Kensington Publishing will launch Rebel Base Books this fall, which will publish science fiction and fantasy e-book originals. A digital-only imprint, Rebel Base will be overseen by Kensington editor Martin Biro.
“As a lifelong fanboy raised on a steady diet of Star Trek and Lord of the Rings, I couldn’t be more excited to boldly go where Kensington has never gone before,” Biro said in a statement.
The imprint will debut with a new book from Barb Hendee (author of the Noble Death series) called Through a Dark Glass. Kensington holds world English and audio rights to the book, which is the first in a two-book contract.
Speaking to the line, Karen Auerbach, Kensington's director of publicity, told PW that Rebel Base will publish 60 books a year.
“While Kensington has a storied science fiction and fantasy backlist of authors and titles, including such luminaries as Philip K. Dick, we’ve never delved so deeply into this crowd-pleasing category," Kensington publisher Lynn Cully said. "We know that these readers are very passionate and discerning, so we’re going to be highly selective in forming our list."
Manuscripts submitted to the new imprint for publication will be considered regardless of whether the author has an agent, Kensington said. The imprint's focus will also be on "soft" sci-fi, including thrillers; space travel; alternate worlds and histories; and classic epic fantasy.
