AMAZING STORIES LICENSES ICONIC NAME TO OPEN ROAD BRANDS

Steve Davidson continues his quest to breathe new and vibrant life into the old gal....

AMAZING STORIES LICENSES ICONIC NAME TO OPEN ROAD BRANDS

Merchandise Based on Covers of the Historic Pulp Magazine To Be Produced

April 17, 2014

Hillsboro, NH

Amazing Stories is pleased to announce the licensing of its iconic name – Amazing Stories – to Open Road Brands, LLC.

Open Road Brands, LLC will be creating and distributing reproductions of early Amazing Stories covers in formats suitable for display and decoration. Open Road Brands supplies large chain stores and a variety of other markets; this licensing arrangement will place the Amazing Stories logo and cover art in high traffic retail locations throughout North America.

“We're looking forward to helping to bring these iconic images to a wider audience; we know that fans love them and expect that there are many others out there who are fans but don't yet know it. What better way to introduce them all to the wonder and imagination of science fiction than Frank R. Paul artwork on the cover of Amazing Stories magazine!” said Steve Davidson, publisher and editor of the online magazine.

Open Road Brands, LLC specializes in combining innovative product design with recognizable brands – reminding consumers of why they love a brand and helping them make it a part of their lives.

Open Road Brands, LLC will be distributing a selection of Amazing Stories cover art to major retail chain stores such as Hobby Lobby and others. Don't be surprised to see an Amazing Stories' cover hanging on the wall at Cracker Barrel restaurants some day!

Artwork is currently in production. The Amazing Stories website will be sure to keep consumers informed of availability (expected during the 2^nd - 3^rd quarters of 2014.

For additional information:

Amazing Stories – www.amazingstoriesmag.com Steve.Davidson@amazingstoriesmag.com

Open Road Brands, LLC – www.openroadbrands.com

Amazing Stories is a registered trademark of Steve Davidson and The Experimenter Publishing Company

OPEN ROAD BRANDS, LLC is a trademark of OPEN ROAD BRANDS, LLC.

Hobby Lobby and Cracker Barrel are registered trademarks of their respective companies.

'Amazing Stories' to publish first fiction since 2005

Amazing Stories, the world's first science fiction magazine, has returned to publishing new fiction with the release of a substantial excerpt from Aurora Award-Winning author Douglas Smith's new novel "The Wolf at the End of the World"

Cover image for "The Wolf at the End of the World"

About his novel, Smith says, "Set in modern day Northern Canada, THE WOLF AT THE END OF THE WORLD is an urban fantasy incorporating First Nations mythology. With an introduction by World Fantasy Award winner, Charles de Lint, the book will appeal to fans of de Lint and Neil Gaiman. In it, a shapeshifter hero battles ancient spirits, a covert government agency, and his own dark past in a race to solve a series of murders that could mean the end of the world."

"The Wolf at the End of the World" is a sequel to Douglas’ award-winning novelette, “Spirit Dance".

"The Wolf at the End of the World" will be published this summer and is available for pre-order. A special discount is being offered to readers of Amazing Stories (sign up for a free membership on site).

To read the excerpt and for more information about Douglas Smith and his award-winning fiction, please visit www.amazingstoriesmag.com/blog, or visit Douglas Smith's website www.smithwriter.com.

Amazing Stories was re-launched in December of 2012 as a social network for fans of science fiction, fantasy and horror and features multiple daily blog posts written by the Amazing Blog Team, comprised of over 100 authors, artists, bloggers, editors and fans. Blog posts cover the entire universe of subjects of interest to fans - literature, film, television, comics, anime, science, audio works, art, collecting, pulps, fandom and more.

With the release of Douglas Smith's novel excerpt, Amazing Stories returns to the publication of fiction with an excerpt program. Two excerpts of new works will be published every month; featured works will initially be drawn from among the Amazing Blog Team members but the program will eventually open up to outside submissions.

The Amazing Stories xcerpt program joins its already-in-progress Space Art feature, a bi-weekly showcase of space art contributed by the members of the International Association of Astronomical Artists.

Membership in the Amazing Stories website is FREE. Every new membership directly contributes to the return of Amazing Stories as a fully-fledged professional market for science fiction, fantasy and horror.

http://www.amazingstoriesmag.com

Interesting Development: 'Amazing Stories' is coming back

I've learned from numerous Facebook Buddies that blogger Crotchty Old Fan (aka Steve Davidson) has acquired the trademark 'Amazing Stories' and is currently in the planning stages of bringing back the venerable science fiction magazine.

Hasbro, who came into possession of the Amazing Stories trademark by purchasing Wizards of the Coast, who had come into possession of the Amazing Stories trademark by purchasing TSR, Inc., who had come into possession of the Amazing Stories--well, you get the drift--failed to renew the trademark in 2007. Whether this was due to sloppiness, incompetence, or a lack of understanding of the fact that the Amazing Stories trademark still has lots of commercial potential (I was feeling charitable this morning and for once was going to ascribe it to ignorance and/or cheapness, but my friend Stan! pointed out to me that just a few years ago, Hasbro had refused to sell the trademark to Paizo Publishing. And there's also the fact that Hasbro couldn't even be bothered with the relatively minor undertaking and expense of filing the appropriate paperwork and paying the attending fees, and possibly of establishing a part of the WotC website with the "Amazing Stories" logo on it and a few stories and/or RPG materials archived to keep the trademark alive and under their control.

But Hasbro's loss is a potential gain for science fiction fans and creators. Writer and editor Steve Davidson (who operates the blog site The Crotchety Old Fan) has acquired the trademark, and he is planning a revival of Amazing Stories Magazine.

Davidson is currently in the early planning stages of his efforts. Here is a link to the press release he issued announcing he'd secured rights to the trademark, and here is a link to his intentions and an outline of his plans as they currently stand.

I wish him the best of luck and tons of commercial success!

(By the way, I had an article in one of the final (THE final?) issue of "Amazing Stories" published under the TSR, Inc./Wizards of the Coast banner. It was a roleplaying game adaptation of the "Battlefield Earth" novel that had been commissioned by then editor Kim Mohan. The biggest thrill for me was the fact some of my writing, no matter how humble and marketing-driven the subject matter, appeared between the same covers as a story by Ray Bradbury!)