1. James Patrick Baen was a US science fiction publisher and editor.
27 Facts About Jim Baen
1. 2.
In 1983, he founded his own publishing house, Jim Baen Books, specializing in the adventure, fantasy, military science fiction, and space opera genres.
3.
Jim Baen left his stepfather's home at the age of 17 and lived on the streets for several months before joining the United States Army; he served in Bavaria.
4.
Jim Baen was Judy-Lynn del Rey's replacement as managing editor at Galaxy Science Fiction in 1973.
5.
Jim Baen succeeded Ejler Jakobsson as editor of Galaxy and If in 1974.
6.
When Doherty left to start Tor Books in 1980, Jim Baen shortly followed and started the SF line there.
7.
Jim Baen Books has grown steadily since and established a large readership among fans of accessible adventure SF, publishing books by authors such as David Weber, John Ringo, Eric Flint, David Drake, Lois McMaster Bujold, Elizabeth Moon, Mercedes Lackey, Larry Niven, and many more.
8.
In short, even as the average small town library is trimming titles carried and stocking up on audio-visual media, Jim Baen took advantage of technology to counteract the former "boost" gotten from libraries buying titles and keeping them around.
9.
Jim Baen had the advantage over some editors in that he knew what a story is.
10.
Jim Baen had the advantage over most editors in being able to spot talent before somebody else had published it.
11.
The week before his stroke, Jim bought a first novel from a writer whom Baen Books had been grooming through short stories over the past year.
12.
The most important quality that Jim Baen brought to his company was a personal vision.
13.
Jim Baen edited several anthology series in paperback format, trying to combine the feeling of an anthology and a magazine.
14.
Jim Baen edited several volumes of reprints from Galaxy and If in the 1970s.
15.
Jim Baen started an experimental web publishing business called Webscriptions in late 1999.
16.
Jim Baen thought that just made it hard for people to read books, the worst mistake a publisher could make.
17.
Jim Baen's e-texts were clear and in a variety of common formats.
18.
Jim Baen was an outspoken opponent of DRM, regarding it as harmful to publishers and authors as well as readers.
19.
Jim Baen was very active on the web forum of the Baen website, called Baen's Bar, which he started in May 1997; his interests included evolutionary biology, space technology, politics, military history, and puns.
20.
Jim Baen took a look at the manuscript, fired the reader who had rejected it, and told Ringo that if he made certain edits, Jim Baen would buy it.
21.
Jim Baen would have been glad to break even on the e-biz, for he was firmly convinced the increased exposure would lead to increased sales, and it took only three years to prove it beyond much doubt, and about as long before even the competition could no longer deny the successes.
22.
In 2000, Jim Baen was the editor guest of honor at Chicon 2000, that year's Worldcon.
23.
Meanwhile, Jim Baen had paired best-selling author David Weber with the emerging mid-list author Flint in a five-book contract, and the resulting 1633 created a new cycle of buzz and interest.
24.
Jim Baen took the risk, adapting his e-ARC system and Webscriptions for a magazine format.
25.
In late 2005 Jim Baen announced plans for a bimonthly online science fiction magazine, which was originally named Jim Baen's Astounding Stories.
26.
Jim Baen had two daughters, Jessica with his wife of sixteen years, Madeline Gleich, and Katherine with Toni Weisskopf.
27.
Jim Baen apparently had a premonition of his own death and suffered a massive bilateral thalamus stroke on June 12,2006.