Task #22: Read a horror book published by an indie press

[Michelle]

I was thinking of reading Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening for this challenge. Can I count Image Comics as an indie press? They are the third largest comics publisher, but they were created as a direct challenge to the business model of DC and Marvel...

[Ashley]

Mary wrote: "What do you all think of Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado? I’ve never heard of Graywolf Press. Is it indie, and would you consider it horror?"

I found it very creepy so I would count it!

[Ashley]

Hannah wrote: "I’m using Flight or Fright, a short story collection edited by Stephen King and published by Cemetery Dance."

oooh thanks for pointing this one out - I already own this but haven't read it!

[Emma]

Sawkill Girls isn't published by an indie press. Katherine Tegen Books is an imprint of HarperCollins.

[David]

@ Michelle in the comics world Image is considered an indie so I would say yes

[Dani]

Just some intel for those who were wanting to read Her Body and Other Parties for this prompt, the publisher, Graywolf, is not an indie press. It is an imprint of Macmillan. It's still an excellent book by a queer author, but it isn't independently published.

[Bonnie G.]

Dani wrote: "Just some intel for those who were wanting to read Her Body and Other Parties for this prompt, the publisher, Graywolf, is not an indie press. It is an imprint of Macmillan. It's st..."

Graywolf Press is an independent, non-profit publisher located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Graywolf Press publishes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Graywolf Press collaborates with organizations such as the College of Saint Benedict, the Mellon Foundation, and Farrar, Straus and Giroux

As with most indie publishers, it helps to have a distributor -- Graywolf books are distributed by Farrar, Straus & Giroux via Macmillan. It is not an imprint.

[Dani]

Bonnie G. wrote: "Dani wrote: "Just some intel for those who were wanting to read Her Body and Other Parties for this prompt, the publisher, Graywolf, is not an indie press. It is an imprint of Macmi..."

That makes sense! I work with Macmillan in Canada, where it is treated as an imprint.

[Bonnie G.]

Dani wrote: "Bonnie G. wrote: "Dani wrote: "Just some intel for those who were wanting to read Her Body and Other Parties for this prompt, the publisher, Graywolf, is not an indie press. It is a..."

Interesting! I had no idea. I have friends who work there. I will ask them what the distinction is. They are very serious about being indy :).

[em]

Does anyone know of any middle grade that this might fit? I am just trying to not completely freak myself out and thought that might be the way.

[Elizabeth]

emma wrote: "Does anyone know of any middle grade that this might fit? I am just trying to not completely freak myself out and thought that might be the way."

Most of the middle-grade horror novels I'm familiar with aren't from indie publishers. I feel like most of the MG stuff I know of is either not horror or not indie. It definitely makes it frustrating to find "tamer" content since YA stuff is often as scary as adult stuff. I'm not bothered by adult and YA stuff as long as I'm in the right headspace, but I've been keeping my eyes out for suggestions that fit the task but won't mess me up too much depending on my mood.

ANYWAY.

I did want to suggest that something from Inhabit Media may work for you though.

They're indie, Inuit-owned, and Arctic-based. They have a number of options that might work. They're on the short side, but Stories of Survival and Revenge (English): From Inuit Folklore, The Shadows that Rush Past: A Collection of Frightening Inuit Folktales, and Those that Cause Fear are all short (under a hundred pages each) collections of traditional Inuit stories that are meant to be scary but targeted towards children (so nothing over the top). The stories tend to lean towards Arctic-specific monsters, so nothing that would make you need to aim your mace before turning corners in your house, and since they're short you can get through them pretty quickly if you struggle with the scariness level. If you wanted to go shorter, they have this picture book, The Qalupalik, that is definitely horror and very quick to get through.

[〰️Beth〰️]

I would recommend The Vine That Ate the South by J.D. Wilkes , and published by Twp Dollar Press. Southern horror, magical realism, small press...score

[Isabel]

I just finished it, and Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias should qualify. Indie press and a definite horror element.

[Katie]

Unfortunately, I read this in December, but Lydia Millet's My Happy Life would be a great read for this category from a pulitzer-nominated writer.

[Kelly_Hunsaker_reads]

I don't like Horror either, but think I could use Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper if not for the indie press part of it. Anyone have ideas?

[Bonnie G.]

Katie wrote: "Unfortunately, I read this in December, but Lydia Millet's My Happy Life would be a great read for this category from a pulitzer-nominated writer."

This is published by Henry Holt -- definitely not an indie publisher.

[Bonnie G.]

Kelly_Hunsaker_reads wrote: "I don't like Horror either, but think I could use Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper if not for the indie press part of it. Anyone have ideas?"

I read Her Body and Other Parties and despite not being a horror reader liked it very much.

[Julia Clarke]

This counts!

https://www.quirkbooks.com/book/pride...

[Beverly]

For the Horror task I read:

Night Theater by Vikram Paralkar

It is published by Catapult.

I am not necessarily a reader of horror but I found this a hypnotic story especially as I was reading on a dark stormy day.

It felt like the right story for the weather.

[Karen]

Black Spring by Alison Croggon was my pick for this task. It is Gothic maybe , rather than Horror -- I can't do killing/gore --- and I believe was originally published by an Indie press in Australia.

I'm so surprised - it is great. A retelling of Wuthering Heights with magical and Albanian vendetta elements.

[RachelG.]

I read Return to Dyatlov Pass which is published by Severed Press. It was a good cryptid horror book.

[Bonnie G.]

Karen wrote: "Black Spring by Alison Croggon was my pick for this task. It is Gothic maybe , rather than Horror -- I can't do killing/gore --- and I believe was originally publishe..."

You had me at "Albanian vendetta"

[Karen]

Bonnie G. wrote: "Karen wrote: "Black Spring by Alison Croggon was my pick for this task. It is Gothic maybe , rather than Horror -- I can't do killing/gore --- and I believe was origi..."

Yes, after this I am finally going to read Broken April by Ismail Kadare.

[Bonnie G.]

Karen wrote: "Bonnie G. wrote: "Karen wrote: "Black Spring by Alison Croggon was my pick for this task. It is Gothic maybe , rather than Horror -- I can't do killing/gore --- and I..."

Had no idea this was a genre! Headed to Serbia and Romania soon -- maybe I should be reading more about the general region...

[Deborah]

Would John Bateman's "Who Killed Buster Sparkle" fit this prompt?

[Christina]

I highly recommend Her Body and Other Parties (Graywolf Press) and The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires (Quirk Books). I got to read an ARC of the latter, and I couldn't stop reading it. It comes out on April 7.

I just read When I Arrived at the Castle (Koyama Press). The new edition of Carmilla (Lanternfish Press), introduced and annotated by Carmen Maria Machado, would work too!

[Jackie]

I listened to an audiobook of The Haunting of Hill House that was produced by an indie audio publisher. Plus, I think that the original publication of Hill House was by an indie publisher, even if it's now owned by Penguin.

[Tracie Margaret]

Kelly_Hunsaker_reads wrote: "I don't like Horror either, but think I could use Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper if not for the indie press part of it. Anyone have ideas?"

I just read this one and I am counting it as there are editions of it that are indie press published. It was excellent!

[Eden]

Would the book Wilder Girls work for this prompt?

[Kelsey]

What about Ghost WallGhost Wall by Sarah Moss? It's from Granta Books which is part of the Independent Alliance...which is overseen by Faber & Faber...but is committed to an independent mission.

[Denise]

I read The Place of Broken Things by Linda D. Addison and Alessandro Manzetti which was on the Book Riot recommended book list for Task #22 Read a horror book published by an indie press.

[Melissa]

I am reading Mouthful of Birds. I am reading the hardcover which is published by Riverhead Books, but the paperback is published by One World, which appears to be indie press. Does it count?
It's really good - psychological horror.

[Karen]

Sheridan wrote: "Karen wrote: "Bonnie G. wrote: "Karen wrote: "Black Spring by Alison Croggon was my pick for this task. It is Gothic maybe , rather than Horror -- I can't do killing/..."

No, Broken April is a literary novel by the Albanian writer Ismail Kadare. The events and fantasy setting in Black Spring reminded me of its plot.

[Mandie]

I'm planning on The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. Quirk is indie, right?

[Bonnie G.]

Mandie wrote: "I'm planning on The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. Quirk is indie, right?"

It is!

[Theresa]

Mandie wrote: "I'm planning on The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. Quirk is indie, right?"

I read this book over the weekend. So good; I couldn't put it down. It's probably my favorite read so far this year. There's a lot of humor to offset the scary parts.

[Sherri]

Good. I’m also planning on reading The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix also.

[⋆✴✦ Karina ✦✴⋆]

Bonnie G. wrote: "Mandie wrote: "I'm planning on The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. Quirk is indie, right?"

It is!"

Ooooh, glad to keep hearing good things about this one. It's 100% going to be my next read.

[Hope]

⋆✴✦ Karina ✦✴⋆ wrote: "Bonnie G. wrote: "Mandie wrote: "I'm planning on The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. Quirk is indie, right?"

It is!"

Ooooh, glad to keep hearing good things about ..."

I'm reading this for my book club right now. It definitely deserves all of the hype!

[Kris V]

Hurricane Season by Fernanda Melchor also a translation

[Octavia]

I read the haunted house novella Into Bones like Oil by Kaaron Warren for this, published by Meerkat Press. It was excellent.

[Sheri]

I just finished Horrorstör, published by Quirk which is an indie publisher. I liked it. Horror isn't my favorite genre, but I tend to do better with creepy/psychological horror more than slasher. I liked that there was a dose of humor in there, especially in the ikea-esque chapter plates.

[Wellington]

I read The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix for this prompt. I am not a horror fan and while this had a few moments that were gross I didn't end up having a problem ready this book.

[Pamrev]

Bonnie G. wrote: "I don't like horror, but Things to Do When You're Goth in the Country: and Other Stories looks fun."

I read that book for #10--A book that takes place in a rural setting.

[Pam]

This task was a challenge for me because, Horror. So, I spoke with a librarian and decided to read Bunnicula even though I don’t think any editions were published by an indie press. I read the first three in the series because, well, it’s Bunnicula!

[Emerging]

Still struggling with this task. Does anyone know if Brightwood by Tania Unsworth would work?

[Bonnie G.]

Emerging wrote: "Still struggling with this task. Does anyone know if Brightwood by Tania Unsworth would work?"

My son said it is not horror, just silly kid mystery things like talking animals.

[Emerging]

Bonnie G. wrote: "My son said it is not horror, just silly kid mystery..."
Thanks! I'll keep looking.

[Meredith]

Blackwater has been reissued in a one-volume edition by Valancourt books. Southern Gothic, sweeping family saga, recommended by Stephen King, and it's not super scary! The audio version is great!

[Ayesha (Seokjin's Version) ☾]

Can anyone recommend a horror book that is written by an asian author and fall under this category?
Much love.