Singularity&Co destined to "Save Sci-Fi"

[kennyc]

New York's Newest Bookstore, Singularity&Co., Brings Sci-Fi Back From the Dead
By Martha Harbison Posted 08.10.2012

Much of the oldest and best science fiction stories and novels are, sadly, long out of print. The only way to read them is to dig through second-hand bookshops, rummage sales, or dusty attics, or hope that the local library still keeps their old paperbacks around. A group in Brooklyn called Singularity&Co. wants to change that. The attack is two-fold: raise some of these long-lost stories from their graves and release them as e-books, and showcase some really killer hardcovers and paperbacks at an honest-to-god brick-and-mortar bookstore near the East River. Being a dedicated sci-fi nerd, I felt obligated check it all out for myself at their grand opening last night.

Here are the basics. Singularity&Co. is a small, Kickstarter-funded start-up that aims to publish one out-of-print title a month, available for download on a variety of platforms. They’ve released two so far: A Plunge Into Space by Robert Cromie and The Torch by Jack Bechdolt. The work isn’t always easy--tracking down an authors’ estate, any copyright holders on the cover art and sometimes even scannable copies of the books themselves has proved challenging. For example, there are only seven known copies of what will eventually be the group’s (as yet unannounced) third book release, explained co-founder Ash Kalb, and he had to take a thousand-mile road trip to get a look at a pristine copy. I asked Kalb who his “dream authors” would be to be for the Singularity&Co. e-book project. He answered first with “Heinlein” but when pressed for something more obscure, he came out with New York City-native and Futurian, Cyril M. Kornbluth.
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http://www.popsci.com/science/articl...i-fi-back-dead





Link to their website: http://singularityand.co/

[Kali Yuga]

One title a month? Yeah, that'll make a big dent in things.

[teh603]

Why always New York?

[Connallmac]

Originally Posted by teh603

Why always New York?

Why not New York?

[curtw]

Originally Posted by teh603

Why always New York?

It seems to me that you need a pretty huge population center just to be able to stay open in the used book business these days. I made the rounds of the shops in Boston last year, and it's pretty clear that the market is collapsing even there.

I hope that some of the college towns are managing to find the support to keep going. Dawn Treader in Ann Arbor expanded from one location to two while I was in college, but has now retracted back to only the original shop.

[QuantumIguana]

One book a month is a start. Better than nothing.

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

One book a month is a start. Better than nothing.

Especially when you consider the work involved in making the whole thing legal. It's a good start.

[VaporPunk]

Agree totally with QuantumIguana and jgaiser. And thanks to kennyc for posting this.

[Greg Anos]

They need to talk with NESFA. They have been doing this sort of work in papers for several decades. Authors like , Eric Frank Russell, Kornbluth, Sheckey, ect...

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

One book a month is a start. Better than nothing.

Absolutely. Good luck to them.

[teh603]

Originally Posted by curtw

It seems to me that you need a pretty huge population center just to be able to stay open in the used book business these days. I made the rounds of the shops in Boston last year, and it's pretty clear that the market is collapsing even there.

I hope that some of the college towns are managing to find the support to keep going. Dawn Treader in Ann Arbor expanded from one location to two while I was in college, but has now retracted back to only the original shop.

We have a book store in Houston that specializes in only murder mysteries. They've been there since before I was born, and they recently got the space next door that used to be a silver shop. If it can support that, it can support anything.

[jgaiser]

I was involved with the original Kickstarter and was happy to contribute. The first two books aren't anything to get excited about, but it's a beginning.

#1 - A Plunge Into Space by Robert Cromie
#2 - The Torch by Jack Bechdolt

[GA Russell]

jg, what do/did you get for contributing to kickstarter?

[jgaiser]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

jg, what do/did you get for contributing to kickstarter?

Access to all the books that Singularity creates.

Edit: Just looked at their site (http://savethescifi.com/index.php/join-us) and you can still join in, thought it's a bit more than when they were starting on Kickstarter - I paid $25.

[GA Russell]

Does that mean you get all their eBooks for free as long as they remain in business?