It is with a sad heart that I write to you today to let you know I have decided to close Afterbirth Books. As members of the bizarro community, I want you all to know this before you begin hearing rumors, and before I get the announcement up on the website. There are a few reasons that this closure needs to happen such as:
•Financially it isn’t working. The recession has made a big impact on our sales. I can’t continue to divert my outside income into the press.
•I am just unable to do the work for the press to the standard that it should be done. I’m too much of a perfectionist. If I put out a product with my name on it, I want it to be perfect. I want to be able to stay on schedule. This hasn’t been happening.
•The stress has continued to wear on my health. I already teach full-time at the college, took over the role of department chair this year, and pick up extra classes to teach each quarter. My strength only goes so far, and I’ve had several health problems in the past year that are probably related to stress, including my ongoing struggle with arthritis.
I have pondered some other solutions, but feel like this is what I have to do.
We have 4 wonderful titles left to put out for you in the coming months:
1. Sam Pink’s collection “Frowns Need Friends Too”
2. Bradley Sands’ “Disappointing Sophomoric Effort”
3. David Agranoff’s novel “Hunting the Moon Tribe”
4. “The Walri Project” edited by Kevin Donihe
I hope you will support these great authors and their books as we get them into your hands. Also, our books will remain in print! You will be able to order the new books AND our backlist through amazon.com and other sources that use our distributor for as long as the authors want. Eventually, however, we will no longer sell books on our website.
As you would guess, I can no longer take submissions. This certainly has nothing to do with the quality of material that has recently come my way! I would encourage those of you with manuscripts that need a home to consider Jeremy Robert Johnson’s Swallowdown Press, Eraserhead Press or Raw Dog Screaming Press, as well as a new press that I hear is coming from Cameron Pierce soon.
I want you all to know that I have enjoyed working with you. It was an amazing experience, and I learned a lot. More bizarro books are out in the world, which was my goal in starting Afterbirth in the first place! There are other things happening in bizarro, with old and new presses, and I wish them all the best.
Thanks for the years of support!
Karen Townsend
Editor, Afterbirth Books
GINA RANALLI 