Small Press Interviews: Meet Whisper House Press

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.