Z File Books Takes a Break
Z File Books, which has been packaging and producing books and graphic novels since 2006, is now on hiatus, and has been for some period of time. There are no new projects in the pipeline, nor am I soliciting new assignments from Z File’s publishers.
But almost all the volumes we have produced are still in print and available, with new editions of Fahrenheit 451 licensed just this past year in French and Chinese, and new European editions of The Stuff of Life and Evolution as well.
I am currently working on outlining a memoir about my time in publishing, and collating my fairly extensive (4,000+) comic book collection. Anyone interested in my future editorial services, or has questions about any existing Z File books may contact me at howardzim@gmail.com.
Thank you for your ongoing interest, support, time and attention. It has been both a humbling and rewarding experience. We will see what the future brings, and if it’s of note, I will certainly let you know.
Howard Zimmerman
June 16, 2023
Health Care Reform
I have worked on, edited, and produced hundreds of books over the course of my career as an editor and packager. Occasionally, one will spike on Amazon.com, or even be mentioned in The New York Times’ Book Review section. But I don’t think I’ve ever had a tiger...
BLACK & WHITE DYNAMITE
Z File is happy to report that we have produced two new graphic nonfiction volumes for a new client, the Quarto Group USA. Two of its imprints commissioned volumes that have been published and are now available. Both are from the same creative team. The first...
TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING
In Hollywood, too much of a good thing is clearly never enough. Successful films and franchises must be sequeled unto death . . . and beyond. Especially if they are genre movies and franchises. At a recent viewing of Ex Machina (which I thought was...
The Search for Spock: Part 2
By 1984, Leonard Nimoy was doing very different and exciting work. Among other projects, he was the host of a Nickelodeon TV series called “Lights, Camera, Action!” The show took viewers behind the scenes on TV and movie productions, and showed the kids how...
The Search for Spock: Part One
R.I. P. Leonard Nimoy Leonard Nimoy passed away today—2/27/15. God rest his gentle soul. I am so sad. My career as a full-time publishing professional—almost 40 years now—is due in no small measure to Leonard Nimoy and his outstanding portrayal of the rational...
THE PEN IS MIGHTIER . . .
On January 7th, freedom of expression was brutally attacked as crazed gunmen penetrated the offices of the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris. The attack resulted in the deaths of eleven people who worked there: Stephane Charbonnier; Elsa Cayat; Georges...
ADAPTING THE HITCHHIKERS GUIDE
Humor in science fiction is a tricky business. Few people have ever done it well. Terry Pratchett, of course; Ron Goulart; Harry Harrison; and the brilliant Douglas Adams. Sometime in the mid-1990s, Byron Preiss signed a deal with Douglas Adams to adapt his original...
GRAPHIC ADAPTATIONS (2)
The most fun I ever had adapting books to graphic format came from the fact that in every case the original work was one I had read and liked. That was true with Ray Bradbury, whose work I adapted most extensively, from his classic short stories to his classic longer...
GRAPHIC ADAPTATIONS
Over the decades, it has been my challenge and my pleasure to create graphic adaptations of some of my own favorite books by some of my favorite authors. I got to adapt many of Ray Bradbury’s short stories, initially in the form of The Ray Bradbury Chronicles, a...
WHENCE SUPERHEROES
The graphic adaptation of Amity Shlaes’s 2007 history of the Great Depression, The Forgotten Man, scripted by Chuck Dixon and illustrated by Paul Rivoche, has become a bestseller and a cause of some controversy, most notably due to Rivoche and Dixon’s letter to...
American History Comes Alive—Part Two
Now I had my creative team, artist Ernie Colón and author Ruth Ashby, under contract. But before we even got started on the project, our publisher, Thomas LeBien, told me he was leaving Hill & Wang and going to Simon & Schuster. Without getting too deep...
SPIDEY AND GODZILLA
I spent time over the Memorial Day weekend catching up on the current genre films. I saw Spider-Man 2 and the latest remake of Godzilla. Here in New York, to see these in a first-run house, it cost $17.50 per seat. Yes, the seats were reserved in...