About
HORRIFIC SCRIBBLINGS is a publishing imprint, basically an indie press, dedicated to the provocative, scary, and strange–dark fiction that challenges boundaries, assaulting readers’ expectations and violating their comfort zones. We do all types of horror, from the quiet to the extreme, and love horror-adjacent areas like the surreal, the weird, and dark fantasy. We believe horror is important, even when, or perhaps especially when, it revels in the unthinkably bizarre and disgusting limits of the imagination.
We’re just getting started, and we have a long-term, three-phase plan, of which we’re barely into phase one:
Phase One: Time to abandon the “we.” Horrific Scribblings is mostly one person, me, L. Andrew Cooper, and the first order of business is to publish some of my stuff, exciting new stories and revised vintage material. I’ll also directly sell (via this website) signed copies of out-of-print editions, exclusive digital downloads, etc., which I’ve never done, so it’s all new and experimental for me. For the foreseeable future, I’ll use Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing instead of going through Ingram or another service, but time may change my mind. Finally, while I’d love to create a pro market from the get-go, since that’s not financially possible, I’m creating Horrific Scribes, a section of this website that publishes various authors’ dark short stories and poetry (received via open submissions, paid a flat rate) in an archival format. Anyways, I’ll become more adept while the imprint grows, getting ready for…
Phase Two: Once the imprint and I have found our footing, I want to return to more familiar territory and put together a loosely themed anthology of short horror fiction that comes from open submissions and pays a professional rate. I am particularly excited to work on such a project again because the last one I did turned out to be a great book, but it had a short lifespan due to the first publisher going under and the second having contractual problems. However, to pay pro rates I’ll probably have to try crowdfunding… that will be a new experience for me.
Phase Three: Once a couple of high-quality anthologies have established Horrific Scribblings as a name in the market, assuming people are interested, I will very slowly sign additional writers for novellas and novels. If everything works well enough for me to get to phase three, I should really have something worth signing up for.
Who are We?
Publisher and Editor: L. Andrew Cooper
You’ll find plenty about my publications elsewhere on this site and on our sister site, landrewcooper.com. Here, the business side.
I published three books on my own before deciding to create this imprint, learning the basics for formatting, creating different types of e-book files, etc. My previous experience on publishing and design projects related to my work as Assistant Director of Writing and Communication at Georgia Tech and then Director of Film Studies at University of Louisville came in handy. I have collaborated on publishing and designing journals, informational booklets, and marketing materials for wide audiences.
My academic career began with a bachelor’s in English from Harvard and a master’s and Ph.D. in English from Princeton, for the latter of which I focused on the history of the horror genre. I don’t mind saying that these degrees mean I know a hell of a lot about literature, especially horror, and about writing, which I went on to teach for a decade on all levels, first-year college to doctoral. I do my own editing. I am very good at it and, until more people come on board, would apply myself to any work under the Horrific Scribblings imprint the same way I would my own.
Artist/Designer (Freelance): Ruth Anna Evans
Ruth Anna Evans is a book cover designer and author who specializes in all things horror. She has been designing professional book covers for indie horror authors and presses for two years and loves every minute of it. Her work can be found at ruthannaevans.com.