The Grantville Gazettes
| Author | Eric Flint |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Series | 1632 series |
| Genre | Alternate History, Anthology |
| Publisher | Baen Books |
|
Publication date
|
Semi-periodic, and Periodic (bi-monthly) Various dates from February 2003 and from 2004 (in print as books) |
| Media type |
e-zine and ebook Paperback and hardcover |
| Pages |
Grantville Gazette I, 361 pp (first edition) |
| Preceded by | Ring of Fire (anthology) |
| Followed by | Grantville Gazette II |
The Grantville Gazettes are anthologies of short stories set in the 1632 universe introduced in Eric Flint's novel 1632.
The Gazettes started as an experiment: a professionally edited, officially sanctioned "fan magazine" published electronically. Initially released as serialized e-magazines, they were later published as e-books (taking a page from the Baen Books experience with E-ARCs—Electronic Advance Reader Copies, which had been instituted several years earlier.) Because the electronic sales were successful, Baen contracted with Flint for more issues, to be published 3-4 times per year (bimonthly, starting in 2007). Each would form part of the canonical background for the other works (novels and anthologies) in the rapidly growing 1632 series.
As of mid-2012, e-magazines are published bimonthly, and six books have been published (five of those as both hardcover and mass market paperback) excerpted from the first 17 issues of the magazine. A seventh book is promised.
Separating 1632-verse history from the internet web fora at Baen Books web site Baen's Bar is impossible, for the forum has shaped the series, as the series has, in part, shaped the forum. Only the Honorverse web forums of best selling author David Weber have been busier than the eventual three special fora set up for 1632-verse topics since 2000, and according to Flint, by 2005 over two hundred-thousand posts had been made on the '1632 Tech' forum alone. Hence, while fan fiction, the Gazettes from the outset differed in important ways from most fan fiction:
Issued initially as an electronic quasi-magazine using the publisher's e-ARC distribution system, the original magazine came out only sporadically—as Flint and Baen copy editors had time to put early issues together. By the time of the seventh issue in June 2006, three years from the first volume, having proved to be a self-funding success, the publication changed. Along the way, Jim Baen had agreed to try another experiment, and brought out volume 1 in print as a paperback. In March 2006 Baen published volume 2 in hardcover, which became a New York Times best seller.
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