team.”

Amanda Rutter commented, “Angry Robot have quickly become one of the most exciting and challenging genre publishers around, and I have so much admiration for the types of novels that the guys are bringing to the world of speculative fiction. I’m absolutely thrilled that I have the opportunity to join the team, and create a list full of Young Adult novels that share the same sharpness and passion as those in the AR list.”

You can find Strange Chemistry at strangechemistrybooks.com and on twitter at @StrangeChem.

A few weeks ago we mentioned that we had managed to assimilate Darren Turpin into our mecha-mind. Today that process is complete, and he begins his work as our Digital and Marketing Manager*.

Please join us in welcoming him to the Angry Robot family.

_____

*Possibly Marketing and Digital Manager. Also possibly Manager of Marking Digits (though much less likely) or Manager of Digitising Marcs (hmmmm…)

The Secret Lair is a bit of a misnomer – it’s actually really easy to find – here, for example. Not much of a secret, really, but we don’t mind – we’d prefer you to be able to actually find it. Partly because it’s a great blog, and partly because this week they’re running an Angry Robot Week.

Every day this week you’ll find reviews, interviews and commentary on some of the things Angry Robot are up to. For example:

There’s a Haiku Contest, where you can win five cool Angry Robot books.

There’s a review of the classic Morlock Night (recently reprinted by Angry Robot).

There’s an overview of our Nano Editions (short stories by our authors).

And today there’s an interview with Empire State author, Adam Christopher.

Go visit them every day this week for further goodies.

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.

It’s been a fascinating, exciting journey, with one or two minor hiccups along the way, and we’re in a stronger position than we’ve been in since Angry Robot was first conceived, just over two years ago, in Hammersmith, London, England.

At 1.00 this afternoon (BST) we’ll be cracking open a bottle of champagne to celebrate, and invite you* to do the same**.

Check back throughout the day for further updates, competitions, news, and general buffoonery.

*Not at our expense, naturally – we’re lovely people, but we’re not rolling in money!
** Feel free to substitute cola, tea, coffee, or the beverage of your choice.

At the same time as we’re posting this news, we’re sending out a formal press release, as is traditional. But we thought you may have further questions, so here are a few notes, by way of an FAQ kind of thingie…

New release schedule
Angry Robot’s publishing programme will suffer a slight delay as a result of this change. Our next new releases will be in stores in September of this year (which sounds a long way away but is only Four. Flipping. Months. (Eek!).

In the US and Canada, where as part of Osprey we become a distributed client of the mighty Random House, we’re working hard to rearrange our North American launch too. Apologies to everyone who was hoping for our books to be launched this month, which has obviously not happened. As soon as we have firm dates for all our titles hitting stores in the US and Canada you’ll see them right here.

All of our announced titles will be appearing, with one exception: Kylie Chan’s fine Dark Heavens trilogy will remain with HarperCollins. Meanwhile, we’re back in the market for new titles, and will have some news of several new signings soon as the ink’s dry on those contracts.

Who are this Osprey lot then?
A medium-sized British independent publisher, who have won awards for their specialist publishing in recent years. Best known for military history non-fiction, they have also produced guides for collectors, graphic novels, games, eBook editions and iPhone apps. Most importantly for us, they understand how to publish for and service the needs of niche areas of publishing, where customers are enthusiasts and hobbyists. In the UK they are distributed by Grantham Book Services, one of the nation’s largest distributors; in the US and Canada, as mentioned, they are a distributed client of Random House. No worries about getting our books into the stores, then.

What about existing British releases?
Titles released so far will remain in stock for a while, but as existing copies get sold through it’s possible that some books will slip out of print. Our intention is where possible to bring books back into print alongside new books by that author, as we release them. Meanwhile, we’re working hard to ensure eBook editions of all existing AR titles will return to the market by early July. We’ll also be selling these direct from the AR website for the first time, huzzah!

Any changes to Angry Robot’s team and infrastructure?
Not as far as people are concerned – despite my best efforts, Lee Harris and I remain Angry Robot’s core team, and we’ll continue to work from our secret lair deep in the heart of Nottingham. We are in the process of changing secret lairs though – to somewhere larger and plusher, as it happens; more room for the snake pit, that sort of thing – so we’ll have to give you our new address and landline numbers next week when we’re all sorted. In the meantime, you can always contact us via this website’s contact form (preferred), or on Twitter, or email us directly using the format [firstname].[surname]@angryrobotbooks.com or incoming [at] angryrobotbooks.com.

While we’re on, a massive thank you to those people who’ve helped us behind the scenes as we’ve sorted this transition over the last seven weeks or so. Extra big-ups to Caroline, Pete and the merry crew at HarperCollins; to the various agents and authors for their patience and support; and especially to our new colleagues in the burgeoning Osprey empire. Couldn’t have got through this without your support.

Right, that’s enough distractions. Now back to the important business of making a ton more kick-ass books for you to enjoy. See you on the shelves.
—— Marc Gascoigne, Publishing Director, Angry Robot Limited

Following an acclaimed first year of publishing, the revolutionary science fiction imprint Angry Robot Books has parted company with HarperCollins UK. It will now run as an independent publishing imprint, with the full backing of niche publishing experts, Osprey Publishing.

Angry Robot will continue to operate from its Nottingham base and with its existing team under Marc Gascoigne, its founder and publisher. Marc 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.”

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.”

Marc Gascoigne added, “Our publishing programme for 2010/11 will be basically unaffected by these changes. There will be a short break while the transition is sorted out, but we will be re-launching in September 2010 and then it will be business as usual.”

Osprey’s move is a reflection of the company’s continuing strategic drive into niche communities that share a deep enthusiasm for their interest or hobby, whether it be military history (Osprey Publishing), heritage (Shire Books), or science fiction and fantasy.

Richard Sullivan, Marketing Director at Osprey commented: “We have a great deal of experience of serving specialist niches with a very tight product focus. Angry Robot is a great fit with our existing businesses. We are very excited about the opportunity to enter into a new market and we are looking forward to helping Angry Robot, its authors and its readers go to some exciting places.”

For more information check out the FAQ we’ve drawn up, or contact Angry Robot direct via the form on this website.