Horror 101 – New Book for Writers

Horror 101: The Way Forward has just been released by Crystal Lake Publishing, and if you’re a writer on the dark side, I highly recommend it. As Mort Castle wisely notes in the book’s introduction, this book is a successor, of sorts, to JN Williamson’s classic writer’s guide, How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction, and enters the canon of “essential reference” for the dark fiction author, alongside the HWA’s On Writing Horror and Michael Knost’s Writer’s Workshop of Horror. It’s a great collection of “advice from seasoned professionals” on how to sustain a career in the genre, and very cheaply available for the Amazon Kindle at just .99 cents.

As I write this, the book is #1 in the Amazon bestseller list for “Writing Skills,” “Counseling” and “Vocational Guidance”!

My contribution, “The Five Laws of Arnzen,” extends my essay from Instigation: Creative Prompts on the Dark Side, and is just one of a treasure-trove of essays on a wide variety of themes — all of which are especially helpful for those authors who have already begun their publishing career and are wondering “what now?” and “what next?” I’ll post more information from the publisher below, but you might as well just head right to Amazon and get a copy for your Kindle.

See other Arnzen anthology contributions in the new Anthology page

Horror 101 The Way Forward cover

Horror 101: The Way Forward – a comprehensive overview of the Horror fiction genre and career opportunities available to established and aspiring authors.

Have you ever wanted to be a horror writer? Perhaps you have already realized that dream and you’re looking to expand your repertoire. Writing comic books sounds nice, right? Or how about screenplays?

That’s what Horror 101: The Way Forward is all about. It’s not your average On Writing guide that covers active vs. passive and other writing tips, Horror 101 focuses on the career of a horror writer. It covers not only insights into the horror genre, but the people who successfully make a living from it.

Covering aspects such as movies, comics, short stories, ghost-writing, audiobooks, editing, publishing, self-publishing, blogging, writer’s block, YA horror, reviewing, dark poetry, networking, collaborations, eBooks, podcasts, conventions, series, formatting, web serials, artwork, social media, agents, and career advice from seasoned professionals and up-and-coming talents, Horror 101 is just what you need to kick your career into high gear.

Horror 101: The Way Forward is not your average On Writing guide, as it is more focused on the career options available to authors. But don’t fret, this book is loaded with career tips and behind-the-scene stories on how your favorite authors broke into their respective fields.

Horror 101: The Way Forward is perfect for people who:
• are suffering from writer’s block
• are starting their writing careers
• are looking to expand their writing repertoire
• are planning on infiltrating a different field in horror writing
• are looking to pay more bills with their art
• are trying to further their careers
• are trying to establish a name brand
• are looking to get published
• are planning on self-publishing
• want to learn more about the pros in the horror genre
• are looking for motivation and/or inspiration
• love the horror genre
• are not sure where to take their writing careers

Includes articles by Jack Ketchum, Graham Masterton, Edward Lee, Lucy A. Snyder, Emma Audsley, RJ Cavender, Scott Nicholson, Weston Ochse, Taylor Grant, Paul Kane, Lisa Morton, Shane McKenzie, Dean M. Drinkel, Simon Marshall-Jones, Robert W. Walker, Don D’Auria and Glenn Rolfe, Harry Shannon, Chet Williamson, Lawrence Santoro, Thomas Smith, Blaze McRob, Rocky Wood, Ellen Datlow, Iain Rob Wright, Kenneth W. Cain, Daniel I. Russell, Michael McCarty, Richard Thomas, Joan De La Haye, Michael Wilson, Francois Bloemhof, C.E.L. Welsh, Jasper Bark, Niall Parkinson, Armand Rosamilia, Tonia Brown, Ramsey Campbell, Tim Waggoner, Gary McMahon, V.H. Leslie, Eric S Brown, William Meikle, John Kenny, Gary Fry, Diane Parkin, Jim Mcleod, Siobhan McKinney, Rick Carufel, Ben Eads, Theresa Derwin, Rena Mason, Steve Rasnic Tem, Michael A. Arnzen, Joe Mynhardt, John Palisano, Mark West, Steven Savile, and a writer so famous he’s required to stay anonymous.

Published by Crystal Lake Publishing
Edited by Joe Mynhardt and Emma Audsley
Cover art by Ben Baldwin
eBook formatting by Robert Swartwood

Final line-up:

    Foreword by Mort Castle
    Making Contact by Jack Ketchum
    What is Horror by Graham Masterton
    Bitten by the Horror Bug by Edward Lee
    Reader Beware by Siobhan McKinney
    Balancing Art and Commerce by Taylor Grant
    From Prose to Scripts by Shane McKenzie
    Writing About Films and for Film by Paul Kane
    Screamplays! Writing the Horror Film by Lisa Morton
    Screenplay Writing: The First Cut Is the Deepest by Dean M. Drinkel
    Publishing by Simon Marshall-Jones
    Weighing Up Traditional Publishing & eBook Publishing by Robert W. Walker
    Glenn Rolfe Toes the Line with Samhain Horror Head Honcho, Don D’Auria by Glenn Rolfe
    Bringing the Zombie to Life by Harry Shannon
    Audiobooks: Your Words to Their Ears by Chet Williamson
    Writing Aloud by Lawrence Santoro
    Ghost-writing: You Can’t Write It If You Can’t Hear It by Thomas Smith
    Ghost-writing by Blaze McRob
    The Horror Writers Association – the Genre’s Essential Ingredient by Rocky Wood
    What a Short Story Editor Does by Ellen Datlow
    Self-Publishing: Making Your Own Dreams by Iain Rob Wright
    Self-Publishing: Thumb on the Button by Kenneth W. Cain
    What’s the Matter with Splatter? by Daniel I. Russell
    Partners in the Fantastic: The Pros and Cons of Collaborations by Michael McCarty
    The Journey of “Rudy Jenkins Buries His Fears” by Richard Thomas
    Writing Short Fiction by Joan De La Haye
    A beginner’s guide to setting up and running a website by Michael Wilson
    Poetry and Horror by Blaze McRob
    Horror for Kids: Not Child’s Play by Francois Bloemhof
    So you want to write comic books… by C.E.L. Welsh
    Horror Comics – How to Write Gory Scripts for Gruesome Artists by Jasper Bark
    Some Thoughts on my Meandering within the World of Dark and Horror Art by Niall Parkinson
    Writing the Series by Armand Rosamilia
    Running a Web serial by Tonia Brown
    Reviewing by Jim Mcleod
    Avoiding What’s Been Done to Death by Ramsey Campbell
    The 7 Signs that make Agents and Editors say, “Yes!” by Anonymous
    The (extremely) Short Guide to Writing Horror by Tim Waggoner
    Growing Ideas by Gary McMahon
    Filthy Habits – Writing and Routine by Jasper Bark
    A Room of One’s Own – The Lonely Path of a Writer by V.H. Leslie
    Do You Need an Agent? by Eric S Brown
    Ten Short Story Endings to Avoid by William Meikle
    Submitting Your Work Part 2: Read the F*****g Guidelines! by John Kenny
    Rejection Letters – How to Write and Respond to Them by Jasper Bark
    Editing and Proofreading by Diane Parkin
    On Formatting: A Concise Guide to the Most Frequently Encountered issues by Rick Carufel
    How to Dismember Your Darlings – Editing Your Own Work by Jasper Bark
    From Reader to Writer: Finding Inspiration by Emma Audsley
    Writing Exercises by Ben Eads
    The Year After Publication… by Rena Mason
    Writing Horror: 12 Tips on Making a Career of It by Steve Rasnic Tem
    The Five Laws of Arnzen by Michael A. Arnzen
    The Cheesy Trunk of Terror by Scott Nicholson
    How to be Your Own Agent, Whether You Have One or Not by Joe Mynhardt
    Networking at Conventions by Lucy A. Snyder
    Pitch to Impress: How to Stand Out from the Convention Crowd by RJ Cavender
    You Better (Net)Work by Tim Waggoner
    Friendship, Writing, and the Internet by Weston Ochse
    Buttoning Up Before Dinner by Gary Fry
    How to Fail as an Artist in Ten Easy Steps by John Palisano
    Writer’s Block by Mark West
    Be the Writer You Want to Be by Steven Savile
    Afterword by Joe Mynhardt


Order now from amazon.com.