We’ve just received our two latest deluxe chapbooks in our offices, and they’ll start shipping early in the week. Ray Bradbury’s Skeletons contains not only the classic tale, “Skeleton”, but another, very different tale with the same basic idea, the latter not in print anywhere in over 60 years. Dave McKean was hired to produce 4-5 interior illustrations and a cover for the chapbook, but was so taken with Bradbury’s tales that he provided us with more than 25 interior illustrations, a wonderful cover, and designed the chapbook himself! Copies of this will go quickly, so get your order in!

Also just arrived in our offices is a delightful new tale by Charles de Lint. Yellow Dog has left the environs of Newford behind, and is set in the American Southwest. De Lint fans shouldn’t worry, though, as they can expect his magic infused words to pluck at their heartstrings while telling a tale up to his usual stellar level. The author himself provided the cover and a number of interior illustrations for this two-color chapbook. As with the Bradbury, this title presold very well, so please get your order in or risk missing out.

A couple of screenplays and a throwback to the Ace Doubles — our latest offering to the printer gods.

Ray Bradbury’s masterful screenplay to John Huston’s classic film adaptation is nestled safely at our printer, complete with a Rockwell Kent frontispiece, as well as insightful introductions and afterwords. Moby Dick: the Screenplay is an entirely new way to experience one of the landmarks of American cinema, wrapped inside a gorgeous Jon Armstrong dust jacket illustration.

Joining Mr. Bradbury’s screenplay at the printer is a classic of a different sort. Ubik: the Screenplay is Philip K. Dick’s reimagining of his classic novel, replete with an intro by Tim Powers, and an afterword by Tad Williams. As Powers notes, “it almost seems as though we’re getting a purer version of UBIK—something closer to the original conception than the text of the novel.”

Our third title sent to the printer this week is George R. R. Martin’s throwback to the Ace Doubles of decades past. This time we’re treated to two long out-of-print novelettes, Starlady and Fast-Friend with a winning wraparound cover by Martina Pilcerova. The signed limited edition of Starlady — only 200 copies — is nearly sold out, so if that’s the version that’s caught your eye, don’t hesitate to get your order in.

We’ve just sent the second volume of the dragon Temeraire’s adventures to the printer. Our edition of Naomi Novik’s excursion to the Far East, Throne of Jade, will be shipping in just a few short weeks. We had a number of customers decide not to continue on with the lettered to volume two, so copies of that version, as well as the numbered, may still be preordered.

Speaking of lettered editions, we’re a bit behind, but our handbinder is just now starting the traycases to the lettered edition of Temeraire’s first adventure, His Majesty’s Dragon. Look for that edition to be shipping in 1-2 months.

Joe Hill is due to turn in the scripts for the first six issues of his hot comic, Locke & Key, in the next week, which means we’ll be able to front burner this project.

As soon as Joe’s scripts are in hand, we’ll get the illustrated files from IDW, who published the comic, start our designing and proofreading, and if all goes well, be shipping this gorgeous limited edition in the fall. One detail we haven’t shared yet is that Joe’s favorite artist, Vincent Chong, will be providing an exclusive dust jacket for our edition.

Our new imprint, Far Territories, is off to a blazing start. One of our initial releases, Elizabeth Bear’s mosaic novel, New Amsterdam, is headed back to press, bringing the total number of copies in print to over 5000. Many thanks to all the readers who’ve picked up copies in bookstores, via online retailers, and the good old fashioned way — here at the SubPress website.

We’ve read the first draft of eBear’s followup to New Amsterdam. Seven for a Secret takes place years later, and features the wampyr Sebastien and former DC Inspector Abigail Irene in another mystery. Look for it on next year’s schedule.

Early word. We’re in the process of finalizing contracts for two Dan Simmons Limited Editions. The first, The Terror, is his punishing account of the 19th Century Franklin Expedition to find a passage through the Arctic. We’ll find a slot for The Terror on our overfull schedule this fall.

Second is his forthcoming novel, Drood, an account of the last five years of Charles Dickens’s life, as narrated by his friend and writer, Wilkie Collins. Little, Brown has graciously allowed us permission to release our Limited Edition simultaneous with their trade edition early next year.

Finally, we’ll be releasing Kage Baker’s novel, The Empress of Mars in December, a full two months before the trade hardcover edition is due from Tor. Empress, as you may know, began as a 25,000 word novella. This is a full-length expansion to an 85,000 word novel, which will feature a cover and interior work by J. K. Potter.

Nick Gevers, in Locus, had some splendid things to say about Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy: “…there’s another fine original anthology to report. Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy is, in essence, an outgrowth of the excellent Subterranean Magazine, and contains the same brand of well-written, innovative, moodily resonant stories.” Mr. Gevers goes on to single out tales by Mike Carey, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Powers, William Browning Spencer, and Rachel Swirsky in his Recommended Stories for the month.

Over at TheGraveyardBook.com, the site dedicated to all editions of Neil Gaiman’s classic new tale for children — and children at heart — we’ve just posted an interview with Dave McKean. Look for more features on that dedicated site.

As to the book itself, just this week, Dave started designing the Subterranean Press edition, which will feature:

– New and very different design from the Harpers and Bloomsbury editions;

– New illustrations (probably 4 or 5);

– New photographic sections adding atmosphere under the title pages at the beginning, and under the Interlude chapter;

– Use of two colour and duotone throughout;

– Full colour section at the end, with alternate covers, roughs and sketches.

Just a quick note — we’re down to our last 25 copies of Neal Gaiman and Michael Reaves’s delightful YA novel, Interworld. As you may recall, all the profits from this book are going to Mr. Reaves to help him with ongoing medical expenses for a serious illness he’s so bravely facing.

Many thanks to everyone who’s purchased a copy so far, and a thank you in advance to those who pick up the last copy of our nifty little edition.

We’ve selected SubPress favorite Vincent Chong to provide a full-color cover and a number of black-and-white interior illustrations to Jim Butcher’s Storm Front, the first novel in The Dresden Files.

– In unrelated news, Elizabeth Bear has turned in the first draft to the sequel to New Amsterdam, a long, delightful novella. Once she’s finished with incorporating editorial suggestions into Seven for a Secret, we’ll send it off to Patrick Arrasmith to build a cover around, and slide the book into next year’s schedule.

– We now have the fully-designed, first pass proofed version of Barry Hughart’s omnibus, The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. Barry has just finished the signature pages, which are en route to our offices, while Jon Foster is hard at work on the dust jacket art. We’re right on schedule for an October release.