Taylor Armstrong - Director of Fablelistik Editions
Fablelistik Editions recently entered the small/fine press scene with their debut production of Sleepy Hollow, a project where they collaborated with veterans of the industry like Greg Manchess (artist), Pat Randle (letterpress printer), as well as Roger Grech and Gavin Dovey (bookbinders). They are a newly created arm of the larger Macmillan Publishers and seek to make their mark in the world of small/fine press books. The team led by Taylor Armstrong have a ton of projects already in the pipeline and have also just recently announced their second project, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. We are fortunate to get the chance to talk to them about the inspiration behind the imprint, their process and philosophy, as well as their plans for the future. We hope you enjoy this conversation with the newest entrants into the small/fine press world!
Q: Fablelistik has now been in the works for over two years now and I’m sure it was ruminating in your mind well before that. Can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration for the name of the imprint and how it went from infancy to a full-fledged imprint, now releasing the first title?
It was tough to choose a name! But, here’s how we got there: After one particular round of brainstorming, I decided to open a bottle of wine to share with the team, convinced it was the key to unlocking the name that had, so far, been elusive. As I went to pour everyone a glass, I saw the wine was from a company named Fableist. I actually laughed at first, thinking ‘How cute is that?’ before realizing that I loved it! Everyone agreed and we went to work figuring out how to put our own spin on it for the publishing world. The answer came a day later - adding on the ‘listik’, which is just a suffix that indicates a relationship to a subject. So, in a super reductive way, we’re “Story Oriented Editions”.
It’s fun, it’s whimsical and we really love it. When we first announced the name, I saw someone post ‘Supercalifablelistikexpialidocious’ and it still makes me laugh. I might have to get that put on a mug… or a wine glass!
Q: While we know that Fablelistik will have books that sit firmly in the small/fine press category, you are also connected with the larger publisher Macmillan. You are entering into an established small/fine press book world at what seems to be a golden age for us collectors and there is no shortage of options on beautiful productions being made. What was the driving force behind launching Fablelistik and how would you respond to people who are worried about a bigger entity entering this artisan space?
The idea of a book as an object, or piece of art, is fascinating to me. I’ve been a collector for quite some time, particularly antiquarian books, and my professional experience has been in creating custom and proprietary editions. Macmillan has a deep backlist with some time-tested classics as well as contemporary best sellers, and a lot of great works in between. I started thinking about how, for any given title, we could amplify the words written and exemplify the essence of the story - I knew that the key to all of this was going to be collaboration with people who are excited and value the same goal we have: to create something special with purpose and passion.
I think time will show that we’re not following anyone else’s business model and we don’t fit into a mold. While we began with and will continue to offer fine press editions, we’re also adding a ‘Standard Edition’ offering to select future publications. We want to find a balance across our list that will be appropriate for a variety of genres, categories, formats and audiences. We want to create beautiful, outstanding works that will be treasured - that can be accomplished in many different ways and it will all come back to collaboration. Working with dedicated people, exploring novel partnerships and most importantly, supporting the community of artists, printers, binders and authors with exciting projects that will allow them to flex their creative muscles - and have fun doing it.
Q: Your first title is the wonderful short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and I know you actually have a personal connection to it. Why did you decide to start with a short story and do you think that short stories will be a regular part of your release rhythm moving forward?
We don’t currently have any short stories planned for 2025, but there are certainly a few I want to get to in the next couple of years.
As for ‘Why Sleepy Hollow?’ I lived in Sleepy Hollow for a while and in fact, during the pandemic, I walked through the cemetery almost daily. So while I was agonizing about what I wanted Fablelistik’s first title to be, I had actually passed over Sleepy Hollow, thinking I was too biased by both living there and just being a huge Washington Irving fan. It seemed too easy a choice, but ultimately Sleepy Hollow was one of five titles that I wanted to start with. Now, all of the titles are on the Fablelistik list sometime in the next two years.
I absolutely love the research phase of these editions. The amount of time spent on Sleepy Hollow was really quite something - the whole team at the Hudson Valley Historic Archive was unbelievable! We would bring out all kinds of treasures and they were so knowledgeable, patient and collaborative in the process. It became clear, quite early on, that I wanted to focus this whole package around New York - from the content to the collaborators and the artisans. From there, we started reaching out to artisans and collaborators - we got our first choice at almost every point.
As we began to bring it all together, my goal was to ensure that we would create the most beautiful books – with original, captivating content (not always easy to achieve when the story was originally published over 200 years ago!), unparalleled design, evocative artwork, bold type and each edition unique. It’s one of the reasons we went with the larger trim sizes on our top two tiers, the amount of handwork and craftsmanship that is being poured into these works, the in-depth biography and essay afterword of Irving’s continued relevance over 200 years later - just amazing.
It may be a short story, but it is quite a weighty tome.
Q: Can you share with us a little bit about the type of offerings you will have? Do you intend to do different tiers for each production and what kind of limitations do you expect to do from the start? Will you have a system of rights attached to these releases?
There are some major changes coming very shortly. In fact, if you check out our website and socials later today you will get all the information you are looking for!
Q: For us, probably the thing we are most interested in is the artisans and artists you will be bringing in to partner with you for these productions. Are you able to tell us who you are collaborating with in terms of letterpress printers, bookbinders and other artisans? Also, who are some of the artists you hope to work with?
I can’t share everyone we’re working with yet, since some things aren’t final (and I promised my team I wouldn’t spoil the surprise) – but we’re in conversation with printers, binders, artists, authors and designers all over the world.
Our Sleepy Hollow artisans and collaborators have been noted - Greg Manchess, Pat Randle, Gavin Dovey, Roger Grech & Sarah Pike. I will say that each of these collaborators is also attached to some future project(s) - at varying degrees of development. With the title that we announced yesterday, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, we are working with Pat again but our binders will be different. The Lettered Edition is being bound by someone who recently bound a book for the Booker Prize shortlist. Actually, slight teaser, another binder who created one of the Booker Prize shortlist editions is working with us on a Lettered Edition for a Spring title …
Q: I would assume you have a roadmap planned out for future titles and we were curious if you will be focusing on particular genres or authors or if anything is free game? Will there be a particular rhythm of releases where you rotate to different types of books and do you expect to do generally well-known titles or might there be releases of works that are more on the fringe?
Our roadmap is ambitiously diverse and intentionally flexible - we're not confining our list to specific genres or authors.
A fascinating thing we’ve come to learn about fine press is its ability to transcend boundaries and that allows for our selection criteria to be guided by the merit of the work itself—its potential to inspire, delight, challenge, intrigue or inform. We see every genre as an opportunity for artistic expression.
Q: Have there been any major challenges while bringing this project to fruition and how have you attempted to balance the creative and business aspects of starting a new imprint?
Fablelistik is Macmillan’s first direct-to-consumer business. There was no roadmap, protocol or process for starting this business (within a business) - especially one with a sales and production process unlike anything found in trade publishing. I would say the only easy thing about getting this all up and running was knowing that I had the continued support from all levels at Macmillan and I’m so grateful for that.
We have learned so much over the last two years, but we’ve only scratched the surface and that’s really exciting. Every time we face a challenge or spend more time than we’d like to fix, add or adjust something, I know that it’s worth it because we’re establishing a foundation for something really special, something that is going to last - and that’s worth every hurdle that we have to jump along the way.
Q: I know you are well-versed in the current small/fine press landscape and the people who are already established in this space. Whose work have you been impressed by and are there any people you would love to collaborate with at some point in the future?
There is no way to accurately capture a list of everyone I have been impressed with. I won’t include anyone we’re already working or in discussions with (because they’re all excellent) and I know I’m going to forget some people/presses/artists/creatives here, but off the top of my head and in no particular order: Amy Borezo, Jemma Lewis, Tom McEwan, Two Ponds Press, Graham Moss, Gaylord Schanilec, St. James Park Press, Russell Maret, Mark Cockram, Rich Tong, Arion Press, Michael Caine, Gill Thornton, Erin Fletcher, and Alexandra Buckle. This is in no way exhaustive, but I had to stop somewhere.
We would be thrilled to collaborate with any of them. The list of people we’re planning to reach out to, in hopes of collaborating or consulting with, includes most of this list and many more.
Q: As a new entrant into this world, how do you plan to engage with the greater small/fine press community and is there anything you think you could bring to strengthen and add to this vibrant group that has continued to grow around the love of beautifully made books?
We plan to be present whenever and wherever we can! As a lover of beautifully made books myself, and insatiable when it comes to learning about all things fine press, we’re excited to learn, meet new people, and find new partners for future projects at conferences, seminars, workshops, and book fairs dedicated to this community.
We’re proud to be able to collaborate with and support the artisans who are experts in their professions. The added benefit of our collaborations includes Macmillan’s resources and expertise in publishing, allowing us to explore and test new materials, printing technologies, and design ideas that could enhance the tactile and visual quality of fine press books.
And we’re dedicated to the preservation and growth of this community. Whether it’s leveraging Macmillan’s imprints to amplify our editions and share information about the fine press world, or advocating for and facilitating opportunities for continued education for artisans and creatives in this space. We have a really fun, creative plan to fund grants that will support this endeavor and we’ll be sharing more details on this in the next few months.
Q: This is probably a more difficult question to answer when you are only just releasing your first book, but if you were to look ahead 3-5 years from now, how would you define success from a business standpoint and an artistic one? How do you envision being able to balance the artistic freedom required for a successful small/fine press enterprise when you are part of a bigger organization that also has their own expectations?
We plan to fully immerse ourselves in the fine press community and partner with, and learn from, the people who have championed this space.
We plan to produce works that are widely regarded as a benchmark for craftsmanship, design, innovation, and aesthetic excellence. Our goal is to maintain an environment where collaboration with artists, designers, writers and other creators allows them the freedom to explore and express their visions.
It’s a dynamic concept but I don’t see anything mutually exclusive about being successful as both a fine press enterprise and as a business at Macmillan. In the balance between commercial viability and artistic integrity, Macmillan is dedicated to supporting innovation as well as contributing meaningfully to the discourse within the fine press community.
Q: With Macmillan holding the rights to such a large portion of published works through multiple imprints (including Tor), will there still be opportunity for other small presses to work with these titles in the future?
Yes, absolutely. There is a lot of content, across all Macmillan imprints and only so many publications that we can do in a year (or two, or five). I am also dedicated to publishing titles across many different genres, so just because Macmillan publishes the book in the US does not mean that we would hold back rights.
Q: If there was one word or phrase that you would love to hear when someone held one of your pieces in their hand, what would that be?
I don’t think there is one word or phrase that I would prefer to hear. Every edition is unique and I think it will mean something different to every person.
Every edition will have a tactile quality and something novel in its conceptualization, design, and execution. Whether through its aesthetics, craftsmanship or narrative, we want our books to spark imagination and evoke a response that is both visceral and reflective.
Q: I know you have to be pretty tight-lipped when it comes to future projects, but is there anything coming in the next year that you can give us a little teaser for or talk about in more depth?
Ha! I should say no, but as I said, I’m not very good at keeping anything quiet - it’s part of why we will be announcing titles ahead of pre-order windows going forward. I’m too excited to wait!
I love a good teaser, but I’ll be in trouble with my team if I give away too much - so here are just a few for 2025, in no particular order:
1. Dragons. That’s all I’ll say
2. Unrequited love in a particular age
3. How scary can a five year old's sketches be?
4. Geological expedition, with dinosaurs
Make of that what you will…
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This interview was done in a series of communications back and forth with Taylor Armstrong and the team at Fablelistik Editions. If you want to pre-order a copy of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue or see what else is upcoming you can see what Fablelistik has to offer at https://fablelistikeditions.com/. For updates on current projects check them out on Facebook or Instagram to stay up to date on what's coming up in the future for Fablelistik Editions!
Interview by: Zach Harney, co-founder of the Collectible Book Vault
