Steve Clark established the horror-specific Tasmaniac Publications in 2007. Initially publishing out of Hagley, a small town south-west of Launceston, Tasmania, the press now releases its titles out of Launceston. The first work to be published was The Lazarus Condition (a novella by British writer Paul Kane, q.v.), which was released in limited number in August 2007. Since then, Tasmaniac has published more than a dozen novellas, including Brett McBean's Concrete Jungle (2010), and two anthologies released under the series title Festive Fear.
In an interview with author Lee Thompson, Clark records that his interest in publishing had initially been forged as a result of several years of collecting small-press titles. In the end, he says, 'I realized the only thing stopping me living out this dream was myself... so I went for it!' Talking to Gary Kemble following the launch of Tasmaniac's first title, Clarke also gives his reason for concentrating on novellas (of between 25,000 and 45,000 words) rather than novels:
To sit in a favourite chair, to have a drink at your side with no pressing matters for the next hour or two and relax; to totally immerse yourself in a story where you lose none of the tension, none of the atmosphere or flow that the author has painstakingly worked towards - that's my aim with Tasmaniac, to offer that kind of unique pleasure that just cannot be achieved with a 'doorstop' novel or the fleeting wisp of a short story.
Despite choosing a British writer for his debut publication and following this with a novella by US writer Gary A. Braunbeck, Clark says Australian writers will feature more prominently in Tasmaniac's future. 'I want to promote Australian talent,' he says in the Gary Kemble interview. 'I have been toying over a series exclusively for Australians [and] there are many Australian authors I admire and hopefully one day we'll work on projects together.' Clark does note, however, that 'ultimately nationality will not take precedence over a damn fine story.' Early Tasmaniac authors were chosen in an effort to create a publishing company with an international reputation. In talking with Shane Jiraiya Cummings in 2007, he notes that this strategy would need to be created in stages, 'with authors from countries with a stronger horror fiction following than ours given the opportunity to present their work in Australia.'
Although Tasmaniac released the Simon Clark e-package The Calling and Other Wraiths in 2008 (see note below), Steve Clark has since indicated that this was essentially an experimental project between himself and the author, and that the press has no plans to continue this in the future.
