A writer creates a piece of horror fiction. To stand a chance of getting it out there, there must be some sort of potential readership. And for it to end up in readers’ hands, it must be published.
These three very different but essential components bring us to the question: Is horror fiction art, entertainment, or business?
On episode #41 of Josh’s Worst Nightmare Oddcast, horror author, editor, and publisher Josh Schlossberg explores the conflicts and confluences of self-expression, readership, and making money in horror fiction.
On episode #40 of Josh’s Worst Nightmare Oddcast, host Josh Schlossberg sprouts fangs with Erica Hoffmeister, author of ROOTS GREW WILD, as they drain the essence of vampires.
Remember back in school when the teacher would give you one of three grades on a test: 100%, 80%, or failing?
Yeah, me neither. But that’s exactly what we authors and readers are up against with the 5-star rating system common to Amazon, Goodreads, and elsewhere.
On episode #39 of Josh’s Worst Nightmare Oddcast, host Josh Schlossberg plays a game of cat and mouse with A.E. Santana, author of “Imperial Slaughterhouse,” as they sink their claws into the felines of dark fiction.
I was able to trick the esteemed publication, Shoutout Colorado, into thinking I’m a successful author, editor, and publisher. Read all my dirty lies below.
On episode #38 of Josh’s Worst Nightmare Oddcast, host Josh Schlossberg risks infection with Jeamus Wilkes, author of “That Time Maggie Ghosted Me,” as they survive the ongoing biological horror that is COVID-19.
TRIGGER WARNING: Non-ideological discussion of every trigger warning I can think of.
Now that you’ve been cautioned, dark reader, I want to start off by admitting that I don’t have a problem with trigger warnings. I fully understand that some people have been traumatized by certain life experiences, and to read about them can make them feel anything from discomfort to extreme distress. And in my own writing, I’m completely willing to provide trigger warnings for any editors or publishers who ask for them.
But as a reader I don’t have much use for them, especially in horror, as dark fiction for me is about pushing through the shadow into the light. Personally, I’ve found that refusing to explore something that scares me only makes it loom larger in my life. Yet, mostly, I tend to skip them because I like to avoid anything remotely resembling a spoiler.
So, while I totally get the point of trigger warnings and honor those who advocate for them, the tricky question that no one wants to answer is: What subjects qualify?
On episode #37 of Josh’s Worst Nightmare Oddcast, host Josh Schlossberg gets ballsy with Tim Eagle, author of STOLEN SEED, to dissect the male reproductive system.
Stream or download on Podbean or a variety of podcast platforms.
THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR, the anthology I edited for Denver Horror Collective (DHC) in late 2021, just won a bronze medal in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, a Silver medal in the 666 Awards, and had previously made it onto the preliminary ballot for the Bram Stoker Awards. Meanwhile, at a recent horror writers conference, I lost count of the authors who told me they loved the book, which sold well at the DHC table, as it has been literally around the world.
While readers are hungry for Jewish horror as a unique exploration of the larger genre, I think I finally understand why THE JEWISH BOOK OF HORROR was one of the only Jewish horror anthologies ever released (all by small presses). And why nearly every working author who also writes Jewish horror tells me they have difficulty getting those stories published.
Because while pitching my Jewish folk horror novel to the editor of a large, established horror fiction publisher, one of my sneaking suspicions as to what’s been turning off so many gatekeepers was finally confirmed.
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