Sunday, October 3, 2010

Double Feature Press - A New [Dark] Light on the Publishing Horizon - Please read and support in any way you can ...

About this projectWelcome to the Kickstarter page for Double Feature Press. We are a small press formed by Sarah L. Covert in October of 2010. Sarah grew up on drive-in movies. That is where her love for Science Fiction, Strange Tales, and Horror was born. Double Feature Press has an interesting concept, based around the old double feature drive-in flicks. Each book has two authors. Each author contributes either short stories, poems, or novellas to make up their half of the book. The books will all be in the genres Sarah loved as a child and loves even more now. They will be limited edition runs.Our first book is due out in 2011.


Hi! My name is Sarah L. Covert. Some of you may know me from my work at Lurker Films and the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival in Portland, Oregon. Many of you will know me from She Never Slept - a science fiction, strange tales, and horror news and reviews website. For those of you who don't know me, please check out my bio on the sidebar - and oh, nice to meet you!


The idea for Double Feature Press has been brewing for over a year now. After reviewing a lot of books from indie/small press, I came to a realization. There are a lot of good publishers out there and some really great publishers, but for every one of those there are three or four really bad ones. I have heard the same kinds of things from many authors - the publisher didn't edit their copy, they didn't promote them, they didn't give them copies of their work, and worse than all that -- sometimes the publishers wouldn't even pay them. Eventually I grew weary of hearing this kind of thing and decided that I would be part of the solution... I would throw my hat in the ring and add to the ranks of the good guys! I shared my thoughts with my friend Joe Pulver, and he thought my ideas were wonderful. He was ready to work with me on the spot! He is an exceptional writer, so I was happy to have him on board. His endless support is what made me persist and never give up on this dream.


"Some writers one admirers and others make one want to do as they do, or try. For me, Joe Pulver is of the latter type. His imagination is so vile so much of the time that it makes me giggle with amazement. And the prose so deadly visionary. I'm grateful that the pieces in this collection are those of a fellow horror writer who has raised the ante on what it means to be such a creature." – Thomas Ligotti


“In an earlier day I feel sure Joe Pulver would have been arrested for writing some of the stuff in this collection. Maybe he will be yet! In any case, I cannot shake the feeling that his stories are all well described by analogy to "The Colour out of Space" in that the descent of some elder, outer entity acts as seed producing, from the dark mulch of Joe's subconscious, a luxurious growth of beautiful and at the same time poisonous blooms. One knows one ought to flee but cannot resist hanging around to savor the corruption! How can he write, with such intricate delicacy, thunderous prose that fairly rips up the pages it is printed on? I wish I knew!" -Robert M. Price


At the time I was working a full-time job and my website was like a second job (that I didn't get paid for), I didn't have the start-up money or the second author for the book, so the dream was on the backburner for a while. I never stopped searching for though. About a month ago I received a book in the mail from author Robin Spriggs to review on the She Never Slept website. I was floored - his book, Diary of a Gentleman Diabolist, was nothing short of brilliant. I instantly knew he would be the perfect pairing for Joe! We opened dialogue between the three of us and in a matter of days decided that this was it and now was the time.


"Spriggs's style is filled with elegance, literary wit, and uncanny dread. His work builds to an inescapable climax that eschews the happy endings in the work of lesser fantasists. I enjoy the frisson of his endings immensely." -Michael A. Arnzen


"...an author who is serious about stretching the creative boundries of fantastic literature." -Cemetery Dance


There was a small problem with this, though the stars were right for this in so many ways, the startup money would be difficult (at best) to obtain. You see, I am now unemployed. I would not be able to get a loan and didn't want to find a big money investor who would surely want creative input in our project. I was perplexed. But after thinking for some time, the lightbulb lit up! A few months back, my friend Wolfgang Parker used Kickstarter to get funding for his graphic novel and i was a huge success. I applied and was accepted! That brings us to the present.


We are asking fans of Robin Spriggs, Joe Pulver, She Never Slept, and those in the Kickstarter community to become involved. All of the money we raise here will go towards the first print run for Double Feature Press.


Throughout the process, we will be posting updates on our blog (that will only be accessible to backers) about our ongoing adventure of getting this small press running. You will hear from the authors, be able to read edited clips of work going into the book, see sketches of cover art, read about my search for the best printer and learn what it takes to make an idea a physical reality, see video or audio clips of Joe reading his work, and so much more. It will surely be a unique experience.


We want you to know much we appreciate your help, so we have instituted a rewards program for you to choose from based on the level you pledge. The incentives include everything from the blog "backstage pass", to limited edition Double Features swag, to free copies of the book, to limited edition signed copies of the book, to your name in a story or poem written by our authors! It's our way of thanking you for helping to make a dream become a reality and helping us do what it is we love most. If you look at the sidebar you can see details of each pledge reward. All you need is an Amazon account to make a pledge. If you don't have an account don't fret, they are quick and easy to set up. Your account will only be charged if we meet or exceed out pledge goal by the deadline. Remember, any amount you donate gets us one step closer to meeting our goal and is appreciated more than any words could ever express adequately.


For more information on me, the authors who will be in Double Feature Press's first book, and Double Feature Press itself - please follow the links below.

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