Orbit announces the international launch of its digital short fiction publishing program.

Last April, Orbit US launched Orbit Short Fiction, publishing digital editions of original short fiction written by its authors. Starting in 2012 Orbit UK will be joining the initiative. Stories published under the program will be released simultaneously in the US, UK, and other markets in which its ebooks are routinely distributed.

Anne Clarke, Editorial Director, Orbit (UK) said: “The digital short fiction market is clearly gaining momentum, and I’m delighted that we’ll now be able to make our authors’ stories available internationally. The success of the program in the US has been very encouraging, and we’re very much looking forward to working with our authors and colleagues in the US on this next stage in its development.”

Tim Holman, Orbit VP & Publisher (US and UK), said: “From the outset we hoped to expand the Orbit Short Fiction initiative, and we feel that now is the time to do it. Stories will be available far more widely, and through all major ebook retailers, which is good for our authors, for fans, and for the publishing program.”

Orbit (UK) is the Science Fiction and Fantasy imprint at Little, Brown Book Group, a leading trade publisher based in London. Little, Brown Book Group is a division of Hachette UK, the largest book publisher in the UK.

Orbit (US) is the Science Fiction and Fantasy imprint at Hachette Book Group, a leading trade publisher based in New York. HBG publishes under the divisions of Little, Brown and Company, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Grand Central Publishing, FaithWords, Center Street, Orbit, and Hachette Digital.