Horror
Teresa
Hopper, Associate Editor, Horror
Issue #1: 01/01/01
Making
Histories
By J.S. Burke
Women
and Childbearing
in Fantasy
By Bryn
Neuenschwander
Matching
Your Money to Your World
By Ron Brown
Capturing
Time for the Muse
By Vicki McElfresh
In
Praise of Praise:
A Second Look at Critiquing
By Lazette Gifford
Fantasy:
Building
a Better Beast
By Sarah Jane Elliott
Horror:
State
of the Horror Genre
By Ron Brown
Poetry:
Poetry and Everyday Life
By Jennifer St.
Clair Bush
Romance:
Your
Characters Are
Not Puppets
By Anne M. Marble
Science Fiction:
Are
We Going Somewhere
Nice?
By Bob Billing
Stage & Screen:
The
Promise of Premise
By Robin Catesby
Suspense & Mystery:
The
Motives of Villains
and Heroes in Suspense Fiction
By Shane P. Carr
Young Adult & Children:
The
Gulf
By Justin Stanchfield
Young Writer's Scene:
Five
Practical Tips for Young Writers
By Beth Adele Long
Book Reviews
Web Site Reviews
How
Critique Circles Work
By Jim Mills
Doggerel Contest Winner
News from Forward Motion
State
of the Horror Genre
By Ron Brown
©2001, Ron Brown
What
happened to the horror genre?
This
is a common question, and the usual answers drive those who wish to write
in the fear-inspired genre toward the nearest pillow to hide their tears.
People who watch the market know that the number of current new
horror titles per year is significantly lower than it was back in the late
80’s and early 90’s. In
fact, the 1998 numbers were a little more than half the total of the
booming year of 1995.
However,
few people realize that the genre is as healthy now as it was in the days
immediately preceding Stephen King’s series of bestsellers in the 80’s
and 90s. In fact, the low
1998 number is still much higher than any year in the early 80’s, when
books such as Pet Cemetery were published.
The horror genre has never been very large.
It has always been a niche market for those who enjoy the emotion
of fear and are entertained by the exploitation of it.
Horror has never rivaled suspense or science fiction for number of
titles published.
This
fact, though, is little consolation to the writer who wishes to break
into the publishing world with a new horror novel.
However, it must be noted that breaking into publishing is never
easy, even in growing genres. Though
some of the lesser quality books of the short-lived horror boom would
likely not find their way to stands in the current market, there is still
a place for good writing and compelling stories.
Furthermore,
many stories that would be considered horror by many readers have been
reclassified in the changing marketplace.
For example, Dean Koontz is now often referred to as a writer of
“supernatural suspense,” while other writers are lumped into “dark
fiction.” These differences
are not entirely in name only; the stories do tend to focus on other
aspects of the story as much as fear.
Many writers looking for their first sale may consider slightly
recasting their story if they face a wall from agents and publishers who
do not wish to handle horror.
Lastly,
the market for horror in small press publishers is very healthy.
Some of these outfits are quite small, and some also do not put out
a tremendous product. However,
a good number of them will produce a quality book, pay royalties, and
perhaps even a small advance. It’s
true that going this route does not exactly produce the dream of the
beginning writer to quit the day job and write full time, but it is a
possible starting point in a writing career for those who love their genre
and want to work toward making their living writing horror.
