[Letters From the Labyrinth] Brian Keene 180

Hi. I'm Brian Keene and and this is the 180th issue of Letters From the Labyrinth, a weekly newsletter for fans of my work. Previous issues are archived here.
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Everything is terrible.
Comic publishing is in absolute free-fall, with work stoppages, struggling retailers, and a distributor that can't pay the bills. There are some who see this as a moment for indie, crowdfunded comic books to succeed, given that such fare doesn't rely on traditional distribution or retailers, but I personally suspect those folks are in for a rude awakening in the months to come. If a consumer only has enough money to choose between food for their family or buying a comic book on Indiegogo, they're going to go with food.
Meanwhile, book publishing isn't faring much better. This week there were massive layoffs at mainstream publisher Macmillan, and their Thomas Dunne imprint (who published my novel PRESSURE) closed down. I know of several small presses who are already struggling to make next month's royalty payments, and there are several other small presses who were in trouble before the pandemic who will now use it as an excuse to continue engaging in bad behavior.
Sadly, this is just the start. Book and comic publishing, be it mainstream, small press, or crowdfunded, are all going to feel the hit eventually. Stores will close. Publishers will close. Creators will not get paid, or see their income drastically reduced. I was talking about this with Keith Giffen yesterday morning. Both of us have always been able to read the trends and signs and anticipate changes in our industry, but not this time. For the first time in 25 years, I have no gut instinct, guesses or advice. This is unprecedented. The closest metrics we have are 9/11 and the 2007-08 recession. This is those times infinity. I don't think anyone can predict what's going to happen over the next few years.
Whatever happens, we'll be dealing with the fallout for the rest of our lives. Sure, eventually the pandemic will end...but don't think that when it does that things will return to normal. Your idea of normal is just a memory now. The world will go on, but we are all going to have to reassess our assumptions of what normal is.
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This week, I got J.F. Gonzalez's long out-of-print novel SHAPESHIFTER ready to be back in print again. It will be released exclusively very soon as part of an ebook bundle celebrating Latinx horror writers (of which J.F. was the O.G.)
Paperback and other editions will follow down the road. Chris Enterline made a great cover for the ebook. Here it is.

If things are working correctly, you should see the image above. if not, it's on my twitter feed, as well.
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Steven L. Shrewsbury, my co-writer on KING OF THE BASTARDS, THRONE OF THE BASTARDS, CURSE OF THE BASTARDS, has had to go into quarantine for 14 days due to possible exposure to the virus. He wrote about it on my Blog this week. This week's Blog entries also include stuff from myself, Somer Canon, and Jonathan Janz. You can read them all for free by clicking here.
My thoughts are with Shrews and his family as they wait this out, and Jonathan and his family, and Somer and her family, and you and your family, as well.
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This newsletter goes out to thousands of people for free, but I have to pay to have it produced and sent. If you fancy buying me a coffee or a beer, click this link. No pressure, and no biggie if you don't want to. I'm happy you're here, regardless.
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FEAR AND LOATHING AND LOVECRAFT is a one-person play starring Mark Meer and based on the novel THE DAMNED HIGHWAY by myself and Nick Mamatas. As part of Citadel Theater’s Stuck-In-The-House series, Mark has posted this free excerpt from the production. CLICK TO WATCH.
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April looks to be a long month for most of us. So Apex Publishing would like to help you pass the time by temporarily offering the following five Apex eBooks for 99 cents each, including my own THE LOST LEVEL via DriveThruFiction | Apex | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Google
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This past week marked the launch of the Brian Keene Radio Network. Our podcasts include The Horror Show with Brian Keene, Defenders Dialogue, Cosmic Shenanigans, and Grindcast.
Shows air via Spotify, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, GooglePlayMusic, YouTube, and all other platforms.
Shows also stream free 24/7 on Brian Keene Radio.
Advertising inquiries for all podcasts should be sent to thegrindedword @ gmail.com.
All other queries should be sent to briankeene @ live.com.
Hosted by Brian Keene, Mary SanGiovanni, Dave Thomas, Matt Wildasin, and Kelli Owen and featuring interviews with the genre’s biggest names, and discussions of the latest business news in horror fiction, publishing, film-making, comics, games and more.
Click To Listen
Hosted by Mary SanGiovanni and focusing on cosmic horror beyond Lovecraft in literature, films, television, art, games, music, and pop culture.
Christopher Golden and Brian Keene rediscover their earliest influences -- 1970s & 1980s Marvel Comics. The Defenders! The Champions! Black Goliath! Ghost Rider! Tune in each week for discussion of these and other Bronze Age classics.
The official pop culture podcast of the people! Each week join Matt Wildasin, Jason and Will as they dig deep into pop-culture news, and discuss the latest in video games, movies, comic books, novels, cosplay, and much more.
Brian Keene Radio live-streams free 24/7 from your browser or phone, playing an eclectic mix of music, comedy, interviews, features, and episodes of The Horror Show with Brian Keene, Cosmic Shenanigans, Defenders Dialogue, Grindcast, as well as much more.
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That's it for this week. As always, a few reminders:
PATREON - Where I post new short stories, writing advice essays, two serialized ongoing novels, and behind-the-scenes stuff.
TWITTER - The only social media outlet I still use regularly.
YOUTUBE - Where I'm posting free stuff each week.
I'll see you back here next week!