Nitrosyncretic Press was founded in 2000 on the foundations of the stillborn Anvil Press. Anvil Press was created as the launch vehicle for Robert A. Heinlein: A Reader's Companion, and as such was in limbo along with that project for several years.

When it came time to actually launch the company and the first book, a last-minute decision was made to rename the company. The meaning of "Anvil Press" had been lost in the interim, and two existing companies with that name (both small publishers of fine poetry, one in Canada and one in the UK) had objected to our use of the name. Although we had become widely known under the Anvil Press name and had every legal right to use it, we decided to change the name to prevent confusion and to give ourselves a clearer and more unique identification. (See What's a "Nitrosyncretic"? below for details of why we selected this unusual name.)

Nitrosyncretic Press, or NitroPress for short, was launched in early 2000 with the publication of RAH:ARC. After our very successful first year, we are preparing to expand our catalog with several more Heinlein-related titles. (See our catalog for current details.) We have significant plans to expand into further science fiction and related areas, especially quality e-publication of classic sf.

Our long-planned expansion into other areas, notably the works of Sir Richard Francis Burton and professional works related to behavioral intervention for autism therapy, have finally gotten started as well.

Agents, Owners & Copyright

We are not an official representative of Robert Heinlein's estate or agents, but we are on cordial working terms with both.

We do not represent or own any part of Heinlein's literary rights or legacy. If you have questions about legal use of Heinlein's copyrighted material, contact the estate agent, Eleanor Wood of Spectrum Literary Agency.

However, as a heavily net-entangled company intimately concerned with Heinlein issues, we have often been dismayed at the casual attitudes of Heinlein fans with respect to copyright. While copyright issues are often treated as a laughing matter on the Internet (viz., "Napster"), we are especially concerned with sites that provide tens or hundreds of thousands of words from Heinlein's works for viewing or download.

What is disturbing about these sites is that the proprietors are often self-righteously convinced that they are fully entitled to use this material because...

• ...they're such big fans of Heinlein's work.
• ...they're sure Heinlein wouldn't mind, since he's dead (or a libertarian, or a free-trade advocate, or their spiritual father).
• ...they're sure the estate wouldn't mind, since they are obviously promoting Heinlein's work "for free."
• ...they're not really stealing anything.

They are quite wrong on all counts.

We politely suggest that if you want to put original Heinlein material on a website, you read up on the copyright concept of "fair use," and scrupulously follow its terms. An Internet search should turn up plenty of explanation of this simple concept. We further suggest that if you are not sure about the legality of your inclusion, that you contact the estate agent for confirmation and/or specific permission. In our experience, the estate representatives have been generous about granting permission to post material that exceeds fair use limits, sometimes subject to a few restrictions.

We note that the estate has been increasingly aggressive about tracking down and dealing with sites that exceed fair use. We also note that there is a growing "posse" of Heinlein aficionados that report violators to the estate.

We're all very glad that you're a Heinlein fan. But that doesn't give you a license to steal. Please - observe "fair use."

What's a "Nitrosyncretic"?

We've regularly receive inquiries about our unusual name. It's actually a Heinlein reference, but one that's so obscure that you won't find it in any of his books.

In 1942, William A.P. White (aka Anthony Boucher and H.H. Holmes) published a novel titled Rocket to the Morgue. Set in contemporary Los Angeles, the characters are thinly-disguised caricatures of White's writing colleagues. One of the main characters, Austin Carter, is closely modeled on Robert Heinlein.

In the novel, a character goes to "Carter's" house and finds the following intimidating sign on the front door:

As another character describes it:

"Nice gag, isn't it? You see, the way this house is situated on a hill, people come to this door before the proper main door. This is Austin's workroom, and he used to have a hell of a time with Liberty salesmen. Poundings on the door are distracting when you're working on the collapse of an interstellar empire. But since he put up the sign, salesmen take one look, shudder, and get the hell out."

Heinlein's Laurel Canyon home was so arranged, and he did have such a sign on the outer office door.

The word is apparently a unique creation of Heinlein's as well. At least, searches haven't turned up any other instances of it, either copied from White's usage or separately coined. The value of a completely unique keyword for the Internet and publishing lists needs no emphasis.

The derivation of the word is an amusing fit with our goals as well. "Nitro" refers to the nitrogen group, used in both explosives and fertilizers. "Syncretism" is the combining of several disciplines to achieve a new synthesis of ideas. The right book can trigger an intellectual explosion, or fertilize a thousand ideas, and often puts together information from a new mix of sources.

So, we aren't just called Nitrosyncretic. We are nitrosyncretic!

Publishing Techniques

	Unlike many specialty presses, we do not use Print on Demand processes for our printed titles. We prefer to have our books printed by one of America's finest book printers, using traditional print and bindery techniques to assure high quality and excellent durability.
	Click here to see the lovely piece of art that graces our office wall and helps provide our guiding principles.