The Grantville Gazettes
Encyclopedia
The Grantville Gazettes are anthologies of short stories set in the 1632 universe
introduced in Eric Flint
's novel 1632
.
The Gazettes started as an experiment: a professionally edited, officially sanctioned "fan magazine" published electronically. Initially released as serialized e-magazines, they were later published as e-book
s (taking a page from the Baen Books experience with E-ARCs—Electronic Advance Reader Copies, which had been instituted several years earlier.) Because the electronic sales were successful, Baen contracted with Flint for more issues, to be published 3-4 times per year. Each would form part of the canonical background for the other works (novels and anthologies) in the rapidly growing 1632 series
.
web site Baen's Bar is impossible, for the forum has shaped the series, as the series has, in part, shaped the forum. Only the Honorverse
web forums of best selling author David Weber
have been busier than the eventual three special fora set up for 1632-verse topics since 2000, and according to Flint, by 2005 over two hundred-thousand posts had been made on the '1632 Tech' forum alone. Hence, while fan fiction, the Gazettes from the outset differed in important ways from most fan fiction:
Issued initially as an electronic quasi-magazine using the publisher's e-ARC distribution system, the original magazine came out only sporadically—as Flint and Baen copy editors had time to put early issues together. By the time of the seventh issue in June 2006, three years from the first volume, having proved to be a self-funding success, the publication changed. Along the way, Jim Baen had agreed to try another experiment, and brought out volume 1 in print as a paperback. In March 2006 Baen published volume 2 in hardcover, which became a New York Times best seller.
No longer were issues serialized in three installments, the form of the promotional Baen Webscriptions value packs, but began coming out as a single ebook at a much greater regularity. By volume 10, the magazine had hit a regular publication rate of one issue every other month released the first day of odd numbered months, and migrated from being an offering within Baen's catalog of offerings (where they are still listed as ebooks) to having a subscription system administered and accessed from . It is particularly notable in that is composed of short fiction which has spawned no less than three best sellers in an age when the market for short fiction (anthologies) is very poor. In addition, the Grantville Gazettes have served as the source of new ideas and relationships which energize the popular series and find their way into the novels of the 1632 series.
Beginning in early 2007, the Gazette's publishers added an on-line web based edition published quarterly and changed the paper series to an annual "best of" volume. Additionally, the publishers switched to paying full professional rates instead of the semi-pro rates that had been paid. After one year, the Gazette expects to be an SFWA qualifying market.
The electronically published Grantville Gazettes are now reaching long novel length with regularity, and now make up the majority of the series for the foreseeable future. Because of a soft market for anthologies, it is not anticipated that most of the Gazettes will reach print, save perhaps as a "Best of" type of collection, despite the publication of the first four in hardcopy.
with input from many others on the webforum Baen's Bar. The 1632 Tech Manual (oldstyle: '1632 Tech') sub-section of the Bar focuses on reproducing modern technology in 17th century. The 1632 Slushpile forum is where authors first submit to a tough peer review process. Once critical readers have deemed the nascent story worthy, the work passes to an editorial board, which also considers how the work will fit into and impact the milieu as currently planned out and plotted. Some stories have thus served as the genesis of their own 1632 universe sub-series or plot thread. This is chaired by Eric Flint, who retains veto power over all work in the 1632 verse, and Eric then decides in which issue or volume of the Gazette the story should be allocated. Authors get paid a sub-professional rate upon the acceptance of the work, and additional financial remuneration and considerations when the anthology reaches print at a later time.
The Gazettes thus contain short stories based in the world of Flint's 1632 series
, as well as articles about the restrictions on technology available in the time-stranded town and the plausibility of items and redeveloped technology within the milieu
of the 1632 multiverse. The latter essays are written by members based on findings and results from a more formal subset of contributor-advisors known as the 1632 Technical board. Part of this group also sits on the 1632 Editorial Board.
' developments in the neohistory have influenced later written works, including those by Flint, who is the final determiner as the sole person involved in each work in the milieu of what is acceptable canon. Considered one way, each story written has the ability of setting a new Point of divergence
, affecting various storylines. Several fan-written stories have suggested major plotlines, even before the concept of the Grantville Gazettes eMagazine experiment was approved by Jim Baen. Those stories were published alongside established writers in the Ring of Fire
, and according to Flint, affected other main plotlines like 1634: The Ram Rebellion
.
Other Gazette stories have filled in important gaps in terms of economics, sociology, and technology: "The Sewing Circle" deals with four precocious teen friends and their stubborn insistence on making adult contributions. When they succeed, they establish a model for uptimers starting downtime businesses, setting an example that ripples through Grantville. In the sequel, "Other People's Money", they shake up the European stock market
s, and not inconsequentially, interest the downtime populace in learning more about investing and uptime financial knowledge. Sociologically, their success doomed tailoring guilds, and spawned down-timer publication of popular fiction, inculcating up-timer sociology et cetera via modern novels, especially perhaps, Romance novels. Apparently even downtimers like their soaps! "A Lineman for the Country" along with a couple of other short stories created the forthcoming important Eastern European thread , and so on.
On another level entirely, the gazette stories are just stories. Since they tend to focus on the ground-level interactions of their protagonists, and those characters tend to repeat, not only in subsequent stories by the same author, but in stories by others, Flint has characterized them in part as soap-operas in the prologue to Grantville Gazette IV
available as a free ebook from the Baen Free Library, Paperback First printing, November 2004 was released in hardcover in March 2006 was released in hardcover in January 2007 was released in hardcover in June 2006 was released in hardcover in August 2009
1632 series
The 1632 series, also known as the 1632-verse or Ring of Fire series, is an alternate history book series and sub-series created, primarily co-written, and coordinated by Eric Flint and published by Baen Books...
introduced in Eric Flint
Eric Flint
Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :...
's novel 1632
1632 (novel)
1632 is the initial novel in the best-selling alternate history 1632 book series written by historian, writer and editor Eric Flint. The flagship novel kicked off a collaborative writing effort that has involved hundreds of contributors and dozens of authors...
.
The Gazettes started as an experiment: a professionally edited, officially sanctioned "fan magazine" published electronically. Initially released as serialized e-magazines, they were later published as e-book
E-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
s (taking a page from the Baen Books experience with E-ARCs—Electronic Advance Reader Copies, which had been instituted several years earlier.) Because the electronic sales were successful, Baen contracted with Flint for more issues, to be published 3-4 times per year. Each would form part of the canonical background for the other works (novels and anthologies) in the rapidly growing 1632 series
1632 series
The 1632 series, also known as the 1632-verse or Ring of Fire series, is an alternate history book series and sub-series created, primarily co-written, and coordinated by Eric Flint and published by Baen Books...
.
Origins
Separating 1632-verse history from the internet web fora at Baen BooksBaen Books
Baen Books is an American publishing company established in 1983 by long time science fiction publisher and editor Jim Baen. It is a science fiction and fantasy publishing house that emphasizes space opera, hard science fiction, military science fiction, and fantasy...
web site Baen's Bar is impossible, for the forum has shaped the series, as the series has, in part, shaped the forum. Only the Honorverse
Honorverse
The Honorverse refers to the military science fiction book series and sub-series created by David Weber and published by Baen Books. The series is set primarily after Honor Harrington's October 1, 3961, birth; although she is the protagonist in most of the stories, more recent entries make only...
web forums of best selling author David Weber
David Weber
David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs"....
have been busier than the eventual three special fora set up for 1632-verse topics since 2000, and according to Flint, by 2005 over two hundred-thousand posts had been made on the '1632 Tech' forum alone. Hence, while fan fiction, the Gazettes from the outset differed in important ways from most fan fiction:
- Flint himself had sought out and accepted ideas and input from fans when beginning the writing of the lead novel 16321632 (novel)1632 is the initial novel in the best-selling alternate history 1632 book series written by historian, writer and editor Eric Flint. The flagship novel kicked off a collaborative writing effort that has involved hundreds of contributors and dozens of authors...
. Some of those discussions became back plot for the series, and some were submitted to him as stories. - Flint, caught unaware and unprepared by the demand for a sequel, decided to open up the universe and invite other established authors to help shape the milieu. With all the internet buzz, and having already sought and gotten months of input from the new 1632verse business-only forum "1632 Tech Manual", he and Baen agreed to include meritorious fan fiction in the collection envisioned. That anthology became Ring of FireRing of Fire (anthology)Ring of Fire is the third published book by editor-author-historian Eric Flint of the 1632 series, an alternate history series begun in the novel 1632 . The Ring of Fire is both descriptive of the cosmic event as experienced by the series' characters, but also is at times used as the name for the...
, but was delayed for business reasons—sound marketing. David Weber and Flint had threshed out a backplot and agreed to do a 1632 sequel as a novel, and it built upon and integrated the thoughts submitted for Ring of Fire. Jim BaenJim BaenJames Patrick "Jim" Baen was a noted U.S. science fiction publisher and editor. In 1983 he founded his own publishing house, Baen Books, specializing in the adventure, fantasy, military science fiction and space opera genres...
sat on Ring of Fire, as anthologies in today's fiction market generally don't sell well, and a series with an anthology as its second work was new ground. - It was professionally edited and produced by experienced persons in the publishing industry, and Flint as gate-keeper for the series canon was unhesitant in turning back poor writing for rewrite or just rejecting same.
- If accepted and published, the story background and back plot thereafter was canonCanon (fiction)In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
for the universe—if material was published in a Gazette, it became part of the basis of the series thereafter.
Issued initially as an electronic quasi-magazine using the publisher's e-ARC distribution system, the original magazine came out only sporadically—as Flint and Baen copy editors had time to put early issues together. By the time of the seventh issue in June 2006, three years from the first volume, having proved to be a self-funding success, the publication changed. Along the way, Jim Baen had agreed to try another experiment, and brought out volume 1 in print as a paperback. In March 2006 Baen published volume 2 in hardcover, which became a New York Times best seller.
No longer were issues serialized in three installments, the form of the promotional Baen Webscriptions value packs, but began coming out as a single ebook at a much greater regularity. By volume 10, the magazine had hit a regular publication rate of one issue every other month released the first day of odd numbered months, and migrated from being an offering within Baen's catalog of offerings (where they are still listed as ebooks) to having a subscription system administered and accessed from . It is particularly notable in that is composed of short fiction which has spawned no less than three best sellers in an age when the market for short fiction (anthologies) is very poor. In addition, the Grantville Gazettes have served as the source of new ideas and relationships which energize the popular series and find their way into the novels of the 1632 series.
Beginning in early 2007, the Gazette's publishers added an on-line web based edition published quarterly and changed the paper series to an annual "best of" volume. Additionally, the publishers switched to paying full professional rates instead of the semi-pro rates that had been paid. After one year, the Gazette expects to be an SFWA qualifying market.
The electronically published Grantville Gazettes are now reaching long novel length with regularity, and now make up the majority of the series for the foreseeable future. Because of a soft market for anthologies, it is not anticipated that most of the Gazettes will reach print, save perhaps as a "Best of" type of collection, despite the publication of the first four in hardcopy.
The Anthology Authors Process
The various authors featured in the Gazettes are part of Flint's online experiment (Phase II) in developing a milieuMilieu
Milieu is the word for environment in French, and, for hundreds of years, also in Dutch, Swedish, English, and other languages that were strongly influenced by French culture and French language, primarily during the 17th and 18th centuries....
with input from many others on the webforum Baen's Bar. The 1632 Tech Manual (oldstyle: '1632 Tech') sub-section of the Bar focuses on reproducing modern technology in 17th century. The 1632 Slushpile forum is where authors first submit to a tough peer review process. Once critical readers have deemed the nascent story worthy, the work passes to an editorial board, which also considers how the work will fit into and impact the milieu as currently planned out and plotted. Some stories have thus served as the genesis of their own 1632 universe sub-series or plot thread. This is chaired by Eric Flint, who retains veto power over all work in the 1632 verse, and Eric then decides in which issue or volume of the Gazette the story should be allocated. Authors get paid a sub-professional rate upon the acceptance of the work, and additional financial remuneration and considerations when the anthology reaches print at a later time.
The Gazettes thus contain short stories based in the world of Flint's 1632 series
1632 series
The 1632 series, also known as the 1632-verse or Ring of Fire series, is an alternate history book series and sub-series created, primarily co-written, and coordinated by Eric Flint and published by Baen Books...
, as well as articles about the restrictions on technology available in the time-stranded town and the plausibility of items and redeveloped technology within the milieu
Milieu
Milieu is the word for environment in French, and, for hundreds of years, also in Dutch, Swedish, English, and other languages that were strongly influenced by French culture and French language, primarily during the 17th and 18th centuries....
of the 1632 multiverse. The latter essays are written by members based on findings and results from a more formal subset of contributor-advisors known as the 1632 Technical board. Part of this group also sits on the 1632 Editorial Board.
Importance of the Gazettes
The impact of individual stories in the Grantville Gazettes will likely never be truly known, because even the bad ones have shaped the action, commentary, and thought on the web-forums 1632 Tech and 1632 Comments. Even those that fail to meet the final test of espousing 'canonCanon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
' developments in the neohistory have influenced later written works, including those by Flint, who is the final determiner as the sole person involved in each work in the milieu of what is acceptable canon. Considered one way, each story written has the ability of setting a new Point of divergence
Point of divergence
In discussion of counterfactual history, a divergence point , also referred to as a departure point or point of divergence , is a historical event with two possible postulated outcomes...
, affecting various storylines. Several fan-written stories have suggested major plotlines, even before the concept of the Grantville Gazettes eMagazine experiment was approved by Jim Baen. Those stories were published alongside established writers in the Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire (anthology)
Ring of Fire is the third published book by editor-author-historian Eric Flint of the 1632 series, an alternate history series begun in the novel 1632 . The Ring of Fire is both descriptive of the cosmic event as experienced by the series' characters, but also is at times used as the name for the...
, and according to Flint, affected other main plotlines like 1634: The Ram Rebellion
1634: The Ram Rebellion
1634: The Ram Rebellion is the seventh published work in the 1632 series, and is the third work to establish what is best considered as a "main plot line or thread" of historical speculative focus that are loosely organized and classified geographically...
.
Other Gazette stories have filled in important gaps in terms of economics, sociology, and technology: "The Sewing Circle" deals with four precocious teen friends and their stubborn insistence on making adult contributions. When they succeed, they establish a model for uptimers starting downtime businesses, setting an example that ripples through Grantville. In the sequel, "Other People's Money", they shake up the European stock market
Stock market
A stock market or equity market is a public entity for the trading of company stock and derivatives at an agreed price; these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately.The size of the world stock market was estimated at about $36.6 trillion...
s, and not inconsequentially, interest the downtime populace in learning more about investing and uptime financial knowledge. Sociologically, their success doomed tailoring guilds, and spawned down-timer publication of popular fiction, inculcating up-timer sociology et cetera via modern novels, especially perhaps, Romance novels. Apparently even downtimers like their soaps! "A Lineman for the Country" along with a couple of other short stories created the forthcoming important Eastern European thread , and so on.
On another level entirely, the gazette stories are just stories. Since they tend to focus on the ground-level interactions of their protagonists, and those characters tend to repeat, not only in subsequent stories by the same author, but in stories by others, Flint has characterized them in part as soap-operas in the prologue to Grantville Gazette IV
Print publication
Starting in November 2004, the first Gazette was also released experimentally in a paper edition with issue I as a paperback. The second volume was released in hardcover in March 2006, this and subsequent titles use Roman Numerals for titles such as are listed below in the section List of Gazettes, as appear on the print publication covers.available as a free ebook from the Baen Free Library, Paperback First printing, November 2004 was released in hardcover in March 2006 was released in hardcover in January 2007 was released in hardcover in June 2006 was released in hardcover in August 2009
List of Gazettes
| Book Volume | e-zine Volume |
1st Serialed e-magazine Volume date |
e-book (Copyright) version E-book An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital... |
Hardcover date Hardcover A hardcover, hardback or hardbound is a book bound with rigid protective covers... |
Paperback date Paperback Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples... |
| The Grantville Gazette The Grantville Gazette The Grantville Gazette is the first of a series of professionally selected and edited paid fan fiction anthologies set within the 1632 series inspired by Eric Flint's novel 1632... |
Volume 01 | 2003-02 | 2003-04 | none | 2004-11-01 |
| Grantville Gazette II | Volume 02 | 2003-08 | 2003-10 | 2006-03 | 2007-10-01 |
| Grantville Gazette III Grantville Gazette III The Grantville Gazette III is the third collaborative and the fourth anthology in the 1632 series edited by the series creator, Eric Flint. It was published as an e-book by Baen Books in October 2004... |
Volume 03 | 2004-08 | 2004-10 | 2007-01 | 2008-05-20 |
| Grantville Gazette IV | Volume 04 | 2004-10 | 2005-04 | 2008-06 | 2010-07-27 |
| Grantville Gazette V | Volume 05 | 2005-07 | 2005-09 | 2009-08 | |
| |
|||||
| Grantville Gazette VI | Volume 06 | 2006-01 | 2006-03 | ||
| Grantville Gazette VII | Volume 07 | 2006-02 | 2006-04 | ||
| Grantville Gazette VIII | Volume 08 | 2006-06 | 2006-08 | ||
| Grantville Gazette IX | Volume 09 | 2006-09 | 2006-11 | ||
| |
|||||
| Grantville Gazette X | Volume 10 | 2006-11 | 2007-01 | ||
| Grantville Gazette XI | Volume 11 | 2007-01 | 2007-03 | ||
| Grantville Gazette XII | Volume 12 | 2007-03 | 2007-05 | ||
| Grantville Gazette XIII | Volume 13 | 2007-05 | 2007-07 | ||
| Grantville Gazette XIV | Volume 14 | 2007-07 | 2007-09 | ||
| Grantville Gazette XV | Volume 15 | 2007-09 | 2007-11 | ||
| |
|||||
| Grantville Gazette XVI | Volume 16 | 2007-11 | 2008-01 | ||
| Grantville Gazette XVII | Volume 17 | 2008-01 | 2008-03 | ||
| Grantville Gazette XVIII | Volume 18 | 2008-03 | 2008-05 | ||
| Grantville Gazette XIX | Volume 19 | 2008-05 | 2008-07 | ||
| Grantville Gazette XX | Volume 20 | 2008-07 | 2008-09 | ||
| Grantville Gazette XXI | Volume 21 | 2008-09 | 2008-11 | ||
| |
|||||
| Grantville Gazette XXII | Volume 22 | 2008 | 2009-03 | ||
| Grantville Gazette XXIII | Volume 23 | 2009 | 2009-05 | ||
| Grantville Gazette XXIV | Volume 24 | 2009 | 2009-07 | ||
See also
- Ring of Fire (anthology)Ring of Fire (anthology)Ring of Fire is the third published book by editor-author-historian Eric Flint of the 1632 series, an alternate history series begun in the novel 1632 . The Ring of Fire is both descriptive of the cosmic event as experienced by the series' characters, but also is at times used as the name for the...
- Ring of Fire IIRing of Fire IIRing of Fire II is a 2008 anthology created by editor-author-historian Eric Flint. It is the second anthology in the 1632 series following after Ring of Fire .- Premise of the series :...
(anthology) - 1634: The Ram Rebellion1634: The Ram Rebellion1634: The Ram Rebellion is the seventh published work in the 1632 series, and is the third work to establish what is best considered as a "main plot line or thread" of historical speculative focus that are loosely organized and classified geographically...
(melded novel/anthology) - 1635: The Tangled Web1635: The Tangled Web1635: The Tangled Web is a novel in the alternate history 1632 series, written by Virginia DeMarce.-Plot summary:The main setting takes place in Fulda in 1633 and follows in four interlinking stories which ties together near the end of the novel....
(melded novel/anthology)