Roc Books is a

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

Penguin Group Penguin Group is a British trade book publisher and part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. The new company was created by a merger that was finalised on 1 July 2013, with Bertelsmann initia ...

, as part of its

New American Library The New American Library (also known as NAL) is an American publisher based in New York, founded in 1948. Its initial focus was affordable paperback reprints of classics and scholarly works as well as popular and pulp fiction, but it now publish ...

. It was launched in April 1990 after Penguin Chairman Peter Mayer asked John Silbersack, the editor in chief of New American Library's science fiction (SF) program, to launch a new imprint that would draw more attention to Penguin's SF presence. The name Roc Books was chosen as a homage to Penguin's many famous bird-named publishing imprints. Roc was named after the enormous predatory bird of the

Arabian Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' ( ar, أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ, italic=yes, ) is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as the ''Arabian ...

. After Penguin's merger with G.P. Putnam's Sons the imprint was aligned with Ace books and the current editorial team at Roc is the same team that edits the Ace imprint, although the two imprints maintain a separate identity.

Inaugural list

The first monthly list at Roc was: * ''Robot Visions'': Isaac Asimov * ''The Warrior Lives'': Joel Rosenberg * ''Project Solar Sail'': Arthur C. Clarke * ''Among Madmen'': Jim Starlin & Daina Grazuinas * ''Barrow'': John Deakins

List of authors

* Taylor Anderson *

Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...

* John Steakley * Stephen Baxter *

Peter S. Beagle Peter Soyer Beagle (born April 20, 1939) is an American novelist and screenwriter, especially of fantasy fiction. His best-known work is ''The Last Unicorn'' (1968), a fantasy novel he wrote in his twenties, which '' Locus'' subscribers voted the ...

* Jim Murdoch * Steve Bein *

Carol Berg Carol Berg (born 1948) is the author of fantasy novels, including the books from the ''Rai-Kirah'' series, ''Song of the Beast'', the books from ''The Bridge of D'Arnath'' series, the ''Lighthouse'' novels, and ''Collegia Magica''. She also writ ...

* Anne Bishop * M. L. Brennan *

Jim Butcher Jim Butcher (born October 26, 1971) is an American author., He has written the contemporary fantasy ''The Dresden Files'', ''Codex Alera'', and '' Cinder Spires'' book series. Personal life Butcher was born in Independence, Missouri, in 1971. H ...

* Rachel Caine * Jacqueline Carey *

J. Kathleen Cheney J. Kathleen Cheney is an American school teacher and author of speculative fiction, active in the field since 2005 and professionally published since 2007. Biography Cheney was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, the daughter of two rocket scienti ...

Karen Chance Karen Chance is an American novelist. She grew up in Orlando, Florida. She has lived in France, Great Britain, Hong Kong and New Orleans, where she has taught history. She is currently living in Florida. She has been a full time author since 2008 ...

Nancy A. Collins Nancy A. Collins (born September 10, 1959) is an American horror fiction writer best known for her series of vampire novels featuring her character Sonja Blue. Collins has also written for comic books, including the '' Swamp Thing'' (vol. 2) ...

Arthur C. Clarke Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science-fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A Spac ...

* Glen Cook * James K. Decker * Mary Gentle *

Charles L. Grant Charles Lewis Grant (September 12, 1942 – September 15, 2006) was an American novelist and short story writer specializing in what he called "dark fantasy" and "quiet horror". He also wrote under the pseudonyms of Geoffrey Marsh, Lionel Fen ...

Simon R. Green Simon Richard Green (born 25 August 1955) is a British science fiction and fantasy author. Green was born in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire. He holds a degree in modern English and American literature from the University of Leicester. He began ...

* Chris Marie Green * Laurell K. Hamilton * Barb Hendee * J. C. Hendee * Douglas Hulick *

Faith Hunter Gwendolyn Faith Hunter is an American author and blogger, writing in the fantasy and thriller genres. She writes as Faith Hunter in the fantasy genre, and as Gwen Hunter in the thriller genre.

* Guy Gavriel Kay *

Caitlin R. Kiernan Caitlin () is a female given name of Irish origin. Historically, the Irish name Caitlín was anglicized as Cathleen or Kathleen. In the 1970s, however, non-Irish speakers began pronouncing the name according to English spelling rules as , which ...

* Patricia Kennealy-Morrison * E. E. Knight *

Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (; October 21, 1929 – January 22, 2018) was an American author best known for her works of speculative fiction, including science fiction works set in her Hainish universe, and the '' Earthsea'' fantasy series. She was ...

Dan McGirt Dan McGirt is an American author of comic fantasy. His current books consist of the Jason Cosmo series, which was rebooted in 2009 with the publication of ''Hero Wanted''. The Original Jason Cosmo Non-Trilogy was envisioned as an ongoing series, ...

* Dennis L. McKiernan * Devon Monk * Grant Naylor *

Chloe Neill Chloe Neill (born May 1975 in the United States) is the ''New York Times'' and ''USA Today'' bestselling author of the Devil's Isle and Chicagoland Vampires series. She writes in the urban fantasy and paranormal romance genres. Life and caree ...

* Andre Norton *

Terry Pratchett Sir Terence David John Pratchett (28 April 1948 – 12 March 2015) was an English humourist, satirist, and author of fantasy novels, especially comical works. He is best known for his '' Discworld'' series of 41 novels. Pratchett's first no ...

* Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens * Kat Richardson * Joel Rosenberg * Jamie Schultz * M. J. Scott * Luke Scull * Thomas E. Sniegoski *

Jim Starlin James P. Starlin (born October 9, 1949) is an American comics artist and writer. Beginning his career in the early 1970s, he is best known for space opera stories, for revamping the Marvel Comics characters Captain Marvel and Adam Warlock, an ...

S. M. Stirling Stephen Michael Stirling (born September 30, 1953) is a Canadian-American science fiction and fantasy author who was born in France. Stirling is well known for his Draka series of alternate history novels and his later time travel/alternate his ...

Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed hi ...

* Anne Bishop * Kathleen Tierney * Rob Thurman *

Boris Vallejo Boris Vallejo (born January 8, 1941) is a Peruvian-American painter who works in the science fiction, fantasy, and erotica genres. His hyper-representational paintings have appeared on the covers of numerous science fiction and fantasy fiction ...

* Django Wexler Roc was publisher of FASA's game-related ''Battletech'' and ''Shadowrun'' novels beginning with ''Shadowrun: The Secrets of Power #2: Choose Your Enemies Carefully'' by Robert N. Charette in February 1991.

References

1990 establishments in New York City American speculative fiction publishers Book publishing companies based in New York (state) Fantasy book publishers Publishing companies established in 1990 Science fiction publishers Roc (mythology) {{US-publish-company-stub

Inaugural list

List of authors

See also

References