This isn’t exactly breaking news. Subterranean Press will be closing sometime in the next couple of years. They are going to wrap things up slowly. There will be new titles appearing through the end of next year and maybe into 2028.

I am NOT happy about this, although I can understand why Bill Schafer would want to hang things up. He’s been publishing high quality books for decades and probably would like a break.

Of all the small presses out there past and present, and there have been many, Subterranean was probably my favorite. The variety and diverstiy of what Subterranean published was and still is truly impressive.

I had a subscription to Subterranean magazine, which was short-lived but one of the best fiction magazines at the time.

I appreciate that Subterranean was willing to publish novellas. Novellas are more common now t han they were a decade or two ago. A big part of the reason for that is the rise of indie publishing.  But Subterranean showed that there was a market for novellas.

I’m going to miss Subteranean Press. They’ve been a part of my life for the last couple of decades. I have no idea how many of their books I own. I always took advantage of their grab bags sales. I never lost money, and always came out ahead, getting more books that I wanted with cover prices that totaled more than the cost of the grab bag, plus a number I was neutral on.  Many of those were novellas. Plus once I got a copy of robert E. Howard’s Crimson Shadows.

The loss of a publisher is a loss to the field. Too many publishing companies pop up like mushrooms after a rain and then vanish like mushrooms when the sun comes out and the hot winds blow. Subterranean had staying power and will be missed.