Monster Librarian's Spotlight

From time to time MonsterLibrarian.com will throw a spotlight on a small press publisher or topic of interest to librarians and/or readers of the horror genre. Spotlights are meant to be informative, MonsterLibrarian.com is not compensated for including any publisher, author, or topic.

In the age of YouTube and video on the internet, publishers have started to create and use book trailers to advertise the release of book titles, much in the way a movie trailer advertises a movie. The difference is that while a movie trailer can use existing scenes from the movie to tantalize viewers, a book trailer must create new images or video clips to market its message. The challenge is to convey a sense of the book to potential readers and pique viewers' curiosity without giving away too much of the plot. During these days of easy video sharing, you will find a range of publishers and authors using book trailers to promote their titles. With the increase in availability of technology, people have the ability to produce book trailers with good production quality from home, giving lesser known presses and authors a new marketing opportunity. The disadvantage for readers is that book trailers have the potential to set expectations that may sometimes negatively influence their enjoyment of the book. The advantage for publishers, libraries, and literacy in America is that the powerful images presented in a familiar format may attract visual learners, reluctant readers, members of online communities, and teens to seek out and read the books promoted in this fashion. Below is an example of a book trailer from a new series, Hallowmere, to be published by Mirrorstone Books, this year's sponsor of the American Library Association's Teen Read Week.

Note: MonsterLibrarian.com is not affiliated in any way with Mirrorstone Books, although we do receive advance reader copies for review.

Started in 2004 with the début zombie anthology The Undead, Permuted Press has become a key publisher in the popular zombie subgenre. Permuted Press has quickly grown into the source for those interested in zombie, apocalyptic, and post-apocalyptic fiction. Producing a book approximately every two months, Permuted Press supplies zombie readers with their fix. The challenge that Permuted Press faces is to produce zombie titles that are different enough in plot and high enough in quality to satisfy veteran readers of the zombie subgenre. Permuted Press will also be strengthening its focus on apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction in the second half of 2007. Zombies have become more popular in our culture, with new zombie movies such as those based on the computer game Resident Evil and George Romero's Land of the Dead Popular titles with heavy circulation that could indicate a strong interest in this subgenre that may be in your library's current collection include Stephen King's Cell, Brian Keene's The Rising and City of the Dead, and Max Brooks' World War Z. Libraries that discover they have readers interested in zombie fiction would benefit from keeping up with releases from Permuted Press.

Note: MonsterLibrarian.com is not affiliated in any way with Permuted Press, although we do receive advance reader copies for review.

White Noise Press was founded by artist and author Keith Minnion in early 2006, when he acquired a sturdy old saddle stapling machine and a professional grade ink-jet printer, initially to re-publish the story The Hell Book by Jason Van Hollander. Strong interest in The Hell Book inspired Minnion to contact other horror authors for future projects. White Noise Press currently produces three chapbooks a year. The chapbooks are created by hand, and Minnion does the editing, design, layout and illustrations himself, which gives him control over the finished product.

Smiling Faces Sometimes is the third chapbook from White Noise Press reviewed here. MonsterLibrarian.com has also reviewed The Last Stand of the Great Texas Packrat and Werewolf Porno/Sex Potion #147. In all three chapbooks, the quality of the writing and the art is impressive. White Noise Press chapbooks are published in limited print runs, with Smiling Faces Sometimes having a print run of only 150 copies. While there can be additional costs and considerations for a library when it comes to adding independent press chapbooks to their collections, the visual appeal of these books and the quality of the writing make these wonderful additions that are excellent for reaching reluctant readers who are outgrowing teen titles or who prefer shorter fiction, in addition to a variety of other readers. The chapbooks produced by White Noise Press are of a quality that can inspire reading of other work by these authors and further exploration of the genre. For those interested in learning more about White Noise Press click here.

Note: MonsterLibrarian.com is not affiliated in any way with White Noise Press, although we do receive advance reader copies for review.


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