Indiependence
I wrapped up my last indie horror book with THE THING IN YELLOW -- anything else I write horrorwise will be aimed at trad in some fashion.
I've been writing indie horror for a long time, and I've contributed plenty to the genre, despite (or in spite of, heh) the overall lack of sales and interest from anyone, from 2011 - 2023, the following horror books:
The Wolfshadow Trilogy:
SAAMAANTHAA
THE HAPPENING
NORM
Other novels:
CHOSEN
SUCKAGE
THE CURSED EARTH
Novellas:
RELICT
SUMMERVILLE
THE DAY OF THE NIGHTFISH
Short story collection:
THE THING IN YELLOW
Poetry (meta-book tied to Wolfshadow):
LUPINIA
It's a strong body of work, and I'm proud of it, but from my perspective, how much more good work do I just throw out into the indie horror void?
There's enough literary critical mass there for anyone remotely interested in my work to read it to last them for awhile. I know some readers who've done it and/or are doing it. And I'm greatly appreciative of that!
But my future work needs a better chance to get seen, discovered, read, etc. There's way too much junk out there that makes me feel like we're all wading in the Death Star trash compactor, hoping somehow to get seen, even as we're staggering around in the muck.
I know how to write novels, novellas, short stories, and everything in between. Anything else I have that's remotely horror-adjacent will be aimed for trad, likely in a horror-thriller framework.
When I was younger, I just wanted my work to get out there. Now that I've done that, I want more readers, and that means moving out of the indie horror cesspool (and it truly is a cesspool, if you're paying attention) and get my next wave of work seen by more readers.
It's entirely possible that the combination of my aesthetic, my style, my interests, and my politics (very strongly left) won't appeal to mainstream audiences. I may always be a niche writer. But I still have to try. I think the quality of the work is there, and I've worked very hard to get here.
I liken it to indie bands who've played small club circuits and want to move to bigger venues. That's where I'm going. In the meantime, readers who might care can read my indie horror work if they want to, to prepare them for where I'm going as a writer.
I've been writing indie horror for a long time, and I've contributed plenty to the genre, despite (or in spite of, heh) the overall lack of sales and interest from anyone, from 2011 - 2023, the following horror books:
The Wolfshadow Trilogy:
SAAMAANTHAA
THE HAPPENING
NORM
Other novels:
CHOSEN
SUCKAGE
THE CURSED EARTH
Novellas:
RELICT
SUMMERVILLE
THE DAY OF THE NIGHTFISH
Short story collection:
THE THING IN YELLOW
Poetry (meta-book tied to Wolfshadow):
LUPINIA
It's a strong body of work, and I'm proud of it, but from my perspective, how much more good work do I just throw out into the indie horror void?
There's enough literary critical mass there for anyone remotely interested in my work to read it to last them for awhile. I know some readers who've done it and/or are doing it. And I'm greatly appreciative of that!
But my future work needs a better chance to get seen, discovered, read, etc. There's way too much junk out there that makes me feel like we're all wading in the Death Star trash compactor, hoping somehow to get seen, even as we're staggering around in the muck.
I know how to write novels, novellas, short stories, and everything in between. Anything else I have that's remotely horror-adjacent will be aimed for trad, likely in a horror-thriller framework.
When I was younger, I just wanted my work to get out there. Now that I've done that, I want more readers, and that means moving out of the indie horror cesspool (and it truly is a cesspool, if you're paying attention) and get my next wave of work seen by more readers.
It's entirely possible that the combination of my aesthetic, my style, my interests, and my politics (very strongly left) won't appeal to mainstream audiences. I may always be a niche writer. But I still have to try. I think the quality of the work is there, and I've worked very hard to get here.
I liken it to indie bands who've played small club circuits and want to move to bigger venues. That's where I'm going. In the meantime, readers who might care can read my indie horror work if they want to, to prepare them for where I'm going as a writer.
No comments have been added yet.
