Do you stock books published by small presses, or mostly by the large publishing houses?
Both. I think it is important to get some new voices out there, which is what small press specializes in. However, I get really tired of and don't carry the $40 novella of somebody unknown just because the small press thinks it is cool. Nobody is going to discover a new author by paying $40 for a 90 page book. If you want to discover new writers read the current anthologies and then see if the writers you liked have novels out there.
How would you compare horror books produced by the large publishers as opposed to those by the small presses?
No differently. Good writing is good writing. Just because something has money behind it and is popular doesn't make it bad any more than some book from a small artsy press makes it worth reading. Horror thrives by all of these places producing - and the cream rising to the top.
Any tips for authors who are signing their horror books this Halloween?
Nope. If you are signing your book this year congrats because that means you've been published. That probably puts you in the top five or ten percent of writers.
You probably have read a ton of horror books. What is the scariest book you've ever read?
Without a doubt - Ghost Story by Peter Straub.
Who, in your opinion, are the horror fiction masters of the 20th century?
Bloch, Bradbury, Matheson, Straub etc. The 21st Century is just figuring it out.
Do you have any special activities going on at your store this Halloween?
It's my wedding anniversary. I'm going to be naked someplace in a very, very dark room.
Thanks for this interview, Del!
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