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| Tachyon Publications | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tachyon Publications |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Founder | Jacob Weisman |
| Country | United States |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California |
| Distribution | Independent/Small press |
| Topics | Science fiction, Fantasy, Speculative fiction |
Tachyon Publications is an independent American small press specializing in science fiction, fantasy, and speculative literature. Founded in 1995, it publishes novels, short story collections, anthologies, and reprints, and has become known for promoting both established and emerging authors across genre fiction. The press operates within the independent publishing ecosystem and has connections with various authors, editors, awards, and conventions.
Tachyon Publications was established in 1995 by Jacob Weisman amid a landscape shaped by publishers such as Tor Books, Baen Books, Bantam Books (Sci-Fi), Gollancz, and Orbit Books. Early activity intersected with small press peers like Subterranean Press, Fairwood Press, Night Shade Books, PS Publishing, and Small Beer Press. The company's trajectory involved relationships with agents and editors active at Clarion Workshop, World Fantasy Convention, Worldcon, World Fantasy Award, and Hugo Award communities. Over time Tachyon worked with distributors and retailers linked to Powell's Books, Barnes & Noble, Amazon (company), and independent bookstores participating in events such as BookExpo America and PEN America panels. Its editorial development paralleled trends visible in publications from Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Asimov's Science Fiction, Clarkesworld Magazine, Lightspeed (magazine), and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.
Tachyon's catalog includes original titles, collections, and reissues, situated alongside offerings from presses like Tor.com Publishing, DAW Books, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and Simon & Schuster (Gallery Books). The press has released works by contributors associated with periodicals such as Strange Horizons, Interzone, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Uncanny Magazine, and Starburst (magazine). Collections often feature collaborations with editors tied to anthologies like Year's Best Science Fiction and series curated by figures active in John W. Campbell Award circles. Print runs and ebook editions have been managed amid the changing landscape shaped by Adobe Systems (PDF), Kindle (Amazon) platforms, and trade paperback formats typical of independent publishers.
Tachyon emphasizes speculative fiction, showcasing authors whose careers intersect with names such as Ursula K. Le Guin, Neil Gaiman, China Miéville, Ted Chiang, N.K. Jemisin, Ann Leckie, Connie Willis, George R. R. Martin, Octavia E. Butler, Margaret Atwood, Philip K. Dick, Harlan Ellison, William Gibson, Kim Stanley Robinson, Cory Doctorow, Kij Johnson, Kelly Link, Michael Swanwick, James S. A. Corey, Alastair Reynolds, Peter S. Beagle, Nancy Kress, Elizabeth Bear, John Scalzi, Gardner Dozois, Greg Egan, Jo Walton, Richard K. Morgan, Mary Robinette Kowal, Catherynne M. Valente, Stephen Baxter, Ian McDonald, PJ Harvey (artist). Editors and collaborators linked to Tachyon projects have ties to figures associated with Ellen Datlow, Gardner Dozois, Rich Horton, Jonathan Strahan, Marjorie Liu, Ann VanderMeer, and Jeff VanderMeer. The press has also published early or mid-career work by authors who later appeared in venues such as New York Review of Books features, The New Yorker short fiction showcases, and academic programs like Iowa Writers' Workshop alumni lists.
Titles from Tachyon have been finalists and winners across awards like the Hugo Award, Nebula Award, World Fantasy Award, Locus Award, British Fantasy Award, Philip K. Dick Award, and Bram Stoker Award. Authors associated with the press have been acknowledged by institutions and honors such as the Pulitzer Prize shortlist discussions, MacArthur Fellowship mentions, and regional prizes administered by organizations including San Francisco Arts Commission events. Anthologies and collections have been cited in critical roundups in outlets like Locus Magazine, Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews, and have been featured at conventions including Worldcon (2022), Worldcon (2019), World Fantasy Convention (2018), and Readercon.
Tachyon operates as a boutique independent publisher within distribution networks overlapping with companies like Ingram Content Group, Independent Publishers Group, and retailer channels including Powell's Books and Amazon (company). Its business model combines trade paperback, hardcover, and ebook production aligned with practices from independent presses such as Graywolf Press, Coffee House Press, and Europa Editions. The press engages freelance editors, designers, and artists who have worked with institutions including University of California Press, Harvard University Press, and design firms that produce covers comparable to those used by Orbit Books and Gollancz. Promotion often occurs at events like San Diego Comic-Con, Worldcon, BayCon, Readercon, and via partnerships with podcasts and blogs known in the field such as Sword and Laser and The Coode Street Podcast.
As with many independent publishers, Tachyon's operations have intersected with contractual, rights, and licensing matters common in publishing, involving agents, estates, and international rights negotiations with houses like Gollancz, Orbit Books, and regional publishers in markets such as United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. Disputes in the small-press community have often referenced practices at other presses including Night Shade Books and Subterranean Press, and discussions about contracts and royalties have appeared in forums attended by representatives of Authors Guild and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Coverage of contractual or intellectual property questions has been reported in industry outlets like Publishers Weekly and debated at panels at Worldcon and World Fantasy Convention.