 Tell us a little bit about your press and what inspired you to start it up.
Whisper House Press is in its third year—its second year of production—and I started it because I felt powerless in publishing and wanted to grab some for myself to empower the authors around me. That sounds a bit corny, but it is the most honest description of what was on my mind. Breaking into publishing was challenging, and my biggest supporters to point were. other independent publishers. Timber Ghost Press and Collective Tales Publishing, also Utah-based independent publishers, provided examples of good people doing things the way they felt publishing ought to be done—and I felt I had something to contribute. And I'd been a teacher for a long time, in education since January 2008, and wanted to extend what I'd learned there about actively making decisions around equity and respect to the publishing world. Indie publishers have a distinct personality. How would you define the personality of your publishing house, as well as the core brand/vibe? Our vibe at Whisper House is communicated first and foremost by what we publish, but if readers want a short and sweet version, it's captured in the tagline we use: "Mundane Horror for the People." I was raised, intellectually speaking, on absurdism and subversion of expectations: Early in life, I read heavily not only Michael Crighton and Stephen King, but also cut my teeth on Franz Kafka and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. I spent over a decade in academia working on projects in ethics and political thought; that plays a strong role. And my parents raised me on The Twilight Zone. I tell people: Whisper House publishes horror fairly described as Kafka + The Twilight Zone + Stephen King. Those influences—plus my deep questioning of norms—are what most strongly shape my output as an editor and curator. We all know the small publisher is a champion for marginalized voices. How does your press help uplift these voices? I'm a [mostly] cis gendered white male born of tremendous opportunity and privilege. I show up to my publishing work knowing that I have an obligation to reverse what made this the case for me, including expending actual time and money, on purpose, to support people who weren't born into and do not experience the impacts of those opportunities and privileges. I recognize I don't know what I don't know, so I ask a lot of questions. For instance: I've done some work with Zimbabwean writers. In working with African Diaspora and Africa-based authors, I ask them how to reach other writers from Africa and of African descent; I invite them to write for Whisper House Press. As far as the USA goes—at StokerCon, I spotted the Black Women in Horror (https://blackwomeninhorror.org/) folks and stopped to ask questions. I asked how I can reach more Black writers in the USA to write for WHP. (They told me, straightforwardly: Ask those writers directly.) I interview, publish, and seek the advice of people who aren't like me. Trans writers, gay and otherwise queer writers, physically disabled writers. I'm an Autistic creator, and I am still learning what that means in my work. White men like me are often quick to point out: Everyone has their challenges. But I am cognizant of the fact that, while it does no one good to compare challenges and traumas, many headwinds are of a different character altogether than anything I face. Thus: I give extended deadlines for my press's calls, push for free services at literary events I participate in running, and ask questions like "What the hell are we supposed to do about those stairs and providing access to everyone?" What are some common things that will get a quick rejection from your press? On the flip side, what are some things that make a submission stand out? Someone who GETS our vibe gets a strong, strong look, and I'm willing to overlook all kinds of imperfections if it's clear the person is writing to our audience. Those whose work tells me off the bat they haven't read the call and don't know who we are don't really get a second look. What is one of the biggest challenges your press is facing these days? Because my press is run by one person—me—any major life change for me has a major impact on the press. And, where I hadn't been overextended for the last three years of operation, a new job this summer means that (surprise!) I'm suddenly badly overextended. What had been the norm for me in terms of work patterns for over a decade, quite suddenly, no longer applies. So, as I struggle to find my footing with a completely unexpected set of conditions, people are seeing less of me online and in their inboxes. It'll all work out, and I'm committed to finding that footing, but boy howdy it's a challenge. What projects do you have coming out soon? In the short term, I'm excited about Andrew Pixton's Ghoul, a novella whose story is of a guy who becomes homeless and then becomes a literal ghoul. And I won't spoil the plot, but he finds that society treats him only moderately worse as a ghoul than as a guy without a permanent residence. Doom Scroll, our social media horror anthology (this is, like my HOA horror and workplace horror ideas, basically horror that writes itself), will be out in the new year, delayed from Q4 of 2026. I'm also stoked about Emily Flynn Jones' "coming of rage" pink horror novella, Rot GRRRL Movement, and Jordan King-Lacroix's Dream Music—a surreal dread-creep that reminded me a bit of those old Freddy movies but with a distinct, modern flavor and sensibility. Next year, I managed to get Nathaniel Darkish and N.J. Gallegos to pen a body horror followup to their short story "Cutting Room" that closed out the Dread Mondays anthology that had grossed me out so much. And there's LORE to this story; Doom Scroll offers another tale from this world and its core conflict. (I'm finding I love working with authors for repeat appearances where those repeat appearances build in the same world as their other WHP stories.) Oh! And on the movie review side, my colleague Robert Zerbe submits regular reviews folks can find on WHP's site, and I'll be covering the Telluride Horror Show film festival for our website this October. I don't do a great job of highlighting our book and film reviews, tbh, but we put thoughtful stuff up, matching the thoughtfulness of all our work. When is your next open call and what are you looking for? Truth be told, I don't see opening another call for several months, but I hope people will follow the news from our newsletter, accessible via our website. I send those news notes out once every month or two, and if they whitelist our email address and keep an eye out, writers can rest easy knowing they'll hear about opportunities. And if those writers are in Utah, they can find me and pitch me (on a schedule) at Utah Horror Day (10/24) or the Southern Utah Book Festival (10/10). If authors get to know our vibe, they will know probably right away if they've got the right novella or novel to pitch. What advice do you have for authors? Please read widely, watch a lot of movies of different sorts, and get with other writers to ask them to review your stuff. Stephen King has said that we write with the door closed and edit with the door open, and I think that's good advice. Where can authors find you? If they find any of my social media accounts, the linktr.ee that's attached in all their bios will connect them to all my other accounts. Because I'm just a dude with a press, some of these accounts are tied to my author-labeled accounts, but I try to keep stuff press-focused. And dog-focused. And my Insta content is different from my BlueSky and my Facebook content which are both different from one another and from my TikTok stuff... so pick your outlet and you'll find us. The very best way to get to know our vibe, our identity, and so on, is to visit whisperhousepress.com, where folks can find monthly featured stories—these will always be free—and our "about" page and so on. If you check that stuff out, you should get a good sense of Whisper House Press. And if they do that and still have questions, they should reach out via email.
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 Tell us a little bit about your press and what inspired you to start it up.
It's actually extremely flattering how ReddUp Press came to be. A fine fellow named Eric Meisberger started it in my honor. Eric is a venerated zine publisher in the Pittsburgh punk scene. He is also an amazing librarian and a brilliant poet. We have a long relationship of sharing our works in progress. One day I sent him a draft of my weird werewolf story, "Some Kind of Wild Animal," and his response was basically, "Fuck it, I'm starting a press so I can publish this." Pretty much the best compliment any author can receive, right? Eric has very old-school, DIY sensibilities which paired well with my boss-level nonchalance. After we kicked out a few titles, most with my byline, I made myself a de facto partner, taking on more responsibilities, including art, layout, and project development with new writers. In the coming year ReddUp will continue to randomly publish short horror and poetry from a growing body of authors as well some very niche kids books, anthologies, and whatever else tickles our fancy. Indie publishers have a distinct personality. How would you define the personality of your publishing house, as well as the core brand/vibe? ReddUp is obstinately anti-AI and deliberately anti-commercial. But we don't platform on that. We are focused on the art and novelty of it all, whether we make money or not. If we happen to turn a small profit, it goes into the pot to fund another project. We all know the small publisher is a champion for marginalized voices. How does your press help uplift these voices? We are all about building relationships and being an outlet for new voices. We don't plan to take the world by storm, who in the hell has time for that? We just want to be a wholesome, albeit odd, presence in the world. That means supporting art wherever it comes from, either by publishing it ourselves, or encouraging and empowering creators to start their own publishing presence. What advice do you have for authors? Don't spend too much effort trying to break into established markets. Find your community, and if one doesn't exist, create one. Where can authors find you? https://www.instagram.com/redduppress/ https://redduppress.wordpress.com/ https://www.instagram.com/joncarrollthomas/  Tell us a little bit about your press and what inspired you to start it up.
Inky Bones Press is named after some of my loves: writing & bones. Prior to starting IBP, a writer friend and I had a book review podcast, and we also published a handful of anthologies. I fell in love with the process and wanted to continue when our collaboration ended. I’ve loved reading and writing since I was very young, so it’s a dream come true to create books as well as meet and promote other authors. What kind of horror do you publish? Inky Bones Press primarily falls under the speculative fiction umbrella: a backbone of horror with flavors of science fiction and fantasy. Creatures, monsters, creepy settings, and oddities are my jam, so that’s what I gravitate to when I’m curating an anthology. I look for stories that bring fear to the forefront. I love stories that give visceral reactions. I’m currently plotting my next anthology for 2027, so I should be posting a new open call in the next few months. We all know the small publisher is a champion for marginalized voices. How does your press help uplift these voices? I’m a huge believer in supporting others and lifting them up. I’d love for Inky Bones Press to be a place for writers with marginalized voices to feel safe and to trust me to publish and promote their work. What are some common things that will get a quick rejection from your press? On the flip side, what are some things that make a submission stand out? I’m sure I’m not alone with this answer: not following submission guidelines. The biggest one for me is word count. If a story is over what I’ve requested, I don’t read it. Submissions stand out for me if they have been edited well. I do love to edit, and despite the cleanliness of the copy there can be some minor things. Each time I’ve seen a well-written story that’s clean, it puts a smile on my face—especially if the story meets the requirements and entices me. What is one of the biggest challenges your press is facing these days? Getting enough publicity outside of my own circle. I’m hoping to branch out and promote to readers who have never heard of Inky Bones Press or even know much about small presses. It takes time and funding to do certain things, and as a one-person crew it’s a slow process. What projects do you have coming out soon? I recently published a creature feature anthology called Of Beasts & Bones. Now, I’m focused on re-releasing two anthologies whose rights I acquired when my past collaboration ended. I’ve enjoyed reconnecting with the contributors and getting their stories, poems, and art & photography out in the world again. The anthologies are Still of Winter and Hope Screams Eternal. I’m also in the process of going wide so I can get my books into local and small bookstores. Where can authors find you? Website: https://www.robinknabel.com/ IBP page on website: https://www.robinknabel.com/inkybonespress Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robinknabel/ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/robinknabel My website is www.robinknabel.com, and I’m @robinknabel on Instagram and most socials. You can find links to all my favorite haunts on Linktree.  Tell us a little bit about your press and what inspired you to start it up.
Horrific Scribblings has two taglines/catchphrases: we publish transgressive dark fiction that is provocative, scary, and strange. Dark and disturbing, thought-provoking, outside the mainstream, unconventional, bizarre, disturbing, shocking, inspiring dread at the deepest existential levels… if it gets a hard no somewhere else for being too out there, it might get an enthusiastic yes from us. I started Horrific Scribblings because I’d self-published a few books, had a new novel called Alex’s Escape that I thought was so extreme and controversial that no one else would publish it, and thought, since I might be able to help out others with works too out there to fit elsewhere, the time might be right to start an idiosyncratic imprint. I filed the paperwork to form a company. I launched phase one in February 2025 when I started publishing my own books along with Horrific Scribes, a web archive of short fiction and some poetry (submissions always open!) that now has well over 100 authors’ works in it. For phase two, this year I started putting together our first pro-paying anthology, Extremely Weird Splatter, which has a dynamite line-up of horror authors and will be out October 13. For phase three—coming soon—I’ll start signing authors for novellas and novels. What kind of horror do you publish? For “transgressive dark fiction,” we look for horror and the horror-adjacent. Horrific Scribes includes all kinds of horror from quiet to splatterpunk, grounded to WTF supernatural/weird, as well as related categories such as dark fantasy, dark sci-fi, surreal/experimental, etc., as long as it’s got scary elements (it’s got to be provocative, scary, and strange). Most of our books so far are either anthologies from the Horrific Scribes archive or my novels and novellas, which tend toward extreme/splatterpunk and dark fantasy. The upcoming anthology I mentioned—which is all-new and independent of Horrific Scribes—fuses splatter with weird horror. We all know the small publisher is a champion for marginalized voices. How does your press help uplift these voices? Although not always kindly, horror has long innovated through representations of the marginalized and thus has long been a space for the marginalized, and Horrific Scribblings is about the marginalized within an already marginalized space: horror is already transgressive, but we want the transgressive among the transgressive. Our tagline for Extremely Weird Splatter is “Splatter the Normal.” I think this philosophy accounts for why we not only receive but end up selecting—not by design—so many international submissions. We’ve published work from six continents, and we have nothing against Antarctica, really. I haven’t done the math and couldn’t do so accurately because I don’t have all the data, but my general sense is strong enough to say with confidence that, though they do reflect the demographics of our submissions, our actual pubs skew less cis-het-male than our subs (which isn’t to say we don’t love cis-het-male writers—we do—but more marginalized voices tend to match with relatively greater frequency). I think we do especially well by LGBTQ+ authors, perhaps because I am one but I think because queerness and transgression still often go hand in hand, which informs the writing. We have a small “LGBTQ+” category on our site, but the number of stories contributed by queer-identified writers and/or with queer content is much larger. What projects do you have coming out soon? The biggie I’ve mentioned. Extremely Weird Splatter refreshes too-often-grounded splatterpunk with extreme weirdness and turns up the volume on today’s quiet and respectable weird fiction with extreme splatter. We’ve got stories by award-winning legends and favorites including JG Faherty, Christine Morgan, Jason Nickey, Monica J. O’Rourke, and Steve Rasnic Tem as well as others you know and some you’ll be getting to know soon. It’s amazing. Also, I just released the third anthology from the Horrific Scribes archive, Horrific Scribes Presents: Worlds Collide, and I might get the fourth, Horrific Scribes Presents: Distortions and Disproportions, out by the end of the year. As for my own books, I’ll have my surreal thriller Noir Falling: A Bizarre Mystery of Art and the Mind back in print soon, and I’ve got two novellas, Miasma and The Masses, in the pipeline. They’re nasty. When is your next open call and what are you looking for? Horrific Scribes is ALWAYS OPEN! We want horror and horror-adjacent short stories (1500-5000 words) and dark poems (send 2 – 5 short / medium poems) and pay $25 for an accepted submission (would love to pay more, but we don’t sell ads or charge readers, so we lose money). Full details and the place to submit are here: https://horrificscribblings.com/submissions/ We don’t do issues like magazines, but we have “Exhibits,” and our next Special Exhibit, likely opening to subs September 1, will focus on conspiracy horror. We refer to submissions for our Special Exhibits as “challenge submissions,” and you can keep an eye on challenges here: https://horrificscribblings.com/submissions/submissions-challenge/ Finally, assuming Extremely Weird Splatter is successful, you can look for a call for another pro-paying Horrific Scribblings anthology in 2027… What advice do you have for authors? My most common reasons for rejecting stories…
Where can authors find you? We’re a little bit all over… https://horrificscribblings.com/ https://www.facebook.com/horrificscribblings/ https://www.instagram.com/horrificscribblings/ https://www.tiktok.com/@horrificscribs https://bsky.app/profile/horrificscribs.bsky.social https://www.youtube.com/@HorrificScribblingsVideos  Indie publishers have a distinct personality. How would you define the personality of your publishing house, as well as the core brand/vibe?
Anuci Press is all about being a stepping stone for new/newer authors to get their work out to the public as well as a place for more established writers to try out new things that may be too weird or niche for their normal sources of publishing. While I wish I could sell more books for the writers I work with, I do enjoy being considered well outside the mainstream. What kind of horror do you publish? So far, it has been a mix of different subgenres and styles of horror, but the plan is to become more about weird horror and cosmic horror. The push in that direction will begin in earnest in 2027. The horror landscape is constantly changing. What do you look for in a book you want to publish? I always look for manuscripts I enjoy reading and think deserve to be seen by as many eyes as possible. I really enjoy stories that are odd and fall outside the mainstream. We all know the small publisher is a champion for marginalized voices. How does your press help uplift these voices? I love being able to publish stories that would otherwise be ignored. When those writers are from marginalized groups, that makes it all the more special. To be able to champion anyone who is being ignored is a privilege not to be taken lightly. What are some common things that will get a quick rejection from your press? On the flip side, what are some things that make a submission stand out? I will not tolerate bigotry of any kind. That is an automatic reject (bigotry from the writer, not a character whose bigotry is required for the story to work). If the manuscript does not fit what I am comfortable publishing, I will direct the writer to publishers who may be interested in the story. I am always on the lookout for weird stories that jump out at me, as long as they fall in the genres/subgenres I publish. What is one of the biggest challenges your press is facing these days? Like all indies, sales are difficult. We are ignored so much by large retailers and book reviewers and influencers. It is difficult to garner attention. A press my size has tremendous difficulty getting magazines or people with a lot of reach to give me or the writers the time of day. What projects do you have coming out soon? The 2026 lineup has already been released, most likely. I have three books already scheduled for 2027, along with a special project I hope to get off the ground involving weird fiction by women in the public domain. When is your next open call and what are you looking for? I typically do not have a set schedule. I accept manuscripts anytime, but any submissions now would be for next year. What advice do you have for authors? Be patient and persistent. You will have to do a lot of self-promotion. Be true to yourself as a writer and write what you love to express. Where can authors find you? I have a website, anuci-press.com. I am on Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and Bluesky. I can always be reached by email as well at [email protected]  Tell us a little bit about your press and what inspired you to start it up.
Haruspex Audio is a queer-focused audiobook house specializing in horror, smut, and outsider lit. 10 years of audiobook work has shown me that authors, narrators, presses, audio producers, and listeners deserve better deals than what Audible offers, and more freedom for riskier material to be adapted to audio. Indie publishers have a distinct personality. How would you define the personality of your publishing house, as well as the core brand/vibe? Eclectic, but we love the grime and sublime. Challenging, feel-bad and transgressive genre fiction with a love for unlovable protagonists and messy stories that trouble tidy expectations. What projects do you have coming out soon? Our newest releases are O.F. Cieri’s BACKMASK, an occult pulp novel set in the 70s record biz; and Henry Corrigan’s Somewhere Quiet, Full of Light, a queer haunted house story with the house’s POV! In production we have Pieces of Us by Taylor Blackthorne, a very dark and very steamy romance; and TT Madden’s The Familialists, a powerful and timely horror novella that’s a mix of Get Out and The Stepford Wives. Pre-orders should be up at time of press! What are some common things that will get a quick rejection from your press? On the flip side, what are some things that make a submission stand out? Bigotry and boringness are the fastest ways to a pass from me. For the flip, I love messy queer characters who are not about respectability politics, and stories that make your skin crawl and ask why you find it a little hot at the same time. When is your next open call and what are you looking for? We are open for queries from August 10-21 and then an extra week for BIPOC writers. Novellas are my favorite, in horror, romance, erotica, and weird. Where can authors find you? I’m most active on Instagram but am on most socials at @haruspexaudio.  Tell us a little bit about your press and what inspired you to start it up.
Back before the pandemic, I was getting short stories published and querying publishers and agents with my completed novel, A Mind Full of Scorpions. It was picked up by a small press, only for the owner to fall sick, and then by a second, who had to close after they couldn't receive the funds they needed for their projects. When the pandemic hit, I thought I'd start up my own publishing house. I never intended to publish myself, though. I wanted to publish other authors as well. I'm proud to say that we have published anthologies and novels/novellas from a number of other authors in our five years. Indie publishers have a distinct personality. How would you define the personality of your publishing house, as well as the core brand/vibe? We've been fortunate to work with some talented artists with regard to branding. I enjoy the literary and the pulp, and I love the '90's aesthetic (especially grunge), so our website uses color and textures that reflect these sensibilities. We also created the Sley Siblings, who introduce our anthologies in a nod to EC comics titles like Tales from the Crypt. Our most recent anthology, Tales of Sley House 2025 best represents that. The print version is $16.99, and the ebook is free to download off our website, or you can buy it for $3.99 through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or wherever you buy your books. What kind of horror do you publish? I'd like to say we publish all kinds, and to an extent, this is true. But I tend to write horror/southern gothic, and quite a few of our titles fall under that broadscope. Black Echoes is SG/H, focused on the relationship between a father and his son, and drug addiction. Persephone's Escalator is SG/H that deals with family, witches, and curses. Godfestation is an upcoming novella set in Appalachia, dealing with grief and family. The horror landscape is constantly changing. What do you look for in a book you want to publish? I look at characters and setting. I look for themes being explored. I want to make sure that the characters feel real and their choices drive the plot. I teach my students that conflict is driven by the choices characters make in trying to resolve that conflict, so any good story should show this clearly. We all know the small publisher is a champion for marginalized voices. How does your press help uplift these voices? Our anthologies have published authors from all over the world. We've published women and people of color regularly in those anthologies. We also have a lot of women-authored books out now and soon to be released. Jendia Gammon has several books with us, and has several more coming out. Jay Townend's upcoming novella is an LGBTQ+ horror story, and K.A. Hough has one science fiction novel with us with another ready to come out soon. We are also publishing a middle grade horror novel with Abby Vail. What are some common things that will get a quick rejection from your press? On the flip side, what are some things that make a submission stand out? We don't want anything AI and we don't use AI. We also don't tolerate hate speech. We don't want to see racist, misogynistic, or any writing that denigrates people. I'm not looking to chase sales trends. I want strong writing, strong characters, and stories with something to say. I like beautiful prose. What is one of the biggest challenges your press is facing these days? Honestly, I want to be better with marketing. We have monthly newsletters and we do press releases for upcoming books, but if we could get our books in front of more readers, I know people would enjoy them. What projects do you have coming out soon? 11 August 2026 -- Godfestation by Jendia Gammon -- a southern gothic (Appalachian) horror novella. 2027 -- HAUNTING AND MURDER! at Hilltop Manor -- JR Billingsley 2027 -- Paper Moons by KA Hough -- science fiction and women's lit 9 February 2027 -- Latchkey Monsters by William Sterling -- horror novel (southern focus) 23 March 2027 -- Girls, Girls, Gore by Jay Townend -- LGBTQ+ horror novella 8 June 2027 -- Bad Manor by Abby Vail -- middle grade horror novel 2028 -- Mr. Haunt by Brandon Robbins -- horror novel (southern focus) ...and more, so stay tuned! When is your next open call and what are you looking for? We have monthly open calls for our Patreon page where we publish short stories and poems. Our website (www.sleyhouse.com) details what we're looking for each month, but we accept horror/fantasy/ sci-fi. What advice do you have for authors? Read everything, read often, and read outside your chosen genre. And make a habit to write every day. Where can authors find you? Our website: www.sleyhouse.com Twitter: @SleyHouse Meta: @sleyhousepublishing Blue Sky: @sleyhouseeditor.bsky.social  Tell us a little bit about your press and what inspired you to start it up.
Black Beacon Books was born in Australia in 2013. I had already been writing and submitting my short stories to various horror markets for several years but felt there was a lack of quality independent publishers based in Australia, and particularly in the hometown of Brisbane. At a time when print-on-demand technology promised to revolutionise the publishing industry and make it possible for those of us with more vision, passion, and know-how than cold hard cash to get our books out there, it made sense to give it go. In a way, the impetus was to kick out against the major publishing houses whose unoriginal and formulaic fiction was—and still is, but perhaps to a lesser extent—dominating the market. I felt that discerning readers of original horror, suspense, and mystery fiction needed more alternatives—stories that respected the basic rules of these genres but weren’t afraid to put new spins and twists on them. I was in touch with a community of like-minded authors and artists, many of whom are still riding the wave with me today, and I knew they would be keen to get involved. The first anthology Black Beacon Books published had a local flavour. Subtropical Suspense featured suspense stories set in and around the city of Brisbane. I felt it was important for me to make a contribution to my hometown’s literary treasure trove, for while Brisbane is Australia’s third largest city, it is underrepresented in fiction compared to Sydney and Melbourne. This, likewise, was the reason I chose to set my début novel, The Tunnel Runner, in and under the streets of my hometown. It soon became clear, of course, that restricting the focus to one city, or even one country, wasn’t the way forward for Black Beacon Books, especially since moving to the other side of the world in 2017. We’re now based in the countryside in my wife’s homeland of Brittany, without so much as an English-language bookshop within a day’s drive away. It made more sense to define Black Beacon Books solely by what we publish rather than by where we come from. So, what do we publish? Atmospheric horror, mystery, and suspense fiction served on a platter to clever readers who aren’t afraid of twists, turns, and eeriness. What kind of horror do you publish? As mentioned above, we publish several genres, all of them hair-raising, puzzling, or spellbinding. In terms of horror in its broadest sense, our books fall into three categories; general horror, ghost stories, and post-apocalyptic adventure. The best way to taste our dark delicacies is to grab one of our anthologies. The Black Beacon Book of Horror is the first in our series of general horror anthologies, and you’ll find a tendency towards subtle, creeping horror over gore and guts. It’s the sense of dread, the building of suspense, that truly terrifies. The tales in this anthology are gothic, ghostly, and psychological. You’ll find monsters and the supernatural in our publications, but what we know really gives our readers a chill is when the pages of a book act not as windows to fantastic realms but as mere mirrors exposing them for who they are...or might end up becoming. For those who prefer that haunting feeling, The Black Beacon Book of Ghosts will send shivers up your spine, and for fans of post-apocalyptic fiction, there’s Tales from the Ruins, Flicker, and Index Case (forthcoming). What are some common things that will get a quick rejection from your press? On the flip side, what are some things that make a submission stand out? It really is very simple. If you don’t follow the guidelines, your submission will be rejected. Read the guidelines, query if you don’t understand something, and send in your submission accordingly. If you can’t read and follow guidelines, we assume you can’t write a great story. What makes a submission stand out? So, firstly, when your email has the required subject line and you start your message with a greeting--Dear editor is fine and Hi Cameron really shows me you know what’s going on. Of course, for an anthology, we choose the stories that are well-written both in terms of storytelling and the correct use of the nuts and bolts of our beautiful language. We value originality, atmosphere, and a clever twist or two. If you manage to bring all that together, there’s a solid chance your submission will at least make the longlist. What projects do you have coming out soon? Up next is the latest novel from Sam Dawson, an English author with an original voice, coming out in September. Index Case is a medical thriller, apocalyptic adventure, survivalist’s handbook, and a guidebook to the south coast of England all wrapped into one. With an expert on contagious diseases as the protagonist, Sam tells us the release of his novel will be timely. We hope he’s wrong! October will see the release of The Black Beacon Book of Horror 2, perfect for your Halloween TBR list. Then, hot on its heels, we’ll be publishing The Fourth Black Beacon Book of Mystery in December. Make room on your nightstand! When is your next open call and what are you looking for? Our main focus will remain on anthologies. We have two open calls later this year and one early next year, stretching from October to February. Lighthouses 2, Tales from the Ruins 2, and The Fifth Black Beacon Book of Mystery. Another word of advice for potential contributors; grab a copy of a previous volume of the anthology in question so you get a feel for what works for us, then check the submissions guidelines and get writing! Where can authors find you? Our website is at blackbeaconbooks.com and you can find a comprehensive list of our social media profiles at linktr.ee/blackbeaconbooks  Tell us a little bit about your press and what inspired you to start it up.
We are The Laughing Man House, we focus mainly on horror subgenres like religious horror, southern gothic, southwestern, and dark fantasy—but we do not limit ourselves to those and publish a broad spectrum. We are queer-owned and so we put a lot of our time and attention into queer stories. Part of why we began was because we love weird regional horror and religious horror, which are two niches that we had trouble finding in the wild for a long time. More recently, there have been some explosions in these subgenres, such as Appalachian horror, and we think that’s awesome. As we continue to evolve, a lot of what keeps us going is our mission to give a voice to more queer authors during a time when those voices are being dropped or dismissed by large trad publishers. Indie publishers have a distinct personality. How would you define the personality of your publishing house, as well as the core brand/vibe? Our whole brand has become sort of this parody of a modern Pentecostal-style church. We know that sounds weird and it is, sometimes we worry it’s too off-putting, but it’s very closely bonded to our roots. For me, the founder, I grew up extremely Christian in the fairly-rural South, bouncing between denominations that all held some form of mild to extreme fundamentalist ideas. And that really shaped who I am as a person, so now, even though I’ve deconstructed, I have found a way to take that part of my past and graft it onto my passion. That’s been extremely cathartic, rather than just letting my religious trauma sit in a box in a closet, I get to play around with it and let others play around with theirs, too. Sometimes I’m jokingly called Rev because my brand persona is a sleazy televangelist, and everything else has exploded around that. We run The Horror Church Bookshop (a mini indie horror bookshop), and The Horror Church discord server (for queer horror writers), and everything down to how I package the books we send out follows this theme. Our literary magazine is Smitten Land (derived from Exodus 12:13). Our mascot, Xerxes, is a grim reaper who wears a crown of thorns. There are a lot of publishers who have no interest in religious-flavored horror because they think evil preachers and the devil are overplayed, but if you’re a writer who loves that kind of stuff, then you have a home here. The horror landscape is constantly changing. What do you look for in a book you want to publish? We don’t really look for books that are ‘on trend’ right now (because that trend will pass by before the book even has a chance to breathe). Our checklist is usually things like, does it fit our niche? Is the writing rich, fun, developed? Does it challenge us to expand our reach, will it resonate with our current audience and new readers? We like to think that we have a fairly diverse taste—we love creature features, family dramas, isolation stories, comedies, erotica, experimental pieces, cosmic horror, haunted houses, ghost stories, etc. I feel like every small press gets its share of submissions that are wildly out of its asking zone (and we are always honored when an author gives us a shot even if it’s just for the ‘hell of it’ / sake of trying), so a big deciding factor is often the ‘does it fit our niche’. If we have two excellent horror books in front of us and we have to choose between them, we’re going to pick the religious horror, or the Florida horror, over the midwestern ghost story. We all know the small publisher is a champion for marginalized voices. How does your press help uplift these voices? We really try to make an effort to uplift as many marginalized voices as we can, although we always want to do more and better. We want all the own voices representation we can get—from queer people, people of color, disabled voices, mentally ill voices—etc. We tend to be extremely picky especially in our Southwestern acquisitions for this reason. What are some common things that will get a quick rejection from your press? On the flip side, what are some things that make a submission stand out? A general lack of understanding what we’re looking for is a quick rejection—along with emails that have no body, books that are drastically below or way beyond our preferred word counts, anything that reduces women to sex objects with no agency, manuscripts that do not adhere to our specified preferred format—and we do not really like it when someone lands in our inbox with a condescending attitude. I don’t take people talking down to me very well. If an author comes in and there’s a sense of mutual respect and you have clearly read our guidelines, then that’s a green flag. The stories that tend to stand out the most are stories that feel genuine (not written to pander to a call, but a story you had burning in your gut from its inception). Even if it’s the campiest, silliest story you have ever wanted to tell, if it’s something you genuinely love and it makes us grin, chance are we’ll love it. When is your next open call and what are you looking for? Right now, we have an open call for our Smitten Land anthology, Behold the Behemoth. Smitten Land is our quarterly religious horror magazine, and BTB is celebrating two years. Beyond that, our next open call for novels and novellas will likely be at the tail-end of 2027 or the beginning of 2028. We will definitely announce it on our socials when it’s open. But, what are we looking for? I would love some more evangelical flavored horror. I would love some Southwestern horror, and I’d be hard-pressed to say ‘no’ to some more rural Southern gothic horror (especially with some botanical horror mixed in). If you’re a queer author of color and you’re shopping around in these subgenres, please feel free to tap into my DM’s even if we’re not in our open call season and we’ll be happy to talk. Where can authors find you? We have a newsletter, we are on Instagram and TikTok, we have a BlueSky (for now), and we are on Threads. I’ll drop a bunch of links. Thank you so much for having us! Website: https://www.lmhpub.com/ Newsletter: https://lmhpub.beehiiv.com/ LMH Pub Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thelaughingmanhousepub Horror Church Bookshop: https://www.instagram.com/horrorchurchbookshop Sirius: https://www.instagram.com/palestarsirius  Tell us a little bit about your press and what inspired you to start it up.
Spend enough time in the publishing industry and you see its ugliness, inequities, and grift. Rather than become cynical, we decided to start our own indie press. We wanted to answer the question: how can publishing do better? We decided it was important not to build our press on the backs of hardworking writers, as many others do. We also wanted to publish the highest quality fiction we could find, pay people fairly, and never compromise on our creative standards. All these things are possible, and we put our money where our mouths are. We pay professional rates for short fiction and offer a better-than-industry-standard percent of royalties. We choose authors who may have been passed over by traditional publishing and deserve a piece of the spotlight. Since opening our doors in 2023, we've published five excellent books and have five more in the pipeline. We're incredibly lucky to work with some of the best indie authors in horror and connect with such an incredible, supportive community. What advice do you have for authors? Work to dismantle oppressive structures of power. Each of the books we've published actively challenges patriarchal power; we aim to provoke, discomfit, and inspire readers looking for a crack in the edifice. Books are still respected in our culture. They're powerful objects in themselves. When you write, remember that you are making something that has the power to change someone's life and alter their thinking. The best advice is: remember your power. Exercise it. Be fearless in your writing. And if you don't know how to do that, read the authors who are doing it. How does Moonstruck Books uplift marginalized voices? Moonstruck Books is a trans-owned press and we work with authors who fall outside the mainstream. There's a detailed list on our website of what that means to us. "Marginalized" has become shorthand for LBGTQIA+ or BIPOC and can feel like a marketing term. We define "marginalization" in many senses. Our anthology Nightmare Diaries was the embodiment of our values and included a wide range of writers: Black authors, people of color, self-educated writers, non-urban writers, blue collar and working class folks, and other folks who are decentered in traditional industry models. The best horror comes from the margins and the experience of living in the shadows. We publish work that explores those dark places, through the lens of people who walk that path daily. We're not interested in the overwhelmingly white, cishet, industry-stamped, algorithm-friendly, all-too-binary bestseller world. Find out more about Moonstruck Books here. |
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