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Nuts & Bolts: Valerie Cortes

August 11, 2008 This week's Nuts & Bolts interviewee is Valerie Cortes, a publicist at Penguin USA who handles publicity for most of the books put out under their Roc and Ace imprints. One of her recent charges was Charles Stross's Saturn's Children (Ace, July 2008).

Genreville: When did you first encounter Saturn's Children, and what got you interested in it?

Valerie Cortes: I worked with Charles last year on Halting State and it was one of my most exciting projects because of how creative and innovative his writing is. I'm always ecstatic to work with an author who breaks new ground. Charlie is a philosophically provocative writer who broadens the mind of anyone who reads him. When I first got my hands on Saturn's Children, I expected another techno thriller like Halting State, and I was surprised to find myself engulfed in a satirical space opera illustrating our human nature from an android's perspective.  Charlie’s soul really shines through in Saturn's Children, with its underlying messages of human frailty. As I kept reading, I realized that Saturn's Children is a pastiche of Robert A. Heinlein's novel Friday. This got me very excited. A major influence for science fiction writers, including Stross, Heinlein’s novel was revolutionary for its time.

GV: What challenges did you face when promoting the book?

VC: As with all genre fiction, there are obstacles when it comes to promotion, but Charles Stross was my first breakthrough into mainstream media. Halting State was released on the heels of popular cyber-punk authors, such as William Gibson, so that helped a great deal.  When we started, it was pretty clear that the “casual reader” hadn’t heard of him, so name recognition was limited. Saturn's Children deviates from the successful formula of Stross' previous award-winning novel, perhaps driving away readers who were eager anticipating another high-tech thriller. But as soon as they link Stross' with Heinlein, it's impossible to ignore the genius behind Stross' direct comment on the influential novel, Friday.

GV: How did it inspire or discourage you? How is that experience affecting your current and future projects?

VC: Charles Stross has done nothing but inspire me. Whenever I get media for his books, I feel like I've given a gift to any new readers that we've reached. Charlie thinks outside the box. He sees things that most people can't see. As a publicist, I strive to be as imaginative as Charlie. These projects have opened my eyes to different ideas and different ways of looking at the world. I’m always looking for more innovative ways to promote my authors. Every project I work on teaches me a new trick for promoting the next.

It's important to remain current with changing technologies as our industry continues to evolve within a Web 2.0 environment. I recently made a music video for my Ace & Roc Fall 2008 titles that is up and running on YouTube. I’m hoping bloggers will use the link on their website to help promote the books as well as the imprints. Every little bit helps.

My apologies to those of you who asked me (and, in one case, attempted to bribe me) to ask Valerie about the infamous Saturn's Children cover. For one thing, it's somewhat outside of the purview of these little Q&As. For another, I expect those queries should be sent to Ace's art director. On the other hand, I've been reminded that illustrators and art directors should be included in the list of future Nuts & Bolts interviewees, so thank you for that!

Next week's Nuts & Bolts will feature recent Hugo-winner Elizabeth Bear discussing her new Promethean Age novels, Ink and Steel (Roc, July 2008) and Hell and Earth (Roc, August 2008)

Posted by Rose Fox on August 11, 2008 | Comments (0)