We've had our eye on Orbit ever since Hachette Book Group brought the science fiction imprint and its director, Tim Holman, to New York two years ago, right around the time they launched Yen Press, an imprint for manga and graphic novels. We always thought it would be a brilliant idea to cross-market the two, given the potential for overlap in their respective readerships. Yesterday, Hachette validated our sensibilities, combining the two different lines under a new publishing division which will take Orbit's name—with Holman as the vice-president and publisher.

"Orbit and Yen Press will continue to develop independently," Holman explained in a press release. "However, as a single division, we’ll be able to combine our efforts in a number of key areas to great effect. Both Orbit and Yen Press are publishing in genres that can no longer be considered marginal. It is almost impossible to imagine popular culture today without them. Our challenge is to embrace this change, to be creative and forward-thinking, and to engage with the new audiences that we know are out there."

(photo: The Bookseller)