Cemetery Dance Publications

Last updated
Cemetery Dance Publications
Cemetery Dance logo.jpg
Founded1988
Founder Richard Chizmar
Country of origin Flag of the United States.svg United States
Headquarters location Forest Hill, Maryland
Publication types Books, magazines
Fiction genres Horror
Official website cemeterydance.com

Cemetery Dance is an American company known for their specialty press publisher of horror and dark suspense and their horror magazine of the same name. Cemetery Dance was founded by Richard Chizmar, a horror author, while he was in college. Cemetery Dance Publications was formed in 1992 after Chizmar and the company's success with Cemetery Dance magazine, another branch which was founded in 1988. They later expanded to encompass a magazine and website featuring news, interviews, and reviews related to horror literature.

Contents

Cemetery Dance Publications is known for their high quality hardcover releases. These are usually available as collectible autographed limited editions and lettered editions.

History

Cemetery Dance was first founded as a literary magazine by Richard Chizmar in 1988, during his final year of college at the University of Maryland's College of Journalism. Chizmar named the magazine after one of his short stories and wanted it to feature dark fiction akin to what he saw on The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery . The first issue was published in December 1988; prior to its release the company publicized Cemetery Dance heavily in genre magazines and "practically anywhere else we could afford an ad". Chizmar originally intended for the magazine to release no more than twice a year, however in 1990 the decision was made to publish four issues a year. The company initially solicited authors through writers' organizations and publishers contacts; over time the magazine began to receive submissions from authors and literary agents. [1] [2] In their 14th issue the magazine would publish Stephen King's short story "Chattery Teeth", marking the start of the company's work with King. [3] [4]

In 1992 the book publishing wing of Cemetery Dance was launched; Chizmar has stated that both branches of the company were launched for roughly the same reason: that he "saw an opportunity to put some of my favorite authors in hardcover and the temptation was too much to resist." For the first few years of the book imprint's existence the company published about two to three hardcovers a year, which increased as the company's sales and experience grew. The first book published by Cemetery Dance was Prisoners & Other Stories by Ed Gorman and featured an afterword by Dean Koontz. [1] In 2007 the company moved to their Forest Hill, Maryland location. [2]

Awards

Bram Stoker Award nominations and wins

Long Fiction: Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge
Short Fiction: "Tested" by Lisa Morton, in CD #55
Fiction Collection: Destinations Unknown by Gary A. Braunbeck
Anthology: Mondo Zombie edited by John Skipp
First Novel: Black Fire by James Kidman
Short Fiction: "A Madness of Starlings" by Douglas Clegg in CD #50
Fiction Collection: The Machinery of Night by Douglas Clegg
Anthology: Shivers III edited by Richard Chizmar
Non-Fiction: The Road to the Dark Tower by Bev Vincent
Fiction Collection: Fearful Symmetries by Thomas F. Monteleone
Long Fiction: The Necromancer by Douglas Clegg
Long Fiction: Roll Them Bones by David Niall Wilson
Novel: From a Buick 8 by Stephen King
Fiction Collection: Knuckles and Tales by Nancy A. Collins
Anthology: Shivers edited by Richard Chizmar
Anthology: Trick or Treat: A Collection of Halloween Novellas edited by Richard Chizmar
Alternative Forms: Dark Dreamers: Facing the Masters of Fear by Beth Gwinn & Stanley Wiater
Anthology: Bad News edited by Richard Laymon
Short Fiction: Jack Ketchum's "Gone" (published in the anthology October Dreams )
Novel: The Traveling Vampire Show by Richard Laymon
Long Fiction: Right to Life by Jack Ketchum
Anthology: 999: New Stories of Horror and Suspense edited by Al Sarrantonio
Anthology: Robert Bloch's Psychos edited by Robert Bloch and Martin H. Greenberg
Anthology: Best of Cemetery Dance edited by Richard Chizmar
Fiction Collection: Things Left Behind by Gary A. Braunbeck
Short Fiction: "The Box" by Jack Ketchum in CD #20
Fiction Collection: Writer of the Purple Rage by Joe R. Lansdale

Selected list of books published by Cemetery Dance Publications

Selected list of published authors

References

  1. 1 2 Buchanan, Leigh (October 29, 2014). "The Spookiest Little Publisher in the World". Inc.
  2. 1 2 "Cemetery Dance Publications: History of Cemetery Dance". Cemetery Dance Publications. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  3. Thompson, L'oreal (April 14, 2010). "Forest Hill company publishing new King book". The Aegis (Newspapers.com).
  4. "Stephen King at 70: Cemetery Dance's Richard Chizmar hails the horror master". EW.com. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
  5. Toussaint, Karen (January 8, 1992). "Cemetery Dance wins fantasy award". The Aegis (Newspapers.com).
  6. Redding, Kevin (March 9, 2015). "'NOTHING LASTING'". Fangoria. Archived from the original on 2022-06-12.