Inkshares 2017 Horror Contest Enters Final Phase; Hear from Author Scott Thomas
Debi Moore
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We’re just two weeks away from the end of the horror contest we’re co-sponsoring with Inkshares with the goal of discovering the next great horror novelists. We’ve now received over 100 entries, and today we’re pleased to share a testimonial from author Scott Thomas, whose supernatural suspense novel Kill Creek, is being shepherded by Inkshares with a release date of October 31st.
Did you miss our earlier news about the contest? In a nutshell, Oakland, California-based publisher Inkshares is inviting horror authors to submit their work, which will then be judged based on reader interest (the number of pre-orders a book receives) to determine which three books the company will publish. In addition to pre-orders, guest judges such as The Purge writer/director James DeMonaco, reviewers from horror outlets (including yours truly), and reps from Barnes and Noble will nominate books for publication as well.
The contest wraps up on Halloween, and you can learn more by clicking here. Inkshare’s partners are the BloodList, Dread Central, HorrorTalk, and the Horror Writers Association of America.
Why a Contest for Horror?
A sad fact is that horror is the red-haired stepchild of traditional publishing. Setting aside the Kings, Straubs, Barkers, and a select few others like Koontz and Cook—each championed by rare agents and editors—horror has always been treated as “dirty,” absent the flagship imprints we see in other genres. Only now, with the ascendancy of horror film franchises, runaway successes of self-published horror, and demonstrably large online horror communities, are publishers waking up.
But the unfortunate result of this lack of respect for horror has been a lack of opportunity for talented aspirants and an according oligarchy of the uber talent. The Inkshares 2017 Horror Contest is about creating opportunities—about surfacing the next big voices in horror.
The Rules
We’re looking for the top three horror books on Inkshares in terms of unique reader pre-order counts for pre-orders placed between August 15, 2017, and October 31, 2017 (12:00 noon PT). The judges may also select additional books based on their own criteria. All three (or more) books will be published by Inkshares even if they haven’t reached their pre-order goal. There may be opportunities for the winners to develop their work into other media such as movies, television, and digital productions.
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