Amazon launches science fiction/fantasy/horror imprint

This from Publishers Weekly:

Amazon has added another genre to its publishing stable, with the launch of 47North, a science fiction/fantasy/horror imprint that will publish original and previously published works from new and established authors as well as out-of-print books. “We are especially happy to have a diverse list at launch, and look forward to publishing across a wide range of subgenres,” said Victoria Griffith, publisher of Amazon Publishing’s west coast group.

47North has signed 15 titles at launch with its first title coming from Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin, the authors of Successful Television Writing and who have written and/or produced scores of highly successful network television series, including Diagnosis Murder, Spenser: For Hire, and Baywatch. Their digital-first novel, Face of Evil, will be published this month; four more installments will also be published in October, with a new adventure following each month thereafter. A print compilation of the first three novels will publish in January 2012.

Most of the first books in the list will be released early in 2012 and include a number of series, including the Foreworld series being developed by Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear along with other authors. The series will begin with The Mongoliad trilogy, an epic tale about the birth of Western martial arts with its first book, The Mongoliad: Book One set for release in April 2012.

Other authors signed to 47North include science fiction and fantasy writer Dave Duncan; Arwen Elys Dayton whose novel, Resurrection, has been out of print for years and will be brought back into print by 47North in January 2012; Aric Davis; Evan Currie; bestselling UK author Stephen Leather whose new Nightingale series will be published by 47North starting in March 2012; Chris Roberson; and B.V. Larson.

It will be interesting to see what impact this will have on the market. . .