Alyson Books, formerly known as Alyson Publications, was a book publishing house which specialized in LGBT fiction and non-fiction. Former publisher Don Weise described it as "the world's oldest and largest publisher of LGBT literature" and "the home of award-winning books in the areas of memoir, history, humor, commercial fiction, mystery, and erotica, among many others".[1]
 | |
| Parent company | Regent Media |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 |
| Founder | Sasha Alyson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | New York City |
| Publication types | Books |
| Official website | www |
History
editFounded in Boston in 1980 by Sasha Alyson,[2] Alyson Publications began in 1990 to sell LGBT-themed children's books, entitled Alyson Wonderland.[3] It was acquired by Liberation Publications in 1995[4] and sold to Regent Entertainment Media, Inc. in 2008,[5][6] and in November, as Alyson Books, named Don Weise its publisher.[7] He has written of his commitment to Alyson's traditional areas of specialisation, but has stated that he is keen also to embrace "more serious nonfiction—particularly in the areas of current affairs, politics, self-help, and autobiography—as well as literary fiction and works by today's most respected LGBT authors."[1]
In 2010, Publishers Weekly announced that Alyson Books would switch to digital (e-book) publishing only, with plans to convert backlist titles in this fashion.[8] Don Weise left Alyson at that time.
As of 2019[update], the URL for the Alyson Books website produces a "DNS resolution error" message.
Some books published by Alyson
edit- "Gay Old Girls" (ISBN 1555834760) by Zsa Zsa Gershick (Joshua Irving Gershick)
- "Secret Service: Untold Stories of Lesbians in the Military" (ISBN 0739454234) by Zsa Zsa Gershick (Joshua Irving Gershick)
- Death Trick (ISBN 0-932870-27-9), by Richard Stevenson
- 101 Gay Sex Secrets Revealed (ISBN 978-1555838515), by Jonathan Bass
- How to Get Laid: The Gay Man's Essential Guide to Hot Sex (ISBN 978-1555838867), by Jonathan Bass
- Finding H.F. (ISBN 1-55583-622-4), a young adult novel by Julia Watts
- Young, Gay and Proud (ISBN 1-55583-001-3), edited by Sasha Alyson and Lynne Yamaguchi Fletcher
- The Dykes to Watch Out For comic strip by Alison Bechdel
- Lesbian Lists: A Look at Lesbian Culture, History, and Personalities (ISBN 1-55583-163-X) by Dell Richards (1990)
- The Second Coming: A Leatherdyke Reader (ISBN 1-55583-281-4), edited by Pat Califia and Robin Sweeney
- Melting Point (ISBN 1-55583-162-1), short stories by Pat Califia
- Doing it for Daddy (ISBN 1-55583-227-X), short stories by Pat Califia
- Macho Sluts (ISBN 1-55583-115-X), erotic fiction by Pat Califia
- Doc and Fluff (ISBN 1-55583-176-1), a novel by Pat Califia
- Latter Days (ISBN 1-55583-868-5), novelization by T. Fabris for the 2003 major motion picture of the same name
- The First Gay Pope and Other Records, by Lynne Yamaguchi Fletcher
- The Femme Mystique (ISBN 1-55583-255-5), short stories edited by Lesléa Newman
- Pillow Talk (ISBN 1-55583-419-1), short stories edited by Lesléa Newman
- Pills, Thrills, Chills and Heartache (ISBN 1555837530), Los Angeles Times bestseller[9] and 2004 Lambda Literary Awards finalist, edited by Clint Catalyst and Michelle Tea[10]
- The Lillian Byrd crime fiction series, by Elizabeth Sims
- Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology (ISBN 1-55583-558-9), edited by Amy Sonnie
- The Trouble with Harry Hay: Founder of the Modern Gay Movement, by Stuart Timmons
- Half-Life, a novel by Aaron Krach
- Out on Fraternity Row: Personal Accounts of Being Gay in a College Fraternity, by Shane Windmeyer
- Secret Sisters: Stories of Being Lesbian & Bisexual in a College Sorority
- Best Lesbian Love Stories, 2003–2005, edited by Angela Brown
- Mentsh: On Being Jewish and Queer, edited by Angela Brown
- Love, Bourbon Street: Reflections of New Orleans, edited by Greg Herren and Paul J. Willis—winner 2006 Lambda Literary Award for Anthology[11]
- Bi Any Other Name: Bisexual People Speak Out (ISBN 1-55583-174-5), edited by Loraine Hutchins and Lani Kaʻahumanu
- The Bisexual's Guide to the Universe, by Michael Szymanski and Nicole Kristal—winner 2006 Lambda Literary Award for Bisexual[11]
- Entangled Lives: Memoirs of 7 Top Erotica Writers (ISBN 1-55583-998-3), edited by Marilyn Jaye Lewis
- First You Fall a novel by Scott Sherman, winner of the Lambda Literary Foundation Award, 2009, Best Gay Mystery
- Girl Meets Girl: A Dating Survival Guide 2007 (ISBN 978-1-55583-989-5) by Diana Cage
- One Teenager in 10 (ISBN 0932870260), edited by Ann Heron
References
edit- ^ a b Weise 2009.
- ^ Fein, Esther B. (May 13, 1992). "Book Notes". The New York Times. Retrieved December 24, 2008.
- ^ "Owen Keenhen, 'Moving On: Talking with Publisher Sasha Alyson', 1992". Archived from the original on November 3, 2013.
- ^ "The Advocate acquires book publisher. (Liberation Publications Inc. buys Alyson Publications)". Folio. June 1, 1995. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved December 24, 2008.
- ^ Bajko, Matthew (April 10, 2008). "Breaking news: PlanetOut to sell off magazines". Bay Area Reporter. Archived from the original on June 9, 2009.
- ^ "Planetout Inc · 8-K · For 8/13/08". Fran Finnegan & Company. August 13, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
- ^ "Alyson Books Gets New Publisher". Gay News Bits. November 27, 2008. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
- ^ Anon., "Alyson Books Will Restructure as E-book Only House; Weise Leaves", Publishers Weekly, October 1, 2010.
- ^ "Paperbacks; BESTSELLERS; LOS ANGELES TIMES LIST FOR March 14, 2004". Los Angeles Times. March 14, 2004. p. 11. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
- ^ "Lambda Literary Foundation 2004 winners". Archived from the original on December 18, 2007.
- ^ a b http://www.lambdaliterary.org/ Lambda Literary Foundation
- Weise, Don. "Welcome to Alyson Books." Alyson Books. (accessed May 13, 2009).
External links
edit- Alyson Books at the Wayback Machine (archive index)