Today we’d like to introduce you to Jason Sizemore.
Jason suffered an early mid-life crisis at the age of 30 back in 2004.
Stuck in a go nowhere city job supporting risk management software, the need to do something interesting and exciting overcame him. For better or for worse, he wanted to make a mark on the world.
Thus, happened Apex Publications!
What started as a single quarterly print magazine of dark SF short stories (the well-regarded Apex Science Fiction & Horror Digest) has turned into a busy small press with over 40 titles in print and the monthly ezine Apex Magazine.
Along the way, Apex has had the opportunity to publish some of the most exciting and interesting writers in speculative fiction: Brian Keene, Tade Thompson, Damien Angelica Walters, Douglas F. Warrick, Nick Mamatas, Jennifer Pelland, Lavie Tidhar, Michael A. Burstein, Chris Bucholz, and many, many more.
Apex’s books and magazine have been the recipient of some of the top awards in science fiction, fantasy, and horror: the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, the Stoker Award, the World Fantasy Award, among others. In 2014, the third anthology in our international SF series, The Apex Book of World SF: Volume 3, was selected as one of NPR’s top 40 books of the year.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Publishing is a tough business. Despite a low cost of entry, there are several aspects that make publishing a challenge:
1) An antiquated distribution model — Stores can order and return books to your distributor at their discretion for up to two years. This means you’re charged back for the returned titles, along with fees by the distribution company.
2) Even printing in bulk, the profit margin is low.
3) Low cost of entry into publishing means there are always many, many upstarts nipping at your heels. If you can work the distribution model and keep to a budget, you need to find your publishing niche.
Apex has struggled with all three with varying degrees of pain. Still struggles.
Apex Book Company – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Apex Book Company is the book publishing arm of Apex Publications, LLC. We publish science fiction, fantasy, and horror novels, novellas, anthologies and collections.
The work we publish leans dark: cautionary tales regarding technology, dystopian fantasies, eco-fiction, and so on.
We don’t like to publish message fiction, but we do prefer works that have a strong point of view and has something to say about the world and the human condition. Speaking with our readers, they appreciate the balance of entertaining fiction and the intellectual angles our books bring them.
I’m most proud of our The Apex Book of World SF anthology series. Back in 2008, author Lavie Tidhar approached me about doing an anthology focusing on fiction from under-represented areas of the world in genre fandom. The series has been extremely successful much to my delight. Bringing all these unique writer voices to our readers is an accomplish I cherish.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Obviously, financial gain is a major component of success. Without the cash, there’s no business.
However, I measure true success by how much personal satisfaction I derive from the work. Work, by definition, isn’t fun…but the results of work should give you pride, a sense of success, of making a difference in the world. If you have a job that creates that for you (and you make enough money to keep a roof over your head), then you’re a success.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.apexbookcompany.com
- Phone: 859-312-3974
- Email: jason@apexbookcompany.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/apexbookcompany
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/apexpublications
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/apexbookcompany
Image Credit:
Al Bogdan
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
