One of the most amazing things about this new world of publishing is the rebirth of books. Not just the reinvention of books, which is its own kind of rebirth, but the resurrection, if you will, of previously published books.
In the old days of publishing (like, a few years ago), a book got published, stayed on shelves for a bit until something new bumped it off, and then disappeared, save the random copy showing up in used-book stores. Some books stayed in print, of course. But unless it was a blockbuster bestseller, it drifted away like dandelion fluff on a gentle breeze (my daughter’s current favorite pastime).
But no longer.
Now, books are here to stay. All books. Every book.
And books are back. Out-of-print will become a term of the past.
Here at WMG, we have just relaunched one of those very books ourselves. And what a book! It’s called The Gallery of His Dreams, and the novella title is rather apropos to our topic for today, don’t you think?
The Gallery of His Dreams woul
d never have gone out of print if consumer demand truly drove publishing decisions back in the day. You see, everyone loved this book. And I mean loved. Not liked. Not considered pretty good. Loved.
As in nominated for no less than three major awards: the Hugo, the Nebula and the World Fantasy awards.
One of the most decorated and famous novellas of the 1990s, The Gallery of His Dreams remains a timeless tale of love, loss, and the power of art.
Mathew Brady, the first great war photographer, died broke in service of his art. In The Gallery of His Dreams, acclaimed writer Kristine Kathryn Rusch gives Mathew Brady a look at the future repercussions, power, and incredible value of his art, as only another true artist can do.
And that’s the power of the modern age. Time travel to the past is no longer necessary in the book industry. We can reach back in time and turn past into present and future.
And you thought science fiction was actually fiction…
I look forward to bringing you more blasts from the past. We’ve already reissued a chunk of our authors’ backlists, and we have a mountain of it left to go. But we’ll get there. One great book at a time.
Allyson Longueira is publisher of WMG Publishing. She is an award-winning writer, editor and designer.