073. Our Weird Flag Means Weird Fiction
Hey Ho, Tenebrous Cult!
So, I got to hold the first test print of this beastly little beauty in my hands this week.
Y’all: this is one sexy magazine. I couldn’t be prouder of the entire team involved. Everything looks well in line to hit our target release date of October 15, so it’s time to throw wide the windows of subscription!
Subscribe to THE SKULL & LAUREL (if you haven’t already)
Our success in launching this project on Kickstarter gave us the means to ensure that Year One goes off without too many hitches; but we always have one eye aimed at the future. We see a long, long road ahead for THE SKULL & LAUREL, but the best way to pave that path is through subscriptions.
All told, THE SKULL & LAUREL crowdfunding campaign netted 200+ digital subscriptions and about 125 print+digital subscriptions for the first year; in addition to +/- 80 folks who signed on for just the first issue in one form or the other. Full disclosure: those are subscriber numbers we can live with, and those will keep the magazine running for as long as we want to do it in its current guise.
But we can’t just bank on the initial enthusiasm of the Kickstarter to roll forward into future years; we need to be proactive. Assuming people will just keep showing up year after year without putting in the effort is one of the reasons we see so many long-standing periodicals close up shop.
Now, I don’t have the exact figures in front of me, but I know a sizable chunk of the people who subscribed via Kickstarter are the same people in this newsletter audience. And you rule, and we are so incredibly grateful.
But we want to add even more of you:) We want the folks who held off on backing the campaign—those who may have had a wait-and-see attitude to it all, or who don’t get involved with crowdfunding in the first place—to dive with us into the future of New Weird Fiction.
Carson Winter’s A SPECTRE IS HAUNTING GREENTREE out in two days
…I just accidentally typed Arson Winter three times in a row; I bet Carson reads this and, punk lifer that he is, instantly regrets that his pen name isn’t Arson Winter. Too late, bro, sorry.
Anyhoo: Carson talked at length about what went into writing this novel last time out; I don’t really have another hard sell to drop on you; you’re either intrigued by an awesome murderous scarecrow army, or we’re just completely speaking different languages here.
We still have a few of the cool scarecrow patches left too!
The fine folks at Horror DNA gave Carson some room to discuss Five Anticapitalist Horror Novels That Radicalize Terror. It’s a fun read, you should check it out; Horror DNA is one of a dwindling number of sites with Horror-heavy content that focuses on more than just film. Good folks there.
Anatomy of a CVLT: Echo Echo’s cover art
Michael Bettendorf’s TRVE CVLT has proven itself a unique challenge for us, as far as editing and (currently) formatting goes. We’re racing the clock to have it all squared away by its September 25th release date, but everything seems to be falling into place; at the very least, we’re gonna move mountains to ensure that we have at least a small print run on hand at VoidCon, where Betts and I will be on release day.
Logistically—and personally—speaking, it’s also presenting a new challenge in terms of marketing; because it’s sort of a gamebook, and it’s sort of a metatextual discourse on gamebooks; and it’s also a grim examination of the damages that religious dogma can inflict, but it’s also fun as hell and metal as f&%k and we put a ton of work into the layout and fonts and interior illustrations and-
…anyway, that’s all the shop-talk part that gets my motor running and tends to glaze other people’s eyes over. Rest assured, TRVE CVLT is a gorgeous package, and I think it’ll go over well not only at traditional bookstores, but comics shops, gaming stores and more unconventional spots.
But speaking of gorgeous packages (not a euphemism!): let’s take a peek at cover artist Echo Echo’s process, because it’s pretty stunning:
What more can I even say? This art rips.
About TRVE CVLT:
You wake with a brutal hangover, but that can't crush your spirits: you’ve been invited to take back the drum throne for Abyss, the cult band you co-founded!
It means quashing a turbulent history with Abyss' vocalist, Austin. You aren’t sure if he’s invited you back to bury the hatchet, or if he’s just desperate because infamous black metal legends Waste Doctrine are rolling through town. They've given you the opportunity to open for them and maybe, finally, get the hell out of this nowhere town.
The promise of the upcoming gig doesn't come without its share of hurdles. Austin’s hellbent on creating a ritualistic experience out of the performance, turning the abandoned roadhouse he’s chosen as a venue into a bloody, occult nightmare. Yes, it’s black f$%king metal, but is it too far?
Only you can decide.
Get the gig. Ditch this town. Burn them all alive.
FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS
By this point, if you keep even a single finger on the pulse of the indie publishing scene, you’ve no doubt heard the convoluted details of the collapse of DarkLit Press (if you haven’t: congrats, it just went mainstream this week; you can get a quick overview of it here).
Alex and I certainly have strong opinions on this debacle, but we’ve mostly kept them off of social media and between just a few folks directly involved in the whole debacle. TLDR: it’s yet another black eye on indie publishing and tends to paint small presses like we’re either a.) borderline criminal/actually criminal or b.) painfully bad at business and communicating with our writers. In the case of DarkLit, evidence suggests that both factors came into play between the original and subsequent ownership.
What we, Tenebrous, can constructively do, is try to provide amplification for the authors who were screwed over in the process, and help them get the word out about where their formerly-housed books will appear at in the future. If you were an affected DarkLit author, please feel free to reach out and we’ll put some highlights on your titles in a future newsletter.
But for now:
L.P. Hernandez was a friend before all of the DarkLit business went down, so highlighting his and L.C. Marino’s new publishing initiative Sobelo Books was an easy decision (I don’t know L.C. nearly as well, but I look forward to getting to do so!)
An excerpt from Sobelo Books’ press release reads:
Sobelo Books respects both the creator and the audience. For the creator, our financial processes are automated to the greatest extent possible, eliminating the possibility of mismanagement of payments. Our advances and royalty structure are comparable to established indie horror presses. Integrity matters, and business functions should not be a mystery.
How do we respect the audience? Keep reading...
What we want: In the short-term, our releases will be relaunches of previously published titles and titles that were slated to be published prior to press closures. In future submission calls, we’ll seek the stories only one person can tell. The subgenre of horror matters less than an uncanny, well executed exploration of it. This is how we respect the audience. We publish the stories only our authors can tell, a collaborative process at the center of which is voice. A book is an investment of both time and money. We respect that investment, and our goal as publishers and creatives is to partner with authors to develop and strengthen their voice.
Ethics: The foundation of a business relationship is trust, which we believe is earned and not freely given. Trust grows through collaboration and transparency. You’ve been frustrated watching presses promise more than they can deliver or align themselves with morally questionable people and ideals. So have we. That’s why we’re doing this.
As expected—based on their short-term mission—the first two titles from Sobelo will be Hernandez’s own collection NO GODS ONLY CHAOS, and Red Lagoe’s IN EXCESS OF DARK, both originally 2024 DarkLit releases. Keep up with them here.
We’ll share some more links to orphaned DarkLit creators as we receive them.
Okay, I have to go roast a pork butt. No, that’s also not a euphemism. I wish it were.
Be good to each other; it’s a Weird world.
Don’t forget to preorder A SPECTRE IS HAUNTING GREENTREE. In two days, it just becomes, “preorder A SPECTRE IS HAUNTING GREENTREE!”
Hail Indie Horror.
Hail the Tenebrous Cult.
Matt + Alex