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Thursday, February 22, 2007
There is a trend in small press publishing that has been increasing in recent months. I'm talking about the limited edition novella.
Don't get me wrong...I love the novella length. I look back at the so-called golden days and I have infinite fondness for short novels like McCammon's Blue World and King's The Mist. But these stories weren't published on their own. They were both included in books with numerous other short stories in them. And they didn't cost the reader an arm and a leg either.
It's becoming common for publishers to put out novellas at close to, or the same price as full-length novels or collections. And people are buying them.
I like all the horror small presses and I don't blame them. They are running a business and they all put out lovely books.
Who doesn't like a nicely made book? I hope that everyone here loves them. I know that I do. But if customers continue to buy these short novels with steep price tags, what will come next? Single sheets of paper for $35.00? Oh yeah.
Remember sitting down with a book and reading it for the sheer joy of the words? And then passing that beloved book on to others? There's still Leisure, of course, and other mass market publishers, but the majority of the stuff seems to be coming from the small press and who in their right mind wants to loan out a costly book that in a lot of cases is more of an investment than just a piece of reading material?
I've loved a lot of the recent deluxe novellas. Thomas Monteleone and Charles Grant's When Dark Descents comes immediately to mind. That was a special publication by two legends and I felt that the full-blown production was definitely justified in that instance. But it's going from special, deserving projects to just about anything goes with the expensive novellas.
In the end, the customers are the bosses. If we buy the books, they will be successes and the trend will continue.
But what the hell is wrong with a collection of novellas, such as with Cemetery Dance's Fourbodings and Trick or Treat? The writer might not make as much, but it is a novella, after all. Or why not a longer collection of fiction, with short stories by the same author in the volume with a title novella?
Again, I love the novella form and I think it's perfectly suited to the horror genre. Long enough to establish proper mood and character development, but short enough to read in a sitting or an afternoon.
Finally, I don't wish any ill to any publishers. They have the right to publish what they believe will profit for them. Thinking on the demise of Hellbound Books, who did quality books at a reasonable price, and contemplating the publishers that create costly books and are selling out titles left and right, I can't help but reach the conclusion that it really is a collector's market these days and books are like stocks, bonds and other fiscal commodities.
Do you agree? Disagree? Think I'm an asshole? Let me know what you think at the message board.
http://horrordrive-in.com/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=d1f2ead369df71112f3251d72500fcea&board=2.0
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Tuesday, February 20, 2007
It wasn't entirely unexpected, but I was stunned and deeply saddened today when I heard that Hellbound Books was closing its doors. Cemetery Dance has always been my favorite small horror press, but Hellbound came in at number two.
I adored Hellbound. It was truly the reader's press. Hellbound put out mass-market sized paperbacks, but they were far sturdier than what you'd get at the drug store. The books were tight and solid as a brick. And at a time when it seems like many publishers are charging more and more for fewer and fewer words, Hellbound Books could be afforded by almost anyone.
But the quality didn't stop with a nicely made, inexpensive book. No, Hellbound always put out superior genre fiction. Excellent anthologies like Damned Nation and the Deathgrip books, and kickass novels from the likes of T.M. Gray and Tim Curran. The most popular books done by Hellbound were probably Bad Juju and Hellz Bellz, both by the extremely talented Randy Chandler. I was always hoping for more Hellbound books by Randy. Now all I can do is hope that some intelligent press publishes his books. Small press would be nice, but Randy deserves the big time.
Then there are the books Hellbound did by genre legend William F. Nolan. We got a cool screenplay about cars, Hollywood and mayhem called Death Drive from Nolan, as well as a deluxe hardback of prose, poetry and illustrations called Ill Met By Moonlight. And where others would have charged 40, 50 or possibly even more for such a landmark collection, Hellbound sold it for $19.95. Having such an honored writer on board would be a coup for any publisher, but it was especially gratifying to see such a micropress do it.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention The Man himself. Walt Hicks, also known in horror circles as Hellbound Walt, is one of the true good men in the genre. I've never had the pleasure of meeting him, but we corresponded often and I owe him. Big time. As far as I'm concerned, Walt Hicks is a saint.
So what happened? Hellbound was such a great thing that one might think it would be a sure bet. I don't know all the reasons why things went wrong. Maybe it's because Walt didn't play it safe by publishing the flavor of the month writers. The message board favorites. Or maybe it really is a collectors' market, rather than a readers', but that thought makes me sad.
Everyone that loves horror fiction should have bought every book that Hellbound put out. I'm sure that some would be disappointed once in a while, but I think it would be rare.
Simply put, this is a loss that we, the horror genre, could not afford to have. We needed Hellbound. We need more publishers like Walt Hicks, presenting quality books at prices everyone can...
Shit. I'm repeating myself. I'm deeply disappointed and I'm pissed off. And I'm not even sure who I'm pissed at.
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Tuesday, February 06, 2007
We've all heard of him. Most of us have read his work. But do you continue to read it?
I'm reading a 1989 novel from Grant called Dialing the Wind, and man am I enjoying it. This guy could write. He was an expert in character, atmosphere and suspense. And he knew that a whisper or perhaps a feather just baaarely grazing your spine could induce more chills than a hundred heads being lopped off.
I admit it. When the whole loud vs. quiet horror days were going on, I would be more apt to read Schow, Garton, Skipp and Spector or Richard Laymon. It was an exciting time. I never forsook Charles Grant or T.M. Wright, to name a few so-called quiet writers, but I wasn't as jazzed about them as I had been just a few years before. I wanted rock and roll, midnight movie horror. And I got it.
I don't regret it now. Those days will always be special to me. I cherish the days when I first discovered the splatterpunks.
But I also cherish the days before that when I discovered books like Charles Grant's Nightmare Seasons. And the uniformly brilliant Shadows series of anthologies, which were edited by Grant.
I know that hard-hitting writers like Edward Lee and Wrath James White and Brian Keene are all the rage today. And that's not a bad thing. But please don't forget that Charles Grant has dozens of novels, collections and anthologies still floating around out there. And for the most part they don't cost much. Grant sold a hell of a lot of books in his career and even though it seemed that the readers (me included) gradually turned their backs on his kind of stylish, suggestive horror, his influence is on everything being published in the field today. Whether the writer is aware of it or not. I don't think it would be absurd to say that Charles Grant has had as much influence on the genre as Stephen King has. But Grant's hand in the field was...quieter. Quieter, but with resounding impact.
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