And that's two!

Holy carp.

Ian’s work, using the HiDream I1 Fast engine

We started Raconteur Press in 2021. In 2024 we published an anthology every two weeks, and repeated that feat in 2025.

We also started publishing novels and Boy’s Adventure stories in 2025, among which were “A Kiss For Damocles”¹ by J. Kenton Pierce, and “Storm-Dragon”² by Dave Freer.

To say that we were ecstatic when the Libertarian Futurist Society informed us that both of those novels had been nominated for a Prometheus Award would be underselling things somewhat, but when we were notified that both novels had made it to the short list of finalists, we truly thought we had hit the pinnacle.

For a small, independent press to get not one, but two finalists during their first year of publishing novels … that’s pretty special right there.

Then — we were told that “A Kiss For Damocles” had won the Prometheus Award for Best Novel.

Holy cow.

We may be an outlaw press, but we’re still a baby press. This was simply mind-blowing, and once we got done Communing With Dolphins we figured we’d rest on our laurels and try to figure out how to top that.

Well, the Gods of the Copybook Headings heard our plan, snickered, and next thing you know the LFS contacts us saying that “Storm-Dragon” had won the very first Special Prometheus Award For Young Adult Fiction.

Blink.

For an upstart press in its first year of publishing novels — not one, but two nominations? Oh, wow!

For an upstart press in its first year of publishing novels — both make it to the short list of finalists? Holy carp!

For an upstart press in its first year of publishing novels — one of them actually wins? HOLY [REDACTED]!

For an upstart press in its first year of publishing novels — the other one wins, too? [High-pitched dolphin noises, flapping hands, running in circles, mild hyperventilating].

To say that we are gobsmacked is to underplay the actual reality.

We’d like to thank J. Kenton Pierce and Dave Freer for entrusting us with their novels. Thank you, gentlemen.

We’d like to thank all of the staff at our little press. Ian and I just stand out front — you guys do the actual work.

We’d like to thank the folks at the Libertarian Futurist Society for considering and nominating these novels — thank you.

Last, but certainly not least, we’d like to thank our readers and fans. God bless and keep each and every one of you.

We’d like to say: “You ain’t seen nothing yet”, but we’re not sure how to top this.

Wow.

We’re going to go back to hiding under the bed now. See some of y’all at Writer’s Cantina this weekend.

Ian and Rita

1. #CommissionEarned

2. #CommissionEarned