The Financial Times has announced the five best SF books of 2021, as selected by James Lovegrove:

Kirkus has announced its list of the eight best science fiction and fantasy books of 2021:

The Washington Post has published a piece on the best SF, fantasy, and horror of 2021, selected by writers Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Lavie Tidhar. Books mentioned include:

• Unity, Elly Bangs (Tachyon)
• His Name Was Death, Rafael Bernal (New Directions)
• Inscape, Louise Carey (Gollancz)
• Goddess of Filth, V. Castro (Creature)
• Philosophy Through Science Fiction, Helen De Cruz, Johon De Smedt & Eric Schwitzgebel, eds. (Bloomsbury Academic)

Weird Tales and Blackstone Publishing have announced a major new partnership, with Blackstone planning to publish 50 new books in five years under the banner “Weird Tales Presents.”

Titles will include “original novels and anthologies, compilations, and more, penned by some of the biggest names in horror and dark fiction, while also introducing new voices,” with print, e-book, and audiobook editions planned. Blackstone will also distribute the digital and audio ...Read More

The United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit on November 2, 2021 to stop the proposed merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster. The government cited concerns that the deal would be detrimental to writers because it would “likely to substantially lessen competition,” leading to a “highly concentrated” market: “The merger would give Penguin Random House outsized influence over who and what is published, and how much ...Read More

Penguin Random House imprints Pantheon and Schocken Books will no longer be divisions of Alfred A. Knopf, but will instead operate as an imprint alongside Vintage/Anchor, Doubleday, and Knopf, as equal parts of the Knopf Doubleday publishing group. In the announcement, group president and publisher Maya Mavjee noted that the imprints will be hiring for several new editorial positions. Recent hires include executive editor Naomi Gibbs, editorial director Denise Oswald, ...Read More

Tom Doherty Associates and Literary Hub have announced the launch of a new biweekly podcast, Tor Presents: Voyage into Genre, hosted by Drew Broussard. “The limited series will feature authors of all backgrounds from the science-fiction fantasy imprints Tor Books, Tor­dotcom Publishing, and Tor Teen, discussing new books, the future, and the future of genre. Episodes will be available for download on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, LiteraryHub, or wherever you stream ...Read More

Madeline McIntosh, CEO of Penguin Random House US, has announced plans to reopen offices gradually beginning September 13, 2021 “assuming all goes well health-wise.” She said the company will require “full vaccination” from COVID-19 for employees and visitors enter­ing their offices: “We understand that not everyone is vaccinated, and, as a reminder, it is completely ok to continue to work in full-time remote mode. The requirement only applies to those ...Read More

Publishing platform Curious Fictions announced that it will go on indefinite hiatus starting August 27, 2021. The site featured many speculative fiction writers in a subscription model format. Founder and CEO Tanya Breshears said,

As much as I love this site, the stories you’ve published, and the wonderful people I’ve met through it, keeping it going is no longer sustainable. The business had a little outside funding at first, but ...Read More

Michi Trota has stepped down as editor-in-chief of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America’s (SFWA) publications department, which produces The Bulletin, the annual Nebula Showcase Anthology, The Singularity, and New Releases Newsletter. Trota said,

It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve as SFWA Editor-in-Chief. Being the first person of color to step into this role at SFWA was an opportunity I had never envisioned ...Read More

Agent Ginger Clark has left her position as vice president at Curtis Brown to found her own agency, Ginger Clark Literary. She is joined by Nicole Eisenbraun (also formerly of Curtis Brown), as agent and translation rights manager.

Clark began her career as an agent at Writers House, and joined Curtis Brown in 2005. She represents Richard Kadrey, Tim Pratt, Patricia C. Wrede, and the estate of Ursula K. Le ...Read More

Dave Eggers’s upcoming novel The Every (McSweeney’s), sequel to The Circle, is being published on October 5, 2021 as a hard­cover exclusively available from indie bookshops and the publisher’s website. Eggers explained the decision, in an email to Publishers Lunch: “I don’t like bullies. Amazon has been kicking sand in the face of independent bookstores for de­cades now.” Trade paperback and ebook editions published by Vintage will follow on ...Read More

Uncanny Magazine nonfiction editor Elsa Sjunneson will be stepping down after issue #42 (September/October 2021) to focus on other projects. The magazine is seeking applicants to fill the position, which will begin in August 2021 and includes a modest stipend.

We’re looking for someone with a deep love and knowledge of science fiction and fantasy, and some experience in editorial work and publishing. The Nonfiction Editor position will allow opportunities ...Read More

The merger of Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster has been approved in the UK by the Competition & Markets Authority. Simon & Schuster’s UK division had 2019 sales of £41.5 million. The merger is still under review by the Department of Justice in the US.

Arc Manor Publishing now has two speculative fiction imprints: Phoenix Pick produces print-on-demand work, while CAEZIK SF & Fantasy has traditional distribution via ...Read More

As vaccination be­comes more widespread and the pandemic seems to be on the wane in the US and UK, major publishers in in both countries have begun planning to return to the office, but they’re not just going back to the way things used to be.

Madeline McIntosh, CEO of Penguin Random House, wrote to staff that the company is “planning for the next normal,” and expects to reopen some ...Read More