Letters From the Labyrinth 477
A Full Garden
A publisher, when starting out, has hopes and dreams similar to those of authors just starting out. A good publisher -- particularly a small press or indie publisher -- wants to publish books that clearly mirror their vision or tastes. A good publisher wants to put into the market a book they believe in -- something that folks can’t get elsewhere. A good publisher wants to pay professional rates, and pay them promptly. A good publisher wants to attract talent -- both already established talent who wants to work with them, and by discovering new talent whom nobody else has read yet.
(Bad publishers don’t care about any of these things, or -- conversely -- care about them but put no forethought or research into how to achieve them).
As publishers become more successful, there’s a common trap they can fall into -- focusing all of their efforts on a single or small handful of authors in their stable, rather than the collective many. Sometimes this is done purposely. Sometimes, it’s unintentional. But it happens more than you think, and unfortunately, it’s been happening for a long time.
In Horror, we can go back to Arkham House -- a press which was established in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to posthumously publish the works of their friend, H. P. Lovecraft. In time, the publisher expanded its catalogue to books by the two founders, and books by other writers of weird fiction, as well. But it is a fair to say that their focus -- their bread and butter, so to speak -- remained focused on HPL. Indeed, in reading back through the various histories of the company in my and Mary’s library, and back issues of the The Arkham Collector (a fanzine published in house) much of their marketing was focused on Lovecraft.
In more modern times, we all know that as far as mainstream trad-publishing goes, the largest chunk of the marketing and promotional dollars (and the efforts behind those dollars) go to the authors who are already established bestsellers. It has been that way for as long as I have been doing this professionally (thirty years) and I don’t guess it will change any time soon. If a publisher is paying that handful of authors the big dollars, then ostensibly, that publisher has a vested interest in making sure those books earn out and justify that payment. And the theory that a rising tide lifts all boats is applied to this. If Brand Author X’s 5th New York Times bestseller does well for the publisher, then the publisher can afford to take risks on a first novel by a first time author.
That holds true in indie and small press publishing, as well. The late, great, and unassumingly savvy David G. Barnett, who ran Necro Publications for almost 30 years, had Edward Lee as the north star of his stable of authors. Dave put a lot of money and time and effort into Lee’s books. But Dave then funneled those profits into taking chances on lesser known or completely unknown authors, and he paid each of those authors fairly and promptly, and — importantly — he did as much marketing and promotion for them as he did for others. Dave (and Necro) was definitely one of the good publishers I listed above.
A small press or indie publisher has to be careful with the optics of that, however. Delirium Books was a titan of the small press for a decade, and while a discussion of the factors that led to their downfall would be an entirely different retrospective and one I don’t think could be written fairly since the recent passing of horror historian H. Casper -- one thing I can speak to is the perception that Delirium put all of their marketing behind my books, or my books and a handful of other authors. That’s simply untrue. Delirium did indeed promote my stuff, but no more and no less than they promoted the works of every other author in their stable. You can say a lot of things about what ultimately led to a lot of bad blood in the industry regarding Delirium’s end, but it’s unfair to suggest they didn’t promote their stable of authors equally. The reason that perception existed is because I promoted my stuff above and beyond what they were doing. I did the same no matter which publisher I was working with -- small press or mainstream.
The elephant in the room with discourse like this would, of course, be Cemetery Dance. It was long suggested for decades that the King, Ketchum, Lee, Laymon, etc titles they published allowed them to then take chances on publishing a wide stable of newer or lesser known authors. These days, the perception amongst the public is that they only seem to publish King and Chizmar titles. I can’t say that’s accurate, but I also understand why the public would have that perception.
The reason I bring all this up is because I’m seeing some among the new generation of indie publishers repeating some of the mistakes of old -- and though we’ve made tangible, quantifiable improvements to how much authors get paid, and opportunities for marginalized writers -- I’d like to see publishers not fall into that trap. There’s one (I won’t name and shame here) whose stuff I very much like. They’ve been publishing some fantastic books by a fantastic, diverse array of writers. But this past year, the perception is that they only focused on promoting one particular author and one particular book from their line-up. I don’t know if that perception is fair or not, because I am not involved behind the scenes in any way. I only know what I see and hear. The thing is, I don’t think this publisher is even aware that they were doing that. I think they got caught up in the excitement of one of their authors breaking big and one of their books suddenly taking off. But the perception is they forgot to use that rising tide to lift the rest of their boats. And that’s a shame, because when you look at their backlist, it’s a beautiful, full garden. But the perception is that one flower is getting all of the sunlight and water, and the rest of the garden is starting to wither and wilt.
One thing I’d like to see become industry standard before my death is a clause or paragraph within a publishing contract that states what the publisher will do to promote the book. Something that authors and agents can refer back to, and use as a gauge. I think for some publishers, like Thunderstorm Books or Ghoulish Books, this would be very easy. I say that because, from my perception, they seem consistent with their marketing and promotional efforts for each and every book they publish. Paul at Thunderstorm puts the same effort into promoting my latest release from them as he does the latest release of a first time author. And while there is no love lost between myself and Max Booth at Ghoulish, credit where it’s due -- they put a lot of effort into promoting their stable of authors, and seem to do so fairly and equally.
Publishing is going to go through some upheavals over the next fifteen years. Digital eBooks are steadily declining in popularity. Audio sales are currently through the roof. Houses specializing in signed limited editions are slowly waning (although I suspect that as Gen Z discovers such things, we’ll see a resurgence in popularity of volumes like that again). I also suspect we’ll see a migration of indies away from Amazon’s KDP and B&N Press, as well as some seismic shifts to distribution, but I’m not sure what the new forms will look like yet.
Regardless of how it all shakes out, I hope publishers will be mindful that they succeed when their authors succeed. It’s not enough to believe in a book and publish the book. You have to get consumers to believe in it and buy it. That’s how you tend a garden.
Good morning. I’m Brian Keene and this is Letters From the Labyrinth — a long-running weekly newsletter for fans, friends, and family that comes out every Sunday.
Speaking of Thunderstorm Books, they will put the signed, limited edition hardcover of FALLING ANGELS: THE LABYRINTH Book 4 up for preorder on Sunday, August 9th. So you have about a month to save up money. We expect it to sell out during the preorder phase.
Here’s a look at the finished cover for that edition, featuring Frankie and Lucifer, and the back cover marketing copy.
The Penultimate Chapter In Bestselling Author Brian Keene’s Universe-Ending Opus!
~
Frankie has stood against it all. From the zombie-infested shadows of the Baltimore City Zoo to the flood-ravaged ruins of an Earth swamped by global supernatural storms, Frankie always remained standing.
Now, she’s falling -- passing uncontrollably through steadily fracturing dimensions of time and space, plummeting into increasingly terrifying realities, and helpless to act as the universe itself begins to disintegrate around her, consumed by a ravenous, encompassing evil. Frankie must find a way to stop her descent before both her sanity and her soul are forever lost.
Meanwhile, as her companions Teddy, Tony, LeHorn, and The Exit search for her, they must contend with the new member of The Seven in their midst -- Ob, Lord of the Siqqusim -- and determine if he is the ally that he claims to be, or the most devious foe of all.From far-off planets in distant galaxies to the downtown Los Angeles of the 1990s, the war against the Thirteen reaches its final battle, and many will fall.
Brian Keene’s FALLING ANGELS: The Labyrinth Book 4
The End continues, and the Fall has escalated...
Again. Signed limited edition hardcovers go up for preorder on August 9th. They will ship this Fall. The paperback, eBook, and audiobook editions will be available in December.
Thanks for a great week of sales for the audiobook edition of ENTOMBED on Apple and Audible, narrated by Michael T. Bradley.
Audiobook adaptation of AN OCCURRENCE IN CRAZY BEAR VALLEY, narrated by Chet Williamson, is up next, and should be available soon.
The paperback is now out of print, but last winter’s rave anthology FOUR PAST MEAT NIGHT is now available in eBook for Kindle - Nook - Kobo and Apple!
Four Past Meat Night -- Over twenty-five years ago, a group of ambitious new writers joined forces to shake up the horror world with 4X4 -- four novellas, four voices, one unforgettable collection that helped define a generation of dark fiction. Now, the wheel turns again. From the mind of Brian Keene, Pandi Press presents four distinct voices defining the new horror renaissance -- Gemma Amor, Laurel Hightower, R.J. Joseph, and Hailey Piper. At the sound of the tone, the time will be... Four Past Meat Night.
This week’s Women In Horror Year write-ups feature Lisa Tuttle, Marie de France, Countess Yolande, Morgan Sylvia, Rachel Harrison, V. Castro, and more. You can read those, and all the other ones I’ve written so far, via the index for Women In Horror Year.
Currently Watching: From season 4 and The Boroughs (season 1)
Currently Reading: Advance reader copy of a forthcoming novel by Gemma Amor.
Currently Listening: Sirius XM’s Classic Rewind and The Bridge.
Finished Bryan Smith’s Monstrous yesterday. It is, without hyperbole or exaggeration, the best novel of his career — the kind of novel he always wanted to write, but was hampered from writing by market expectations, reader expectations, and his own uncertainty. It’s cosmic horror along the lines of Brian Lumley, while still being 100% unadulterated Bryan Smith. The cover blurb I offered reads as such:
“With Monstrous, Bryan Smith delivers what might very well be the best novel of his career. A staggering work of cosmic horror along the lines of Brian Lumley, but pure 100% Bryan Smith. Must read!” — Brian Keene
Monstrous is in stores on September 23rd. You can preorder the hardcover and eBook now. Seriously, folks. Don’t sleep on this one. I’ve read a lot of great books this year, but this might very well be my fave of 2026 so far.
Reminder: Tuesday, July 21st join me, Christopher Golden, Mary SanGiovanni, CJ Leede, Victor Lavalle, Nat Cassidy, Clay McLeod Chapman, John Langan, Nicky Gonzalez, Nicholas Kaufmann, Tanya Pell, and Tony Tremblay from 5pm to 8:30 pm at the Brooklyn Brewery, sponsored by The Twisted Spine. There will be two panel discussions involving all of us, and we will also be signing books. You can purchase books at the event or bring them from home. This is a ticketed event, so make sure you sign up in advance by clicking here. It is expected to sell out.
And at the end of the month, I will be part of the Writer’s Symposium at GenCon. Here is my schedule of events. Unfortunately, due to ongoing family health issues, Mary will not be able to make GenCon.
And that does it for this week. Thanks for reading. See all of you back here next Sunday.
I really appreciate your sharing this perspective, Brian. I wonder if there's a publisher among the current crop of indie publishers that exemplifies the "rising tide lifts all boats" approach you describe here.
Your long time experience, openness and insight is appreciated, Brian.