Necropolitan Press
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Necropolitan Press, founded in 1993 by
editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...
and
author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
Jeffrey Thomas, is an
independent publisher A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably. However, when a distinction ...
in the genres of
horror Horror may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres *Horror fiction, a genre of fiction **Psychological horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Christmas horror, a subgenre of horror fiction **Analog horror, a subgenre of horror fiction * ...
,
science-fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...
,
dark fantasy Dark fantasy, also called fantasy horror, is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporates disturbing and frightening themes. The term is ambiguously used to describe stories that combine horror fiction, horror ...
, and "the Unclassifiable." Necropolitan Press ceased producing new releases in 2001. In March 2008, it was announced that Necropolitan Press would be resuming a publication schedule, beginning with Paul G. Tremblay's ''The Harlequin & The Train'' novella.


History

Jeffrey Thomas founded Necropolitan Press in 1993 in reaction to his discovery of the then-flourishing
small press A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably. However, when a distinction ...
, causing him to become so enthused with the idea that he "developed the desire to produce some publication or other" of his own. Thomas chose the name for his publishing imprint due to the sound of it—fond of the similarity to the word
Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...
but with a horrific bent. At the time, Thomas worked as a
paste up Paste up is a method of creating or laying out publication pages that predates the use of the now-standard computerized page design desktop publishing programs. Completed, or camera-ready, pages are known as mechanicals or mechanical art. In th ...
artist in a print shop, allowing him to create the Necropolitan Press releases during his breaks by using a "
light table A light table is a viewing device that is used to review photographic film or artwork placed on top of it. The horizontal form of a self-standing lightbox provides even illumination of the subject from below, or through a translucent cover plac ...
to paste up the pages the old fashioned way, with an exacto knife and
wax Waxes are a diverse class of organic compounds that are lipophilic, malleable solids near ambient temperatures. They include higher alkanes and lipids, typically with melting points above about 40 °C (104 °F), melting to give lo ...
." The initial publication from Necropolitan Press was ''The End''
magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
, which ran for four issues under the imprint with a fifth issue being released as a co-production with artist Jon C. Gernon's Zero Publishing. Throughout its run, this
fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
zine received
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distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...
in addition to catalog
sales Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. A period during which goods are sold for a reduced price may also be referred ...
, the
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—at the time—not being a viable distribution alternative. In 1995, Thomas would begin releasing single
author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
and
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
chapbook A chapbook is a type of small printed booklet that was a popular medium for street literature throughout early modern Europe. Chapbooks were usually produced cheaply, illustrated with crude woodcuts and printed on a single sheet folded into 8, 1 ...
s, starting with his own collection ''The Bones of the Old Ones and Other Lovecraftian Tales'' and averaging one non-magazine release per year. Necropolitan Press releases maintained low print runs;
Jeff VanderMeer Jeff VanderMeer (born July 7, 1968) is an American author, editor, and literary critic. Initially associated with the New Weird literary genre, VanderMeer crossed over into mainstream success with his bestselling Southern Reach Series. The se ...
's ''The Hoegbotton Guide to the Early History of Ambergris, by Duncan Shriek'', for instance, was produced in a 300-copy edition. Necropolitan Press ceased producing new releases in 2001, the reasons being the press's financial drain on Thomas and the desire of Thomas to focus on his own work. Thomas would later lament this decision, stating that he "always had a great enthusiasm for publishing, nd that hefound it extremely rewarding to bring the work of other authors to the hands of readers eager for something a little out of the ordinary." In December 2007, Thomas mentioned in an interview that Necropolitan Press may be resurrected with the help of Nick Curtis, whose involvement would alleviate the previous financial and time-related strains the venture placed on Thomas. Curtis was an enthusiast of Thomas's work who had created and maintained an official
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for Thomas (including a
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and
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), all of which had revealed to Thomas "his urtis'sinnovative approach to
graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...
." According to Thomas, Curtis proposed the resurrection of Necropolitan Press. Officially, Thomas holds the position of "Publisher/Editorial Director" while Curtis is termed the "Assistant Publisher/Design Director". Leading up to the resurrection, Thomas had "been talking to some very talented authors in regard to potential new projects." In March 2008, prior to the official announcement of the publishing imprint's return, Paul G. Tremblay mentioned that his forthcoming novella ''The Harlequin & The Train'' would be released on Necropolitan Press. In April 2008, Thomas made the official announcement of the press's return and of the forthcoming novella.


Magazines published

The first project published by Necropolitan Press was ''The End''
magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
, which ran five issues at the rate of one a year starting in 1993. The fifth and final issue was produced in cooperation with
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
–based
artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...
Jon C. Gernon's Zero Publishing imprint, the Necropolitan Press designation used to denote
editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...
Jeffrey Thomas's work on the title.


Works published


2008+

The following is a list of all the Necropolitan Press
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
and single
author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
collection titles announced/printed since the relaunch of the imprint in 2008.


1995–2001

The following is a list of all the Necropolitan Press
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...
and single
author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
collection titles printed during the initial years of the company. One additional title was announced, ''The Terrible Woman and Other Erotic Horrors'' by Scott Thomas, but this was withdrawn from the publishing schedule on May 5, 2001—the intended contents were later released in ''Nether: Improper Bedtime Stories'' as well as ''Shadows Of Flesh'', both released by Delirium Books in 2004.


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Necropolitan Press American speculative fiction publishers Book publishing companies based in Massachusetts Book publishing companies based in New York (state) Companies based in Westborough, Massachusetts Fantasy book publishers Horror book publishing companies Publishing companies established in 1993 Science fiction publishers Small press publishing companies