Thomas Ligotti appearing in a Signed Ltd Edition

[Tom Monteleone]

Tom has written a wonderful Introduction to Douglas Winter's Book, American Zombie, which is a collection of three novellas that examine the zombie phenomenon in terms of successful mainstream "literary" novels. It is a mordant and intelligent delight. The book is being produced by Borderlands Press and they are now taking pre-orders. BP never accepts payment for one of their projects until they can actually ship the book.

If you would like to Pre-Order the book to ensure getting your copy signed by TL. you can fill out a reservation form here: https://tfmont.wixforms.com/f/7499930011688764470


thx for tuning in

Tom M

 

[cannibal cop]

Will international shipping be a horror story all of its own? That is the question (for me, at any rate).

Incidentally, I finally got to read, and enjoyed, When Dark Descends. A rare book whose covers I wish had been farther apart.

 

[R. von Pnaklendorf]

Will international shipping be a horror story all of its own? That is the question (for me, at any rate).

Incidentally, I finally got to read, and enjoyed, When Dark Descends. A rare book whose covers I wish had been farther apart.

The horror of international shipping is something I’ve dreaded ever since the pandemic… but little by little, things are getting better. Even so, I’m still hesitant to buy from Grimscribe Press for the same reason…

 

[cannibal cop]

It’s anything being shipped from the US that has been the problem for me, for the most part. I’ve kind of given up, but then something like this comes along….

 

[Lucian Taylor]

Tom has written a wonderful Introduction to Douglas Winter's Book, American Zombie, which is a collection of three novellas that examine the zombie phenomenon in terms of successful mainstream "literary" novels. It is a mordant and intelligent delight. The book is being produced by Borderlands Press and they are now taking pre-orders. BP never accepts payment for one of their projects until they can actually ship the book.

If you would like to Pre-Order the book to ensure getting your copy signed by TL. you can fill out a reservation form here: https://tfmont.wixforms.com/f/7499930011688764470


thx for tuning in

Tom M

Hi, I've not herd of Douglas Winter before , but just Googled the book and it sounds quite intriguing. Are you able to say how many versions there will be? regular hardback, slipcased? Lettered?

 

[Tom Monteleone]

we are planning a liimited edition hardcover and also a lettered edition with traycase.

Douglas Winter has been a respected critic and editor of ground breaking anthologies like Revellations and Prime Evil.

 

[Zaharoff]

I have bought from BP for many years.
Unlike other presses, they accept pre-orders, but do not insist on pre-payment.
You will receive a bill once release is imminent.
I have always found their prices more reasonable than most US genre presses.

 

[Tom Monteleone]

Ther Pre-Orders are piling up. I f people here want this Ligotti item, please use the link above

 

[Tom Monteleone]

https://tfmont.wixforms.com/f/7499930011688764470

 

[cannibal cop]

Will there be more new material? An afterword or story notes by Winter?

 

[Tom Monteleone]

yes definitely a definitive afterword by winter

 

[cannibal cop]

All right, then. Sold. Take as much time with this volume as necessary to ensure the end result is as free of errors as possible, please.

 

[Tom Monteleone]

I need some feedback here. Borderlands Press is beginning production of the Ltd, signed edition of the book, American Zombie.

Can you let us know if this cover is effective and possibly the one we go with?

Also: the pre-orders are going fast. If you want this one, please reserve one here: https://tfmont.wixforms.com/f/7499930011688764470

 

[Rosemary]

Please, don't use AI for the cover. It looks cheap and people are definitely going to boycott the book.

 

[R. von Pnaklendorf]

Please, don't use AI for the cover. It looks cheap and people are definitely going to boycott the book.

I was going to say the same thing. Thanks for saying it first.

 

[Rosemary]

To be honest, I find it almost insulting to show a cover made with AI about a project involving Thomas Ligotti when you have a lot of artists on this forum who would be honored to have their work associated with Ligotti's name. I understand money might be an issue, but by wanting to make your product cheaper, you will suffer a massive loss and backlash.

 

[R. von Pnaklendorf]

Mr. Monteleone, can I tell you something, with all due respect? I know the publishing industry fairly well, especially because I’ve worked with occult publishers. I know certain authors sell, and I also know that some people see a hardcover and immediately think it must be a treasure. The reality is that none of this is particularly difficult to produce nowadays. You add a signature and charge three times what it actually cost to make. Is it worth it? I don’t know.

The same thing happened here when Aurora Dorada wanted to sell us this volume signed by Ligotti (and they’re still selling it), which costs considerably more than the other Ligotti volumes published by another publisher. And this book is literally tiny; it barely contains any stories:

El vínculo espectral y otras obras escogidas | Aurora Dorada Ediciones

Descubre "El vínculo espectral", una selección imprescindible de Thomas Ligotti. Del horror corporativo a las pesadillas metafísicas, Ligotti redefine el género con su prosa única y su visión nihilista del mundo. Una edición clave de Aurora Dorada para los amantes de la ficción extraña.

www.auroradoradaediciones.com

So it’s easy to construct a certain narrative and sell a product as a book signed by Thomas Ligotti himself, with the added claim that he personally selected the stories, and therefore that it is worth whatever you are charging for it.

But, Tom... you don’t even have your own website; you’re using Wix. At least Aurora Dorada has its own domain. What guarantees that there won’t be problems with payments or shipping if you can’t even afford a web domain (they’re cheap) as a publisher, and on top of that, you need to use AI for a cover that could easily be done by an independent artist, or you could even use public-domain artwork that fits the project?

Honestly, and with all due respect, you give me the impression that you’re just trying to make a quick buck.

P.S: And I want to make a mea culpa regarding the example I gave of Aurora Dorada. At least they did things properly: they used authorized artwork and fulfill their shipments. Whatever they choose to charge is up to them.

 

[Athammaus]

Mr. Monteleone, can I tell you something, with all due respect? I know the publishing industry fairly well, especially because I’ve worked with occult publishers. I know certain authors sell, and I also know that some people see a hardcover and immediately think it must be a treasure. The reality is that none of this is particularly difficult to produce nowadays. You add a signature and charge three times what it actually cost to make. Is it worth it? I don’t know.

The same thing happened here when Aurora Dorada wanted to sell us this volume signed by Ligotti (and they’re still selling it), which costs considerably more than the other Ligotti volumes published by another publisher. And this book is literally tiny; it barely contains any stories:

El vínculo espectral y otras obras escogidas | Aurora Dorada Ediciones

Descubre "El vínculo espectral", una selección imprescindible de Thomas Ligotti. Del horror corporativo a las pesadillas metafísicas, Ligotti redefine el género con su prosa única y su visión nihilista del mundo. Una edición clave de Aurora Dorada para los amantes de la ficción extraña.

www.auroradoradaediciones.com

So it’s easy to construct a certain narrative and sell a product as a book signed by Thomas Ligotti himself, with the added claim that he personally selected the stories, and therefore that it is worth whatever you are charging for it.

But, Tom... you don’t even have your own website; you’re using Wix. At least Aurora Dorada has its own domain. What guarantees that there won’t be problems with payments or shipping if you can’t even afford a web domain (they’re cheap) as a publisher, and on top of that, you need to use AI for a cover that could easily be done by an independent artist, or you could even use public-domain artwork that fits the project?

Honestly, and with all due respect, you give me the impression that you’re just trying to make a quick buck.

P.S: And I want to make a mea culpa regarding the example I gave of Aurora Dorada. At least they did things properly: they used authorized artwork and fulfill their shipments. Whatever they choose to charge is up to them.

With all due respect...

Do you even know who you are addressing? Mr. Monteleone has been a published author since the late 1970s and has written numerous fine books. His novel Night Train is a horror classic. He is due far more respect than to be lectured by a millennial. I apologize if I'm coming across as being excessively harsh. Tom is an old hand at writing and publishing; he knows what he's doing. The bottom line is if one doesn't like the book; don't buy it.

 

[R. von Pnaklendorf]

With all due respect...

Do you even know who you are addressing? Mr. Monteleone has been a published author since the late 1970s and has written numerous fine books. His novel Night Train is a horror classic. He is due far more respect than to be lectured by a millennial. I apologize if I'm coming across as being excessively harsh. Tom is an old hand at writing and publishing; he knows what he's doing. The bottom line is if one doesn't like the book; don't buy it.

He asked for feedback, and no, I don’t know who I’m addressing.

I have no reason to know who he is; I’m simply commenting on what he projects. I won’t say anything more because there’s no point.

I apologize if I was rude. Perhaps I went a little too far with the criticism, but I had my reasons. I won’t say anything more about it. As for the feedback he asked for, I’d simply say: don’t use AI for the cover; it doesn’t look good. I feel that readers and authors deserve more respect, both for what they pay and for who they are.

And if we’re talking about respect, I believe that, on this site, the person who deserves respect is Thomas Ligotti. I feel that using an AI-generated cover in this way is disrespectful to him. Tom is his friend (that’s what he said earlier), and out of respect for the friendship they share, I won’t argue about it. Once again, I apologize if I was rude.

 

[cannibal cop]

With all due respect...

Do you even know who you are addressing? Mr. Monteleone has been a published author since the late 1970s and has written numerous fine books. His novel Night Train is a horror classic. He is due far more respect than to be lectured by a millennial. I apologize if I'm coming across as being excessively harsh. Tom is an old hand at writing and publishing; he knows what he's doing. The bottom line is if one doesn't like the book; don't buy it.

Even longer than that. I just found a copy of his early collection Dark Stars and the stories in that go back to 1972, I believe. Besides his own celebrated work as a writer, as editor and publisher he’s published the biggest names in horror, including Ligotti.

I need some feedback here. Borderlands Press is beginning production of the Ltd, signed edition of the book, American Zombie.

Can you let us know if this cover is effective and possibly the one we go with?

Also: the pre-orders are going fast. If you want this one, please reserve one here: https://tfmont.wixforms.com/f/7499930011688764470

I think it looks okay. Better than most AI work I’ve seen, and vastly better than most of the hastily cobbled together “digital art” covers that have flooded the market.

Just wondering, though, what happened to the originally planned cover art? Didn’t the original design feature work by JK Potter?