SF Publisher Jim Baen, 1943-2006

GalleyCat -- In a sad update to our story a few weeks ago about Jim Baen's stroke, the founding editor and publisher of Baen Books (left) died yesterday, reports author David Drake, who pays tribute to Baen on his website. "Jim had the advantage over some editors in that he knew what a story is," Drake recalls. "He had the advantage over most editors in being able to spot talent before somebody else had published it...Furthermore, he never stopped developing new writers. The week before his stroke, Jim bought a first novel from a writer whom Baen Books had been grooming through short stories over the past year."

Thanks to Baen, I was introduced to several of my favorite science fiction authors over the years -- Lois McMaster Bujold and David Weber.