Rebellion Publishing — home of 2000 AD and Judge Dredd — has sold its sci-fi, fantasy, and horror imprint Solaris to Profile Books for an undisclosed sum, Bleeding Cool reports. Five Solaris staffers are transferring with the imprint. This is an imprint sale only — 2000 AD itself was not sold.
What moved
Bleeding Cool says digital switchover happened first, and physical distribution via Simon & Schuster / HarperCollins has also moved. Staff joining Profile Books: David Thomas Moore, Amanda Raybould, Amy Borsuk, Jess Gofton, and Natalie Sorrell Charlesworth. Solaris was founded in 2007 and later acquired by Rebellion (coverage cites ~2009/2010), historically publishing roughly 30–35 titles a year.
The list
Authors and titles cited in the report include Adrian Tchaikovsky, Rebecca Roanhorse, Lorraine Wilson, RuNyx, Katherine Addison, Vajra Chandrasekera, and Simon Jimenez, plus Edward Ashton’s Mickey7 (basis for the Mickey 17 film). Bleeding Cool notes The Salt Oracle by Lorraine Wilson was a runner-up for this year’s Arthur C. Clarke Award, and Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera won last year’s Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction.
What both sides said
Profile CEO Rebecca Gray called the deal “a big step into a new genre,” saying Solaris already houses acclaimed authors and that both sides are excited to get going. Rebellion’s head of film, TV and publishing Ben Smith said that since acquiring Solaris, Rebellion grew it into a market leader in SFF and horror, and that the company is “excited to see the list, the team and Profile build off this success.” Bleeding Cool also notes Rebellion’s 2000 AD / Judge Dredd are approaching their fiftieth anniversary — context for the publisher’s focus, not part of the sale.
