Tor.com has working on the launch of a digital publishing program focused on novellas. The line-up of titles slated for release include The Last Witness by K.J. Parker, Every Heart a Doorway, Every Word a Prayer by Seanan McGuire, The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps by Kai Ashante Wilson, The Builders by Daniel Polansky, Of Sorrow and Such by Angela Slatter, and The Drowning Eyes by Emily Foster.
The company plans to release three to four books on a monthly basis starting in September 2015. According to the company’s blog post, the staff behind this venture includes publisher Fritz Foy, associate publisher Irene Gallo, senior editor Lee Harris, editorial assistant Carl Engle-Laird, Editorial Assistant, and several commissioning editors. Engle-Laird spoke with io9 about why this program is being initiated.
She explained: “When the book wars sweep across the galaxy, and the blood of publishers runs down the gutters of every interstellar metropolis, the resource we fight for will not be paper, or ink, or even money. It will be time. For our readers, time is the precious commodity they invest in every book they decide to purchase and read…Enter the novella, an old form with a new lease on life. We expect that the reader who has to fit their reading into their daily commute will appreciate a novella they can finish in a week, rather than a year.”