Matthew ‘Matt’ Paul Haasch, founder of independent manga publisher Star Fruit Books, passed away earlier this week after battling cancer. Diagnosed in August, Haasch had been running a GoFundMe to help cover living costs. In the wake of his passing, the remaining staff at Star Fruit Books have placed the company on pause.
Haasch’s mother shared the news Monday on Facebook, writing:
“It is with a heavy heart that I’m sharing my son, Matthew Paul Haasch, has been called home. He was surrounded by his loving family and friends and is now at peace.”
Haasch, who also worked as a middle school teacher, was diagnosed with lymphoma (a cancer of the immune system) in August, shortly after visiting the doctor in late July for pain in his neck, shoulder, and back. A GoFundMe launched September 1 raised over $10,000, and an update on the Star Fruit Books website had sounded optimistic about his treatment and recovery.
Founded by Haasch in 2020, Star Fruit Books quickly built a dedicated following with its English-language localizations of works by Hideshi Hino, Minami Q-ta, and others.
In a 2022 interview with YouTuber Japan Book Hunter, Haasch described what inspired him to launch the company:
“I’ve been an avid manga collector and reader since forever, and thought about getting stuff in English that we don’t normally see. I reached out to a handful of authors, the first who I heard back from were Kakio Tsurukawa (which we did Sawanabe Zombie and Ikyoudo with), and then Minami Q-ta. [Q-ta] actually reached out to me. I told her, ‘Hey, I’ve been familiar with your works. We have none of your stuff in English…’ I’ve seen it over the years. I did import and got a couple of volumes because I like her art style. We talked and next thing you know we picked up Pop Life, a two volume series from her. After that we talked some more and we got a whole bunch of other titles coming from her.
“We’ve become, I think, friends over the process and kind of a mentor [to me] because she has really helped me out a lot with a few other things. I am really grateful for her as well as all the other authors that we work with.”
In the same interview, Haasch emphasized Star Fruit Books’ inclusive, collaborative approach with creators:
“I prefer to work directly with the mangaka themself. Working with mangaka is great because we like to include them in every step of the process in the localization of their story. Before it even hits the printer, or if it’s digital-only before it gets released, we send it to them and ask what do you/don’t you like?
“It’s their work, we want to make sure they put their two cents in on it. It doesn’t always happen [in the localization industry]. We have other larger publishers where even the editor or the translator don’t even know who one another are. I don’t care for that in the creative process. I really like getting the input from the author and think that they have every right to do so.”
Star Fruit Books employed eight staff members before Haasch’s passing. The future of the publisher remains uncertain, but a message posted to its website—currently appearing as a pop-up—announced the pause in operations:
It reads:
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Matt Haasch, founder of Star Fruit Books.
“For the time being, all orders and projects will be placed on hold. Matt’s vision and passion will always serve as the guiding force of this publishing house. While our grief is profound, the core members of Star Fruit Books are committed to carrying on his dreams and ensuring that the projects he began reach fruition.
“We kindly ask for your patience and understanding as we take this time to mourn and honor his memory.”
Source: Facebook, GoFundMe, Star Fruit Books
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