io9: Small Beer Press

Get Locus Magazine delivered electronically for as little as $4 an issue

Charlie Jane Anders — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:03:23 PST

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If you really want to keep up with what's happening in the world of science fiction writing and publishing, you need to read Locus Magazine — it's an essential resource for anyone who cares about the state of the field. So it's great news that Locus has signed up with Weightless Books, a venture of Small Beer Press, to offer DRM-free electronic subscriptions for just $48 a year. Back issues, going back as far as January 2011, are also available for $5.50 each. Check it out! [Weightless Books, via SF Scope] More »

Not Your Same Old Magical Realism: New Mexican Stories of the Fantastic

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:30:00 PST

Small Beer Press' latest volume, Three Messages and a Warning: Contemporary Mexican Short Stories of the Fantastic, contains 34 stories published in Mexico in the past decade — most of them from the past two years. Writing in the Seattle Times, Nisi Shawl praises this volume for presenting a fresher look at magical realism than people in the U.S. have seen lately: More »

The Secret Origin of Small Beer Press

Charlie Jane Anders — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 12:08:09 PST

In an era where small publishers are struggling and take fewer chances, Small Beer Press is a marvel, putting out strange stories that other publishers rejected. In a new article, Small Beer's Kelly Link and Jedediah Berry explain their philosophy. More »

Couch is Benjamin Parzybok's Slacker Odyssey

Chris Braak — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 12:49:36 PST

Benjamin Parzybok's Couch is an epic for the apathetic, a journey to save the world undertaken by the post-college American slacker - for the essential reason that there doesn't seem to be anything better to do. More »

Get Exposure (In Your Trunk) And Profit (For The Publisher) The Vanity Press Way!

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:00:00 PST

Everyone from A.C. Crispin to the Science Fiction Writers Of America has rushed to condemn Harlequin for starting a self-publishing scam. But Small Beer Press has the best response: A hilarious parody showing how you, too, can waste your money. More »

Independent Publishers Who Are Reinventing The Future

Charlie Jane Anders — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:02:28 PST

Genre publishing has taken some hard hits in recent years — but a slew of independent publishers is still out there, charting the unknown regions of book publishing and keeping your reading lists weird. Here are our favorite indy presses. More »

Before "Paranormal Activity," There Was "Whisper," The Original Sleepcam Horror Story

Annalee Newitz — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:20:00 PDT

Did the sleepcam in Paranormal Activity freak you out? Then you need to read Ray Vukcevich's short story "Whisper," published by Small Beer Press in 2001. It's not always a good idea to find out what happens while you sleep. More »

Our Love For Steampunk Is A Longing For Machines That Don't Suck

Charlie Jane Anders — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:30:00 PDT

Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet impressarios Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant have signed up to publish a new anthology of young-adult steampunk stories, featuring well-known authors, comics creators and YA authors. We asked Grant why people — especially young people — are so fascinated with steampunk. More »

The "It" List Of Small Presses Publishing Scary Stuff

Charlie Jane Anders — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:56:48 PST

The coolest (and most chilling) horror and dark-fantasy titles are coming out on small presses, says Washington Post critic Michael Dirda. His suggestions include off-beat titles that will rescue you from winter doldrums. More »

Read SF, Save Money - And Your Country

Nivair H. Gabriel — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:00:00 PDT

October 2 was a red-letter day for anyone who reads. After all, it's not every day that a high-quality, groundbreaking SF publisher offers up a totally affordable package of their entire collection — but on Thursday, Small Beer Press announced that they are doing just that. And their purpose isn't just to clean out the warehouse: They're donating 20% of sale proceeds to Barack Obama's presidential campaign, proving that smart literature and thoughtful activism go hand-in-hand. It gets better, too; even the empty-walleted will come out winners. More »

You can read the new book by John Kessel,...

Charlie Jane Anders — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:30:00 PDT

You can read the new book by John Kessel, author of Good News From Outer Space, for free, thanks to publisher Small Beer Press. Satirist Kessel's new short story collection The Baum Plan For Financial Independence includes his classic story sequence about life on the Moon, the "Lunar Quartet." It also riffs on source material as varied as Frankenstein and the Wizard of Oz. You can download the book for free, in a variety of formats, under a Creative Commons license. But it's worth actually buying it, just to get the reversible dust jacket that turns it into a cheesy financial self-help book. [Small Beer Press] More »