About Dark Arts Books
Each of our titles feature multiple stories by four authors, providing "sampler" anthologies of some of the finest writers in modern horror.
Like most ventures, Dark Arts Books started out as an off-the-cuff idea. In March 2006, Bill Breedlove said to me, "Hey - you design books, why don't you put together a quick promo chapbook for the World Horror Convention -- 'a boys from Chicago' kind of thing?"
'Why not?' I said...after all, I'd just left a four-year gig doing book design for Twilight Tales, and I didn't have a deadline to produce a bookcover for Delirium Books for another few weeks...so I was temporarily without a home for my design jones.
Of course, that "quick chapbook" quickly turned into the 152-page, 12-story, four-author collection Candy in the Dumpster, featuring stories from me, Bill, Martin Mundt and Jay Bonansinga, complete with color cover and ISBN number. Bill served as editor and I handled design and distribution. Enter Dark Arts Books. From a chapbook idea evolved a full-fledged small press!
For the 2007 World Horror Con, we followed up Candy with Waiting for October, another 12-story, four-author collection, this time featuring Jeff Strand, Adam Pepper, Sarah Pinborough and Jeffrey Thomas. Again, Bill wrangled the words and I slotted them into 152 pages of book.
Our third title, Sins of the Sirens, was released in January 2008, this time with me at the editor's helm, since this is a project I've wanted to do for some time. Meanwhile Bill's working on our next collection to debut at World Horror 2008. With both of us focused on new titles, we've also recently welcomed Martel Sardina to the fold to help out wtih Marketing and Promotions.
Dark Arts Books continues to grow. And that "quick chapbook" just garnered Bill and Marty a couple of Honorable Mentions in the Year's Best Fantasy & Horror 2007. Not bad for an off-the-cuff idea that generated a "dumpster."
— John Everson
January 2008
John Everson
Bill Breedlove