Meisha Merlin Publishing was an independent publishing

Publishing

Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...

 company founded in 1996 by former New York book editor Stephen Pagel and Kevin and Brian Murphy. The Decatur

Decatur

Decatur is the name of many places in the United States, most of which are named for Stephen Decatur, a U.S. Naval officer at the turn of the 19th century.- Cities, Towns, Villages :* Decatur, Alabama, county seat of Morgan County, Alabama...

, Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

-based company specialized in publishing fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 and science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

 trade hardcover

Hardcover

A hardcover, hardback or hardbound is a book bound with rigid protective covers...

 and trade paperback books.

During their nine years of operation, Meisha Merlin built a large stable of fantasy and science fiction authors that included Kevin J. Anderson

Kevin J. Anderson

Kevin J. Anderson is an American science fiction author with over forty bestsellers. He has written spin-off novels for Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files, and with Brian Herbert is the co-author of the Dune prequels...

, Janny Wurts

Janny Wurts

Janny Wurts is an American fantasy novelist and illustrator. She has written several series, including the Wars of Light and Shadow, The Cycle of Fire trilogy, several stand-alone novels, a short story collection and the internationally best selling Empire Trilogy that she co-authored with Raymond...

, Jack McDevitt

Jack McDevitt

Jack McDevitt is an American science fiction author whose novels frequently deal with attempts to make contact with alien races, and with archaeology or xenoarchaeology....

, Robert Lynn Asprin

Robert Asprin

Robert Lynn Asprin was an American science fiction and fantasy author and active fan, best known for his humorous MythAdventures and Phule's Company series.- Background :...

, Robin Wayne Bailey

Robin Wayne Bailey

Robin Wayne Bailey is an American fantasy and science fiction author. He is a past president of SFWA, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America . He was South-Central Regional Director for SFWA nine years. He has also hosted three of SFWA's Nebula Awards weekends...

, Storm Constantine

Storm Constantine

Storm Constantine is a British science fiction and fantasy author, primarily known for her Wraeththu series.- Life and work :Since the late 1980s Constantine has written more than 20 novels, plus several non-fiction books...

, S.P. Somtow, Karen Lee Killough

Karen Lee Killough

Karen Lee Killough is an American writer of science fiction mystery novels under the name Lee Killough. She lives and works in Manhattan, Kansas.-Series :Bloodwalk#Blood Hunt...

, Phyllis Eisenstein

Phyllis Eisenstein

Phyllis Eisenstein is an American author of science fiction and fantasy short stories and novels. She was born in Chicago, Illinois and has lived there most of her life. While attending college at the University of Chicago, she met her future husband Alex at a weekly gathering of Chicago's science...

, Allen Steele

Allen Steele

Allen Mulherin Steele, Jr. is an American science fiction author.Steele began publishing short stories in 1988. His early novels formed a future history beginning with Orbital Decay and continuing through Labyrinth of Night...

, Andre Norton

Andre Norton

Andre Alice Norton, née Alice Mary Norton was an American science fiction and fantasy author under the noms de plume Andre Norton, Andrew North and Allen Weston...

, George R. R. Martin

George R. R. Martin

George Raymond Richard Martin , sometimes referred to as GRRM, is an American author and screenwriter of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He is best known for A Song of Ice and Fire, his bestselling series of epic fantasy novels that HBO adapted for their dramatic pay-cable series Game of...

, Robert A. Heinlein

Robert A. Heinlein

Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...

, and many others. Their books were sold via Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...

and through the large network of national chain bookstore and independent booksellers throughout the USA.

In April 2007 Meisha Merlin announced on their website that they would cease operations the following month; major book distribution issues were sited as the reason for the company's closing.