Science Fiction Cryptids

Now available:

Bestiarium Cryptozoologicum: Mystery Animals and Unknown Species in Classic Science Fiction and Fantasy

23 stories, details here.

Herp Art Prints

I have started a new product line in parallel with my book publishing: reproduction art prints from vintage natural history images. I've started out with a small group of reptile prints, and will be adding a few invertebrates and birds soon. These are available in a variety of print sizes and even in greeting card format.

Coachwhip Books in Australia

It appears that all of black-and-white cryptozoology books available from my publishing arm, Coachwhip Publications, should now be available for purchase from the Angus & Robertson bookstore in Melbourne, Australia, via the Espresso Book Machine. A&R will be adding EBMs to other branches throughout Australia in the near future. Hopefully, other bookstores in that part of the world will consider incorporating EBMs into their business strategy.

(Unfortunately, full color books will not be available in this incarnation of the EBM.)

And, I'll note that my goal is to expand my selection of cryptozoological and anomalous natural history books, so am looking for authors who may have niche texts in these fields that don't fit a traditional publisher's interests. (I'm looking for research-based books, as opposed to speculation-driven books.) See my submission guidelines, or email if you have questions.

Really?

Richard Freeman, in a recent interview: "The CFZ is the only company in the world publishing books on mysterious animals"

Guess again, Richard.

Newsletter

A new newsletter, the Cryptid Chronicles, is being offered by David Acord. It will be a weekly publication, 12 pages an issue, 52 weeks a year, for $29.95.

A free issue and more details can be seen here.

My only caveat is that the articles seem to be based solely on digital newspaper archives; there's little else right now. Nothing wrong with archives, they are foundational for my own publishing, but it's easy to miss broader correlations if that's all you use. For example, the collection of articles on whistling snakes is interesting, but overlooks the many cases reported elsewhere (herpetological or herpetocultural publications) of snakes making strange sounds. Within the cryptozoological community, Karl Shuker has noted several such cases.

And, then, there's the discussion of the Ohio "proteus," which appears to puzzle the editor, who doesn't seem aware that "proteus" was commonly used historically as a generic term for aquatic salamanders. The animal in question is no puzzle; it's a mudpuppy.

So, taking it with an open mind (but with some critical examination), this could be a good choice for those who look forward to new (old) crypto reports in their email every week.

Classic Cryptofiction

Now available: Beyond the Great South Wall, by Frank Savile. This is a classic romantic-adventure novel involving mysterious clues to an ancient culture that lead to the frozen south (and a prehistoric horror...) First published in 1901, it has a decent (if corny) storyline, interesting characters, and plenty of escapades.

Ordering info at CoachwhipBooks.com.

Ebooks

Printable, downloadable ebook versions (PDF) of The Historical Bigfoot, Boss Snakes, and The Great Sea-Serpent are now available. For these three titles, pricing is at $9.95, and an affiliates referral fee of $3.00 for each referred ebook purchase of these titles is available. Links with details at CoachwhipBooks.com, on the individual title pages.

Cryptozoological Publishing: What Books?

Well, Loren appears to think that I've been "having at him" over his Cryptomundo posting on Big Bird!, though he's certainly not the only author who tends to overemphasize speculation than fact. I'll just quickly note three points, then move on to what actually interests me: the scope of cryptozoological publishing.

First—I'm not concerned about world views; I'm concerned about spin.
Second—Yes, it appears Gerhard was pushing the pterosaur angle. Reminds me of some writers who, say, push the American Atrox scenario in mystery cat discussions. Glass houses and bricks...
Third—good grief, get over the CFZ's overhyped marketing. If you haven't figured out by now that they've never met a superlative they didn't love, cherish, and adopt into the family, you've been wandering in the woods too long. So what? The only insult to a reader's intelligence is when we assume readers can't discern a marketing ploy on their own.

Now, to the fun stuff. What kind of cryptozoology books are actually being published? From what I've seen, (I am not concerned with fiction or juvenile non-fiction here) I would categorize as such:

Encyclopedias—These are the entry-defined volumes, with broad scope (usually encompassing the whole of cryptozoology, though could conceivably cover subsets). Depth and details of entries will usually be limited by the background information available. Some mystery animals will be covered well, others won't; but hopefully the editor/author has spent enough time to adequately cover the subject. The two primary encyclopedias now are by Newton and Eberhart, but you'll notice that even with wide overlap, there are significant differences and some cryptids are not covered by both books. And, I know that there are mystery animals not covered by either book. Still, I would be unwilling to suggest that yet another broad coverage encyclopedia is necessary. (It requires enormous effort and time, which may not be adequately recompensed.) Perhaps some specialized encyclopedias... Loren's Cryptozoology A to Z, is representative of a decent entry-level encyclopedia—the entries cover the primary elements of cryptozoology. Loren might want to consider an offshoot project for this (hint, hint): perhaps a [biographic] encyclopedia (Who's Who Past and Present) of cryptozoology, but with greater scope of personalities involved, especially in the past. I've also thought it would be interesting to see a chronological timeline-style entry-book on cryptozoology, so that we can actually see how the methodology developed, as significant species were discovered and major players emerged, showing how sightings of different cryptids play out over time. I don't have time for that project right now, maybe someone (experienced, please) would be willing to take it up. (I'd certainly be interested in publishing it...) The biggest problem in this and certain other types of cz books, however, is that often an author is trying to put the book together alone; that means there is a higher chance of overlooking material that should have been included. There needs to be some willingness to solicit help from a wider range of investigators. [Addition: I should note that Eberhart's encyclopedia found its roots in his earlier massive bibliography on the subject. Bibliographies are a category in themselves, and very useful; but, with today's technology, I'd personally rather see an online effort that can continuously incorporate new citations.]

Cryptozoological Apologetics—Heuvelmans' books are the foundation for cryptozoology. His writings (including his articles in the ex-ISC journal Cryptozoology), and those of others (Mackal, Greenwell) who discuss the necessity for cryptozoology, what it concerns, and how it is practiced, should form the basis of any cz library. I don't think I've seen anything published in this category for some time. My Cryptozoology: Science & Speculation delves into some of these areas, but I prefer to see these written by professional biologists who actually recognize cryptozoology as a working methodology. With the demise of the ISC, it may be some time before we see much more in this direction.

Single Subject Reviews—These are the books written about a specific mystery animal or cryptozoological category, usually one well-known to the public, whether Bigfoot, or lake monsters, or sea serpents. Shuker's Mystery Cats of the World is a good example. We can note several subcategories, as well.
(Popularization): The book isn't meant to be in-depth. It may present noteworthy case-studies, discuss various theories, discuss some pros and cons, etc.
(Incident-Based): This is generally a "just-the-facts" style book, providing the details in sighting reports or interviews, without much speculation. This is particularly useful for investigators who may want to follow up on reports, or make comparisons. (Let me state here that one of my biggest problems with speculative books is that they often do so at the expense of details, which are supposed to be shoring up any arguments made, anyway.)
(Investigation-Based): Similar to the Incident-based, but derived primarily through personal interviews and on-site investigations.
(Folkloric): Lake Monster Traditions is one for this category, as are some of the Bigfoot folklore-based texts. These tend to be written by those outside the cryptozoological community, though we certainly see our own discussions of the influence that myth has on cultural understandings of mystery animals. I wouldn't mind seeing someone create a folkloric encyclopedia of Bigfoot-style subjects, for example, though I wouldn't want to see it written by someone who thinks that all myths have a basis in solid facts.
(Scientific): These are books written within a scientific (preferably experimental) mindset. It isn't enough to just say "I'm scientific," and then list a bunch of sighting reports. These are the books that incorporate scientific methodologies: Meldrum's recent Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science is a good one here.
(Historical): Not merely a discussion of the subject, but showing the historical development of the subject. Several of the old sea-serpent books fit in this category. The author may have a specific argument, but takes the subject back to its roots and shows how opinions, theories, and reports affect the mystery creature public image over the years.
(Speculative Biology): In this area, the author may pull data from alleged related organisms (past and present), in an effort to provide a reasonable biological picture of the mystery animal. Generally speaking, I don't see much point in this, unless the purpose is to determine a way in which to actually acquire confirmative evidence of the mystery animal.
Obviously, many books will show overlapping characteristics from more than one category.
I'd personally like to see more categorical reviews: Mystery Bears of the World, Mystery Whales, Mystery Canines, etc.

Regional Emphasis—Similar to the Single Subject Review, this category just focuses regionally rather than biologically. (Such as, Out of the Shadows: Mystery Animals of Australia.) Subcategories will generally also follow the same route. This is a particularly good area, though, for small self-published projects. There are lots of small booklets covering specific state Bigfoot sightings, for example. (Opsasnick's Maryland Bigfoot Digest is one of my favorites.) Often these are widely publicized; in fact, I've got a couple on hand (Bigfoot Sightings of East Central Alabama, etc.) I still need to review on BioFortean Review when I get the time. Most of these will have reports you won't find in the broader subject reviews.

Expeditionary Investigations—These are the often personalized accounts of an expedition in search of a specific mystery animal. While the cryptid may be the reason for the trip, you'll often see what is more of a travelogue, so the author may at any point make sidetrips (geographically or philosophically). Sometimes the investigation will be straight-forward, other times it really meanders. (Occasionally, you get the gonzo journalist, and anything can happen.)

New Discoveries—Some authors (i.e., Matt Bille, Karl Shuker) like to recap zoological discoveries of significance to cryptozoology. These are very useful in showing why cryptozoology serves a purpose, though I'd like to see some more emphasis on those discoveries that actually resulted from cryptozoological methodologies (even if the scientists involved are not cryptozoologists themselves).

There are probably a few other categories that could be noted, but I think that's enough for my purpose. Could we use more cryptozoology books? Absolutely. But I'd like to see authors take a little more thought in what would be most helpful in the continued organization and development of cryptozoology.

Publishing Standards for Cryptozoology Books?

A recent posting to another blog site suggested that the recently published Big Bird!, by Ken Gerhard through CFZ Press, is indicative of lowered standards in cryptozoology publishing (e.g., a thin, quick-print job with little to contribute and just looking for a fast buck). Well, that particular posting was soon withdrawn (thus no need to cite it here), though whether from offline flack or recognition that clear misstatements were made, I'm not certain. I'm not concerned with subjective reviews of cryptozoology books, anyone can like or dislike a book as they choose, but when objections are raised in the name of "higher standards," they can't (or shouldn't) be merely waved away or buried under the pretense they never were made. Otherwise, they come back, again and again, perhaps in different forms or insinuations, but they do reappear.
I am not an expert in cryptozoology or publishing (I don't think one can even be an expert in CZ), but I have enough experience with both (and a stake in the ongoing development of cryptozoological books), to make some observations without being entirely from left field.

First, let me take a look at Gerhard's book. I should note that I've never met Gerhard, and I don't recall ever having communicated with him via email. Off the top of my head, I don't know if he is on any of the email lists I moderate, though some of the CFZ folk are. The first I heard about this book was when I first noted it here on this blog, at which time I ordered a copy.
From a technical standpoint, it does look like a short book. Part of this is an artifact of the book's layout—the font and leading are smaller than normal, the page size is a little larger than the standard 6 x 9 inches we usually see for print-on-demand books, and the gutter (spine-side inside margin) is very small. The page count could have been expanded, giving the text more breathing room. I'm guessing CFZ wanted to keep the page count low to keep the retail price low, but that's just a guess. (Page count has a direct effect on pricing issues with POD books.)
Images in the book are either a) Gerhard's investigation photos, or b) artistic contributions by Bill Rebsamen. Because CFZ put this on a slightly larger than 6 x 9 page, the printer uses a very white page, which does show these images better than I'd normally expect to see with a POD book, but no one should expect offset quality imagery. That is just unrealistic. In this case, the photos are OK, but Bill's artwork looks better. (In the case of page 52, it stands out perfectly—it's a great image.)
Regarding the text, it starts off with three chapters of investigating Texas "flying creature" reports, including some historical recaps. Gerhard interviews witnesses, visits locations of interest, and gives us a look into his thought process as he investigates the "Big Bird." He follows this up with a chapter briefly noting flying cryptids from around the world, a chapter focusing on other flying cryptids from North America, and a final chapter noting the various theories that have been considered to explain the primary sightings. Gerhard also includes within the appendices a descriptive paleontological scenario on pterosaurs (by Leland Hale, not sure who that is) and a chronology of the Texas Big Bird sightings. Yes, it appears that Gerhard included Wikipedia in his sourcenotes (bad author! baaaad author!), but he also cites other investigators and sources. None of the chapters are long, but then they aren't fluffed up with pretentious over-speculation, either. Guess which one I think is worse?
So, is Big Bird! a cryptozoological classic? No. I can count on one hand the number of "classics" published in cryptozoology in the last five years—make that one finger (Meldrum's Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science is the only true recent classic to come to mind). But is it interesting? Yes. I found the first three chapters on Gerhard's personal experiences interesting. I like to see the methodology taking place, as can often be found in early cryptozoology texts: Izzard's Hunt for the Buru; The Spotted Lion; The Blue Tiger, etc. Is there new information in it? Yeah, while there are numerous accounts in the summary chapters that will be well-known to the average cryptozoology enthusiast, there are also reports new to print, or at least I haven't run across them previously. One problem with the non-Texas chapters does arise—they aren't always properly sourced; I don't know where Gerhard got several of the reports from (personal interview, website, or another investigator). I recognize the witness of the 2001 Smith Mills, KY, sighting, but see no indication as to where Gerhard collected the story. Even when protecting anonymity, other details of provenance should be noted. Take the stories for what they are—potential starting points for future investigation.
My personal opinions on the book: 1) I wish the author had spent a little more time on the "umbrella" nature of cryptids as ethnozoological catch-all's. We've seen that in numerous cryptid studies: Chorvinsky, most notably, in his examination of Chessie sightings. 2) I suspect that Texas and Mexico should be the primary focus of further "pterosaur" hunts, rather than PNG or Africa. (And, I know that there is at least one investigation in northern Mexico now, for "pterosaur"-like creatures.) Nick Sucik's investigations into southwestern cryptids suggests that that region has a great deal to offer for zoological discovery. This book only scratches the surface. I've seen other flying creature reports from the southwest, have a few I'll eventually get around to publishing. 3) I don't see any indication that this was anything less than a book the author wanted to write, or that it was a quick-money publishing scheme. Certainly not for the price this book is going for. I can calculate the print cost and wholesale discount; easy enough to guess the rest. Gerhard is not going to get rich off this book, and I don't believe that was his intent. It is clear that Gerhard is an experienced investigator, and it is great to see that he is willing to share his data and thoughts in this fashion. (Unlike some investigators, who might well be caching their reports in a safe-deposit box, never to see the light of day again.)

So, what for cryptozoological publishing? First, let me state, Enough with the crying for a magnum opus! Heuvelmans, Oudemans, and Sanderson are long gone. Frankly, I don't know any current writer who could accomplish what they were able to do. Nor is it necessary. The idea that anything less than a 400-page monograph on a global cryptozoological phenomenon (mostly speculation, of course) is "diluting" the literature, is absurd. This perspective is skewed. Think of cryptozoological literature as a continuum. There must be books that are primarily for popularization—these should (accurately, scientifically) engage the beginning reader, introducing the reader to new concepts and a basic understanding of what cryptozoology is about, and the mystery animals with which it is concerned. As a reader becomes an enthusiast, more information (greater depth) will be required. The foundational books for cryptozoology serve well here (Heuvelmans & Sanderson, the historical texts, the science-oriented cz books, etc.). Investigators may require something even more detailed, which leads to a bit of incongruity: the broad scope of cryptozoological encyclopedias, or the tightened interest of a very specific investigation. Without this range, a continuum doesn't survive, which has an effect on cryptozoology as a whole. Maybe one day, we'll see another cryptozoological magnum opus—but until then, those who feel called to write should continue to publish.
Should there be standards? Officially? No—certainly not set by any one writer. I do believe that any writer or publisher (or writer/publisher) can always do better—and that includes those who publish "real" books. (Please.) I certainly wouldn't want to see word count confused as "quality." There are a few inherent difficulties in publishing cryptozoological topics, I won't go into them right now, but for basic quality issues, I'm sure that most of us with some experience in self-publishing or POD publishing are willing to discuss and debate ways to make a book useful, interesting, and worth a spot on the bookshelf. If you are looking for a place to talk about cryptozoology publishing, feel free to join this Yahoo Group.