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Billy Pilgrim is about to come unstuck in more than just time. Amazon Publishing has announced the surprising, and arguably heretical, news that the books of fiction giant Kurt Vonnegut have been licensed for its fan-fiction digital program, Kindle Worlds. Yes, that’s right: Soon, nothing will stop you from being able to publish that Slaughterhouse Six novel you’ve been dreaming about for decades.
Kindle Worlds is Amazon’s attempt to co-opt the fan-fiction movement by offering fans the chance to digitally publish, through Amazon and for profit, work based on existing properties — amongst them, Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars and the Valiant Comics catalog — that have been licensed by Amazon.
Vonnegut isn’t the first prose author whose works have been licensed to Kindle Worlds — Barry Eisler, Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear have already signed on — but he may be the most high-profile, something that hasn’t escaped Philip Patrick, the director of business development and publisher of Kindle Worlds, who said that “includ[ing] the work of an American literary icon in Kindle Worlds is a thrill for us and a golden opportunity for Vonnegut fans everywhere.”
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Donald C. Farber, trustee of the Kurt Vonnegut Trust, described the deal as an outgrowth of Vonnegut’s success on the Kindle platform to date. “This is a natural extension of his legacy and a testament to the enduring popularity of his characters and stories,” he said, adding “Billy Pilgrim, unstuck in time, is going to quickly become a Kindle Worlds favorite.”
The Vonnegut license is expected to officially launch on Kindle Worlds later this month, according to Amazon. The countdown to Lunch of Champions and Timequake 2: Sharkquake has already started.
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