Pocket Books Pocket Books is a publishing imprint , a subsidiary of Simon & Schuster . It is the imprint under which all current " Star Trek " mass - market paperback novels are published . It also released hardcover and trade paperback novels and reference works until an editorial reorganization at Simon & Schuster in , when those formats were incorporated into a new imprint , Gallery Books . The origins of the company date back to 1939 , with the publication of the first paperback books in the US by Robert Fair de Graff . Previously , books were only published in hardcover , and often priced at several dollars apiece – beyond the means of most people during the Depression . The success of paperback publishing in Germany and the UK led to de Graff ' s efforts , which , being sold at 25 cents each , were much more affordable . In addition to carefully selecting his titles , de Graff sought to establish new channels of distribution , such as drug stores , five and dime stores , and department stores – all places that , prior to his efforts , had not sold books . de Graff presented his idea to several publishers before Simon & Schuster decided it was worth a look . To this end , Pocket Books was formed . Simon & Schuster purchased the company in 1966 . In 1975 , Simon & Schuster , and thus Pocket Books , was sold to Gulf + Western ( which had also bought Paramount Pictures in 1966 ) , and was incorporated into Viacom in 2002 . The Pocket Books logo is a kangaroo named " Gertrude " . The " Star Trek " license . Pocket acquired the license to publish " Star Trek " fiction in when Gulf + Western requested the development of a " Star Trek " book line as a promotional tie - in for the first " Star Trek " film , . A total of sixteen titles , both novels and reference books , were intended to coincide with the premiere of the film , including one flippantly titled " U . S . S . Enterprise Officer ' s Date Book " ( " Playboy " magazine , January 1980 , p . 310 ) . However , due to the film ' s mixed reception , only about half of these were ultimately released . One of these , the December 1979 of that movie , was the company ' s first " Star Trek " novel , and marked the start of a long - running role for the company as the sole officially - licensed publisher for " Star Trek " novels in all formats . David G . Hartwell was instrumental in getting the initial Star Trek license and authors for the series , and was the first editor of the line . As the number of " Star Trek " series increased , and novels for each series slotted into the publishing schedule , Pocket reached a peak of publishing two mass - market paperbacks a month , a pattern which continued for ten years until 2005 , when it was reduced to one per month . On the title pages of many " Star Trek " novels from the early 2000s onward , a location from that novel is included as an additional Pocket Books office . As already indicated , Pocket Books also retained the license to release " Star Trek " reference books in the US . Their first title was the 1979 " Star Trek Speaks " , published under the imprint " Wallaby Books " ; a brand which , like the " Wanderer Books " imprint for juvenile readers , was used for " Star Trek " titles on occasion in that period . Publication outside the US was sub - licensed to ( amongst others ) Titan Books for the UK market , Heyne Verlag , VGS Verlag and Heel Verlag for the German market , Fanucci Editore for the Italian market , and Dai - X and Bunkasha for Japan , in translation where applicable . Incidentally , as if to reflect the popularity " Star Trek " enjoyed in these markets , Germany , Japan and , at some distance , Italy were the countries which saw the most translated reference book titles by far , starting with those published by Pocket Books . Due to perceived diminishing interest in these kind of works , the number of new reference publications dropped sharply after 2002 . Licenses to publish reference books were eventually extended to other publishers , starting in 2009 when Titan Books published " Star Trek - The Art of the Film " . Abrams Books and 47North have since also been contracted to release licensed " Star Trek " reference books . On , it was announced that Pocket Books , in conjunction with CBS Consumer Products , would be offering over 700 " Star Trek " titles as DRM - free eBooks . Chronology and continuity in the Pocket novels . Pocket ' s licensed novels are required to be consistent with on - screen canon , with CBS Consumer Products approving the outlines and manuscripts of each novel on that basis . From the mid - 1980s onward , there was a general belief that novels could not make significant character changes , such as the death of a character or a promotion contradicting an established on - screen rank . This has often been considered to have been the influence of Richard Arnold , although that is disputed . However , novels were free to provide explanation for character changes and events that took place in canon , such as the " " miniseries which followed James T . Kirk ' s role as Chief of Starfleet Operations , as well as explaining other promotions such as Pavel Chekov ' s role as security chief . A frequently - used concept in the Pocket Books novels of the 1980s was the existence of a second five - year voyage of the under Captain Kirk ( taking place either before or after " The Motion Picture " ) , something which was not stated in canon , but did not contradict the chronology known at the time . The 2005 novel " Ex Machina " and its follow - ups returned to this idea . With the ending of the various television series , a greater degree of creative freedom saw the restriction on character change relaxed somewhat . This included the ( temporary , was later reversed ) death of Kathryn Janeway in the novel " Before Dishonor " , and the " Enterprise " novels retcon ning ' s death . This period also saw the novels developing into their own internal continuity , with " Star Trek " authors and Pocket Books editorial often collaborating to enhance consistency between various manuscripts . Particularly with regard to " The Original Series " , it is generally accepted that the number of novels published means that the characters would not have had enough time to participate in all of the depicted adventures . Pocket Star Books . The Pocket Star Books line is a subsidiary of Simon & Schuster that specializes in media tie - in eBook s . As such , a number of the " Star Trek " novels are released under the Pocket Star Books imprint when released in ebook format .