Publisher Spotlight: Aconyte Books
Last year saw the emergence of a brand new and exciting name in the world of expanding/ tie-in fiction, though if you studied the catalogue of Aconyte Books, you’d be forgiven for thinking they’d been in existence for a lot longer.
The slogan used by Aconyte Books is ‘Creating extraordinary novels from astonishing worlds’. Simply Google their name and you'll see for yourself! They are a vibrant and enthusiastic publisher of tie-in fiction that represents an impressive array of names in sci-fi, fantasy and horror, a few of which you’ll definitely know, and others you merely haven’t discovered yet. At the beginning of September, they celebrated their first birthday, and have achieved a staggering amount within their lifespan, including snagging two first-prizes in this year’s I.A.M.T.W Scribe Awards.
They stem from the international games distributor Asmondee Entertainment, who specialise in a range of gaming across numerous physical platforms, including board gaming, trading card gaming, party games and a great deal more. Aconyte Books create fiction which ties into much of the sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, and horror lore depicted in these gaming worlds, but have also acquired license to write titles for Marvel and Ubisoft, breathing fresh life into the abundance of popular characters already thriving within those respective character universes.
Amidst these various brands of entertainment, it is the goal of Aconyte Books to create unique and engaging stories in novel format. Regardless for how much Marvel: Avengers content you may have already sampled, Aconyte promises to provide fans with something new and engaging. In doing so, they’ve hired the services of Marc Gascoigne, who was previously Managing Director at Angry Robot Books, to propel Aconyte Books towards further deals with intellectual properties of fiction and other like-minded independent publishers.
Having begun publishing in late 2020, the list of titles under their belt is already massive, with more than 20 titles under the Marvel imprint alone, and a number of novels tied into Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed universe. They also take great pride in representing the specialist gaming worlds created by Asmondee. Lores covered under the Aconyte Books in novel format, include the pulp supernatural Arkham Horror board and trading card games, the roleplaying world of Legend of the Five Rings, and the strategy board game, Terraforming Mars. More titles embedding in roleplay gaming worlds can be found on their website, with more to come in the not so distant future.
With the aforementioned expanding character universes having no shortage of interest, Aconyte Books were quick to scoop up a wealth of talented writers who have occupied and expanded the narratives with their own ideas. Acquisitioned authors include established writer for the Warhammer 40,000 universe, David Annandale, Tin Duck Award winner, Amanda Bridgeman, and well-travelled purveyor of horror and fantasy novel Richard Lee Byers. With Aconyte Books evolving at an impressive scale, many more authors have joined their ranks.
Recent releases from Aconyte Books include David Guymer’s Marvel: Dark Avengers novel, The Patriot list, Robbie MacNiven’s latest Descent: Journeys in the Dark story, The Gates of Thelgrim, and the new Zombicide story by Josh Reynolds, Last Resort. The catalogue is a continuous work in progress, and new releases are scheduled all the way until April 2022. Those who enjoy the Arkham Horror, Zombicide and Descent titles, are in for a prosperous coming year.
Suffice to say that Aconyte Books are the go-to place for passionate lovers of creative specialist storytelling, who wish to explore the rich narratives expanded outside of the realms of media through which they began. To discover the range of titles in full, visit their Bookstore and start searching!
Those who have an equally keen interest in reaching out to join the ranks of Aconyte Books may also be pleased to know that Aconyte are open for submissions.. Be warned however, that they will only accept work from writers already established in the fields of tie-in and expanding fiction. If you are one such person and would like to reach out, then you can contact Aconyte Books at their Write for Us page...
Otherwise, you can keep up with all the latest info from Aconyte Books at their Twitter, and News Page. While you’re at it, follow their YouTube channel for interviews and live streams.
