Orbit, the new Hachette science fiction and fantasy imprint scheduled to launch this fall, has added a new trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson to its list. Orbit's publishing director, Tim Holman, bought world English rights from Trident's John Silbersack. The Terra Incognita trilogy, inspired by the great sea voyages of the age of discovery, will be a flagship series for Orbit in the U.S. and the U.K., according to Holman.
Anderson, known for such science fiction works as the six Dune prequels he wrote with Brian Herbert (son of Dune author Frank Herbert), is currently at work on his Saga of the Seven Suns, book six of which, Metal Swarm, will publish in Orbit's first season this December. The final volume of that series will follow in 2008, with the first volume of Terra Incognita to be released in 2009.
Orbit, which expects to publish around 40 titles a year, will do 23 titles in its launch season, from September 2007 to March 2008. Hachette will phase out its current science fiction imprint, Warner Aspect (which has been publishing Anderson), with all of its authors either switching to the general Warner (now Grand Central Publishing ) list or to Orbit.
