Photo Credit: Not sure, but I'll take a chance and say Michael Seidlinger.
Since I read an obscene amount of books for this blog, there's a lot of people who wish to talk books with me. It's fine, I love it but it makes me realize how privileged I am to work so closely with such a dynamic and creative community that has been constantly publishing some of the best fiction I've had the pleasure to read in my lifetime. Not everybody know about these people and it doesn't matter if some of them are millenials who really like themselves, they should be more liked by the readership anyway, because they publish great material and it's all that really matters.
Good for them if they have high self-esteem, right? This business is tough, they can use it.
The majority of my readers who reach out to talk are older people, usually gentlemen (with the odd lady out) between 35 and 65 looking for reading suggestions. The first discussion never go really well, we talk about Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, maybe James Ellroy and then we start backtracking and discussing the classics. Nothing wrong about that, but there are a lot of authors and publishers living, breathing, working and needing your support. Here are 10 small presses that constantly publish amazing genre fiction that you need to get acquainted with.
Good for them if they have high self-esteem, right? This business is tough, they can use it.
The majority of my readers who reach out to talk are older people, usually gentlemen (with the odd lady out) between 35 and 65 looking for reading suggestions. The first discussion never go really well, we talk about Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, maybe James Ellroy and then we start backtracking and discussing the classics. Nothing wrong about that, but there are a lot of authors and publishers living, breathing, working and needing your support. Here are 10 small presses that constantly publish amazing genre fiction that you need to get acquainted with.
BROKEN RIVER BOOKS
They took the literary scene by storm in 2013 and, to my knowledge, they have been the only small press successful enough to expand. This year, they've launched two new imprints: King Shot Press and Ladybox Books, which published one of my favorite novels of 2015, JIGSAW YOUTH, by Tiffany Scandal. They're a team of smart, driven and passionate young people living in Portland, Oregon, publishing some of the most ambitious, boundary challenging material in genre fiction. I consider them to be the alpha dogs of the independent publishing scenes. Some of their best novels I've read include: William Boyle's GRAVESEND, Michael Kazepis' LONG LOST DOG OF IT, Stephen Graham Jones' THE LEAST OF MY SCARS and Chris Lambert's KILLER &VICTIM.
Follow the Broken River Books people on social media, too. Their youthful energy is contagious and the work they're doing is important. Get on the bandwagon already.
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PMMP is the baby of child prodigy Max Booth III (featured on the right, I have no idea who the hobo next to him is) and his girlfriend (wife?) Lori Michelle. They publish pretty much everything that have a dark edge to it: noir, dark fantasy, dark literary stuff, (some) bizarro, but they have a soft spot for horror. The best book I've read from PMMP is, without the shadow of a doubt, THE GREEN KANGAROOS, by Jessica McHugh, that mixed body horror, speculative fiction and all-out science fiction with great bravado and energy. Their publications are unique and don't have a definite target audience in the traditional sense of the term, but if you love reading and have a stomach for dark and daring fiction, PMMP is just what Doctor Ben (me, if you're not familiar) ordered.
By the way, Max runs a Facebook page called Confessions of a Hotel Night Auditor, that's loosely based on his job. Follow it, it's hilarious.
By the way, Max runs a Facebook page called Confessions of a Hotel Night Auditor, that's loosely based on his job. Follow it, it's hilarious.
CIVIL COPING MECHANISMS
copingmechanisms.net/
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The inclusion of Civil Coping Mechanisms is partly based on the fact that editor Michael Seidlinger is one of my favorite people on social media, because I haven't read all that many books from them. Not enough, anyway. The two Ryan W. Bradley novels they released CODE FOR FAILURE and WINTERSWIM are simply superb though, both aesthetically and narratively (you guys already know my fondness for Bradley's fiction). Altough Civil Coping Mechanisms are more of a literary press, they aren't afraid to try new, different stuff and swerve into genre if need be. They're unpredictable and it's one of the the things that makes them so damn charming. Michael Seidingler is no pussy, he'll go wherever he needs to publish great books.
DARKFUSE
http://www.darkfuse.com/
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I'm not familiar with who's running the DarkFuse show, but these people have been doing fantastic work over the last couple years. They are the publisher of talented literary noirist/part-time surrealist Jon Bassoff who blew my mind twice over the last year or such with novels such as CORROSION and FACTORY TOWN. They've also published talented pulpster like Ed Kurtz and Allan Leverone. They are not a publisher for the fain of heart, as their novels are often bleak and nasty, but they're not in it for the shock value only. The people of DarkFuse just happen to like great, bleak and nasty stories. You'll find an interesting array of genre in their library: straight thrillers, suspense novels, noir and horror.
KRAKEN PRESS
Kraken Press doesn't publish all that often, mainly because they're a one-man wrecking crew, but they hit hard whenever they do. I have read almost all of their catalog and Max Booth III's THE MIND IS A RAZORBLADE found its way in my year-end lists in 2014 and C.J Anderson's GINA FRENCH IS NOT A WASTE OF ROOFIES is on its way there, this year. Kraken Press only publishes the darkest, most unflinching horror fiction in the business. They don't limit themselves to one genre, they publish whatever is dark and disturbing, but their calling card is definitely horror. In a way, a Kraken Press release is always an event for me, because if publisher George Cotronis puts his name on something, it's because he found something special.
DARK REGIONS
http://www.darkregions.com/
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One of the coolest thing right now in genre fiction is Dark Regions Press' Black Labyrith imprint. They are original novels/novellas written by some of the greatest names in genre fiction such as freakin' Joe Lansdale and Tom Piccirilli, illustrated by Argentinian artist Santiago Caruso. They are beautiful, spellbinding things and every time Dark Regions releases one, it's an event. They publish horror, dark fantasy and science fiction mostly and they both deal with established names and up-and-coming authors, with is a sign of integrity to me. Both THE WALLS OF THE CASTLE by Tom Piccirilli and PRISONER 489 by Joe R. Landsale were among my favorite books of 2014. They are constantly publishing exciting, fearless genre fiction that'll make you feel like you're back at the video store, circa 1988.
BEAT TO A PULP
I believe Beat to a Pulp was the first small press I've ever come across. They are a unique project dedicated to revive the dime magazine era in the digital age and they have been doing a fantastic job, so far. They publish anything that 1) qualifies as pulp fiction and 2) is terrifically well-written. They have earned a reputation over the years among writers as being hard to impress. The Beat to a Pulp catalog features hardboiled fiction, science fiction, Westerns and even poetry. One of the most impressive things I've read from them was a short story collection featuring the adventures of a time traveler named Simon Rip, check it out.
ONE EYE PRESS
This is the project of Ron Earl Phillips, beloved figure in the crime fiction community and driving force behind popular eZine Shotgun Honey. What's great about One Eye Press is that they publish short novellas they call single, which are readable in one sitting or two, so whenever you don't feel like investing into a 500 pages mammoths, your pal Ron Earl is there for you. The singles were hit-and-miss for me, but I liked several of them, including Chris Leek's GOSPEL OF THE BULLET and, more recently, Tom Pitts' KNUCKLEBALL. The One Eye Press singles, are short, compact and action packed. They also are, in several ways, contributing to revive the dime magazine era, back when men read a lot more.
ZELMER PULP
www.zelmerpulp.com/
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All right, I'm cheating here: 1) Zelmer Pulp is technically not a publishing company, it's a collective of artists experimenting with genre fiction. You can't submit to them, only get invited to contribute to one of their anthologies. 2) I've been a member of ol' ZP for a year now. We've got the best titles in the business, though and some of the most smartest, most creative writers in the business. Ryan Sayles, Isaac Kirkman, Gareth Spark, Chris Leek, Chuck Regan and budding superstar of the publishing industry Brian Panowich are the future in this business and I am merely a grateful passenger on that train. Don't miss our new release C'MON AND DO THE APOCALYPSE VOL. 2 dropping sometime this summer.
DOWN AND OUT BOOKS
downandoutbooks.com/
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DOWN AND OUT is a recent addition on my radar. I didn't even know of their existence until underground legend Les Edgerton introduced me to the head honcho Eric Campbell, last year. What makes them interesting is that they are classicists. They deal in straight crime fiction, so they don't have a lot of room for error. Fortunately, they've been doing all the right things and they even recently republished Ryan Sayles' THE SUBTLE ART OF BRUTALITY, which I am not afraid to call the best detective novel of the 21st century and it's not like it even was a close race. Recently, DOWN AND OUT have been in major talent acquisition mode. I know about a couple things coming up because I know some of the authors involved, but all I can say is: buckle up, it's going to be exciting.