Argosy
2003, Anders launched
Argosy Magazine in collaboration with publisher James A. Owen, serving from 2003 to 2004 as senior editor on the bimonthly title. It was named after
Argosy (a title that dates back to the 19th century), because (as Anders describes in an interview with John C. Snider):
- ::::::::"..we thought taking a name that harkened back to its spirit was a good launching point from which to found a new magazine, one that sought to set trends for the 21st century, the way Munsey’s magazines did for the 19th and 20th."
Despite this,
Argosy Magazine, however was stated to have
- ::::::::"..no connection to the original Frank A. Munsey magazine, or any other incarnation of Argosy... [it] is a completely new magazine... a new entity."
The new magazine, "devoted to publishing quality fiction in a wide range of genres and styles, from science fiction and fantasy to mystery to mainstream," and including a smattering of non-fiction essays and interviews, launched in November, 2003, and featured in its first eclectic issue an interview by Adam Roberts with Samuel R. Delany.
Argosy format complimented its eclectic nature, accompanying its digest-sized magazine with a "separate trade-paperback novella... [both] presented in an attractive slipcase."(See left for
Argosy #2's cover & slipcase. Reviewed here.) The uniqueness of its design proved confusing to retailers, however, leading to subsequent issues being published in two formats: "Connoisseur" (two-volume, available through
Argosy, to subscribers and via certain comic shops and independent bookshops) and "Proletarian" (single magazine, available at newsstands).
Having overseen the first two issues (and preparatory work on a third), mounting "creative differences" and concerns caused Anders to resign as editor in early July, 2004 to focus on his work with Pyr while
Argosy itself went on hiatus.
Anthologies
has edited a number of anthologies from several different publishers, helped in no small part by having been able to forge links and contacts with sci-fi authors during his time at Bookface. Anders' anthologies include
Outside the Box(above) (a 'Print on Demand' collection of short stories that first appeared on Bookface.com) from Wildside Press,
Live Without a Net from Roc (although originally planned for a small press, which was going under at the time) and
Projections from MonkeyBrain (initially two separate books, "one on literature and one on cinema", co-published by Chris Roberson, who Anders had met through
Live Without a Net).
Anders is seen as a particular mentor to Roberson, whom he met at the World Fantasy Convention in Montreal, where he invited Roberson to submit to
Live Without a Net. Roberson's work subsequently appeared in
Argosy magazine, Anders'
FutureShocks and his novels
Here, There & Everywhere and
Paragaea: A Planetary Romance have both been published by Pyr. Roberson was also featured in the Anders-edited anthology
Sideways in Crime (2008).
Anders notes that his anthology
Live Without a Net was a direct reaction against a certain type of science fiction. He says, in interview with Rick Kleffel:
- "I was reacting to what I felt was a preponderance of post-cyberpunk in American science fiction in the year 2000. The anthology was a deliberate attempt to counter that trend in some small and useful way."
Pyr
Having been encouraged to apply to Prometheus Books' advert for "someone to help them launch a new SF line", Anders has been editorial director of Prometheus Books' science fiction imprint Pyr, since its launch in March, 2005. Pyr is an imprint of Prometheus Books, and its titles under Anders have been nominated for multiple awards. Anders hopes that the imprint will help regain science fiction's "grounding in science," while making sure to note that that is not the be-all and end-all. He is adamant that the imprint not be so
- "..narrow as to confine our authors to one agenda, so that while I am selecting books that mesh broadly with their overall aesthetic, I'm not limiting us to just one mode or sub-genre or philosophical position... [however] I'm hoping Pyr will stay slanted towards science fiction over fantasy, while publishing engaging and intelligent offerings from both genres. I have a real need for hard science fiction."
He states that it is the core concept that is important, that:
- "If a story can survive without the speculative element and is only using the science fiction as backdrop, then I'm not interested."
Pyr's launch titles in its "first season" comprised eight titles - "four original novels, two North American debuts, one classic reprint, and one anthology". The authors (and anthologist Gardner Dozois) were all recipients of multiple industry awards and/or nominations, and were:
- "..weighted towards hard SF, but contain two fantasies (one secondary world, one historical), one sci-fantasy or soft SF, and an anthology of stories examining the very Promethean struggle of science vs. superstition."
Those, Anders stated, were "highly reflective" of his subsequent intentions as editor, which he says are similar to those of Robert Silverberg, effectively "pruning" science fiction to its relevant core.
Anders is particularly proud to have brought John Meaney to American attention. Pyr's published authors also include Michael Moorcock, Alan Dean Foster, Adam Roberts, Mike Resnick, Justina Robson, Joe Abercrombie, and Ian McDonald.
Awards and nominations
Anders was nominated for a Hugo Award four consecutive years in a row, in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. He is a 2008 Philip K. Dick Award nominee for his anthology,
Fast Forward 2. He was nominated for a Chesley Award for Best Art Director in 2007, 2009, and 2010, winning in 2009. He is a 2006 Professional nominee for editing at Pyr.