This post is a combination of three things:

1. An announcement of my forthcoming horror short story collection, WHERE THE SHADOWS ARE SHOWN, due out in September through my own small press, Josh’s Worst Nightmare.

2. Rationalization of publishing the book through Amazon (who, from this point on, will be called Nozama, the Dark One).

3. Confession of succumbing to the lesser of two evils.

You may or may not know (or care) that I’ve been responsible for birthing six horror books into the world. Twice as an author—the folk horror novel CHARWOOD published by Aggadah Try It and the cosmic horror novella MALINAE from D&T Publishing—and four times as publisher/editor of other people’s work through Denver Horror Collective.  

Without getting into the toxic weeds of publishing, all six books are distributed by an entity known as Ingram Spark. It’s the only workable way for small publishers to get books into stores while also interfacing with online sites such as Amazon.

Let me say right here that I hate Nozama more than you. In fact, I never bought so much as a Q-tip from them until the pandemic, at which point my aversion to the virus overpowered my scruples.

But while it’s fun to have books on a shelf in a brick-and-mortar, here’s the sad reality: Unless you’re a big name or the book buyer is a fan, very few stores will carry your titles. I, myself, and Denver Horror Collective have been lucky enough to get ours into several stores around the country and the world, but that’s a rarity.

And here’s the kicker. The only way to do business with a bookstore is to offer a very steep discount. Add this to Ingram’s high printing and “distribution” costs, a publisher can make as little as $1 (or less) on a book.  

It’d be one thing if most of a small publisher’s books were purchased in stores. But the truth is that the vast majority are sold through Nozama, who is more than happy to exploit the deep discount. Which means, if you’re a publisher looking to turn even the slightest profit, prioritizing bookstores isn’t a great option (cutting out the middleman by selling copies directly to willing stores—or even better, to readers at events—is a much better deal).

Money aside, for several years I’ve still chosen Ingram over Nozama out of principle. Meaning, what finally turned me to the Dark One was something other than the almighty dollar. 

It’s the fact that, while Nozama is clearly the devil incarnate, at least they’re an evil being who WANTS my soul. Whereas Ingram doesn’t seem to give a shit one way or another.

What do I mean by that? No matter how many local businesses Nozama has wiped from the face of the Earth, at least when you have a problem there’s someone to talk to. And, believe me, publishing is mostly problems.

Of course, you used to be able to call Ingram customer service to resolve an issue. But they discontinued that during the pandemic (understandable!). And then never reinstated it (unacceptable!).  

So, after coming up against yet another obstacle, I let them know they had 7 days to fix things or I wouldn’t be publishing WHERE THE SHADOWS ARE SHOWN with them. Needless to say, they either couldn’t or didn’t want to. And so, true to my word, I now bend the knee to Nozama. 

(If it’s any redemption, I’m simultaneously putting out the e-book thorough Godless.com, an exemplary horror e-book distributor, and frankly, one of the rare lights in the gloom that is small press publishing today).

Anyway, that’s how far I’ve sunk. Sacrificing my deepest-held beliefs because I’d rather pick an evil monster who wants me over a slightly less evil monster who plays hard to get.

All that being said, I hope this is the last time I dabble in such demonry. To that end, I plan for my next book—a collection of eco-horror tales due out in 2025—to be handwritten in elderberry ink on oak leaves and distributed by a small team of turtles.