Pioneering Fantasy Writer Long Overdue for Recognition at Last
Revamped write-up:
Get a whiff of your beloved sci-fi or fantasy novel? You'd hardly forget the writer and title, right? But, the editor or publisher? Nah, they seldom get the limelight.
Judy-Lynn del Rey, though, bucked this trend on Oct 1, 2024. PBS aired "Judy-Lynn del Rey: The Space Goddess," the premier episode of its new series "Renegades," focusing on undercover heroes, featuring this remarkable individual with dwarfism. Famous for establishing Del Rey Books, her impact on the science fiction and fantasy realms was profound.
As a fantasy literature buff, I was delighted to contribute to the PBS project. Though time constraints limited what could be covered, the episode missed the boat on del Rey's influence on the genres themselves.
Judy-Lynn had a crystal-clear vision of the stories the public craved. Critics (bitter rivals, some say) deemed her righteous, an uncanny rarity in the publishing world.
Stellar Editor, Extraordinary Impact
del Rey earned the tag of "rock star editor" from her authors. Arthur C. Clarke, co-writer of "2001: A Space Odyssey," deemed her the "smartest editor I've ever met," while Philip K. Dick asserted she was the "editor since Maxwell Perkins," a legendary figure who nurtured literary giants like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Her initial brush with publishing magic happened when she served as an assistant (and unofficial gofer) on the most legendary 60s sci-fi magazine, Galaxy. There, she honed her publishing chops and rose through the editorial ranks, ultimately attracting Ballantine Books in 1973.
When Ballantine got swallow-ed by publishing giant Random House, del Rey climbed the ranks to senior editor. However, her watershed moment came when she dropped John Norman, author of the hugely popular "Gor" series, whose work was criticized for male chauvinism.
Her mission? To revitalize science fiction by capturing the attention of younger readers. Pearl number one? The "Star Trek Log" series, ten novels based on episodes of "Star Trek: The Animated Series."
Success kept rolling in when she landed the rights to "Star Wars," a cinematic gem that skeptics deemed box-office poison. This risky wager sparked years of lucrative tie-in products like calendars, art books, and habitats so vast, del Rey jokingly referred to herself as the "Mama of Star Wars."
Embracing the Boundless
del Rey's business tactics as an editor garnered criticism (green-eyed rivals, arguably). However, she was merely navigating the publishing landscape that genuinely existed, not the ideal one she wished for. Dan Sinykin, a publishing industry scholar, coined this epoch the "Conglomerate Era," a time when small, family-owned houses melded into big corporations, leading to greater corporate funding and commercial growth for the industry.
Random House, her parent company, boasted legendary figures like Bennett Cerf and Robert L. Bernstein, championing free speech. This open-minded atmosphere afforded Del Rey Books immense creative freedom, paving the way for her boldest move yet: fantasy.
In a time when fantasy was often ridiculed as unsellable, del Rey launched Del Rey Books and achieved instant success with chart-toppers like "The Sword of Shannara" and "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant." Despite critics questioning her preference for commercial success over literary merit, Del Rey authors bagged their fair share of accolades.
The Locus Poll Award was claimed by Del Rey authors Julian May and Isaac Asimov in '82 and '83. Other Locus winners included Patricia A. McKillip, Robert A. Heinlein, Larry Niven, Marion Zimmer Bradley, and Barbara Hambly. Barry Hughart's "Bridge of Birds" bagged two World Fantasy Awards and the Mythopoeic Society Award in '86. Del Rey also swept the "Science Fiction Book Club Award's" maiden years, winning seven out of nine. The imprint further clinched three consecutive August Derleth Fantasy Awards from '77 to '79.
Despite these achievements, del Rey's reputation still bore the sting of its commercial success. Significantly, she never received a Hugo Award for best professional editor. Her husband, Lester, refused the posthumous award, deeming it too late.
So, while the prevailing narrative spins Del Rey Books as a house of formulaic, mass-market fiction, perhaps it's time to honor the foresight and iconoclasm of a publisher who propelled speculative fiction beyond the confines of niche fandom.
Dennis Wilson Wise, Associate Professor of English Literature, University of Arizona
This write-up is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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- Judy-Lynn del Rey, despite being a conglomerate publisher, envisioned a future for science fiction and fantasy that catered to younger readers, pioneering the publication of popular series like "Star Trek: The Animated Series" and "Star Wars."
- Although Judy-Lynn del Rey's editorial tactics often attracted criticism, her influence on the science fiction and fantasy genres was profound, as evident in the numerous awards won by authors under her imprint, Del Rey Books.
- In the Conglomerate Era, characterized by the melding of small, family-owned houses into big corporations, Judy-Lynn del Rey, as a senior editor at Random House, championed diverse titles, such as the groundbreaking fantasy books, "The Sword of Shannara" and "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant," which achieved commercial success and critical acclaim.
- Despite the eventual shift towards mass-market fiction under the Del Rey imprint, it is essential to recognize Judy-Lynn del Rey's foresight and iconoclasm in propelling speculative fiction beyond niche fandom and embracing a broader audience, thus shaping the future of the industry.