DarkFuse was founded in 2011 by Shane Staley (pictured left). Staley, who's most recognized as being the man behind the legendary independent press, Delirium Books (1999-present), created the moniker DarkFuse to consolidate his publishing imprints which includes the aforementioned Delirium Books, Altar 13 (2010-present), Darkside Digital (2007-present) and his brand new endeavor, DarkFuse Publications. Along with these, DarkFuse acquired the publishing company Morning Star in 2012 to add to its roster of well-known imprints.
Staley, who is a published author (first published in 1992), started his publishing career in 1995 with a 'zine called The Darklands Project. Since then, he has published more than 200 books in his career and has been a part of launching some of the most important writing careers in the horror genre. He received the Bram Stoker Award for Excellence in Specialty Publishing presented by the HWA in 2005 as editor-in-chief at Delirium Books.
DarkFuse and its imprints are focused on producing the very best in dark fiction. This innovative independent publishing company continues to prove every day that you don't need to be a New York publishing house to make a positive and long-lasting impact on genre fiction.
DarkFuse consists of 5 publishing imprints all managed by founder, Shane Staley:
Delirium Books (established in 1999)
Delirium Books is one of the leading specialty presses in the horror genre. Operating in the Midwest (Northern Indiana), Delirium Books has quickly gained the reputation of bringing to print the best new voices in horror fiction, including bestselling author Brian Keene. Delirium has also published established genre authors such as Brian Lumley, James Morrow, Douglas Clegg, Ramsey Campbell and Jack Ketchum.
Delirium Books as an independent publisher gained recognition in the mid-2000s by assembling what many insiders agree as one of the most massive cult followings of small press readers and fans. The value of its limited edition hardcover line skyrocketed before the recession, as many editions quickly sold for 5-10 times the original cover prices on the secondary markets. The low print runs paired with the abiity to discover and publish the best new authors in the field has kept the high interest of both collectors and readers along the way.
Editor-in-Chief: Shane Staley
Visit the official Delirium Books page
Darkside Digital (established in 2007)
Darkside Digital specializing in producing e-chapbooks, reprinting physical books as eBooks and much more.
In its first few years of business, Darkside Digital focused on bringing back dozens of past titles as eBook reprints. Now its new role in the DarkFuse family is less publisher and more technical aide as its single editor and coder has been replaced with a staff of coders and digital specialists. Darkside Digital's core function is now to grow DarkFuse's reach into the eBook marketplace and remain on the cutting edge of producing excellent digital content.
This imprint works closely with the imprints Delirium Books and DarkFuse Publications as a conversion house for titles, as well as producing its own unique line of digital-only releases.
Lead Coder: Patrick Zonn
Visit the official Darkside Digital page
Morning Star (established in 2008)
Morning Star Press was founded by genre publisher Larry Roberts. The initial concept and scope of Morning Star Press was to publish fiction and art that might not fit perfectly into the modern horror fiction genre, however over the last couple years Morning Star Press has progressed into publishing everything from plays and collections to novellas and novels. Morning Star Press has quickly become one of the genre leaders in publishing modern horror fiction.
Morning Star Press has published many of the genres greats including, Joe R. Lansdale, Brian Keene, James A. Moore, Edward Lee, Greg F. Gifune, Weston Ochse, John Little and many more.
Editor-in-Chief: Larry Roberts
Visit the official Morning Star page
Altar 13 (established in 2010)
Altar 13 is the side project of Delirium Books editor-in-chief, Shane Ryan Staley. The focus of this press is to reprint superior horror fiction paperback or e-book only titles and bring them out in first edition limited hardcovers for collectors.
Altar 13 productions are fine limited editions produced in a set print run of only 100 signed and numbered hardcovers. The numbers 1-13 are bound in genuine leather and are housed in a double slipcase. The remainder (14-100) are issued in cloth with a dust jacket.
In 2010, prior to its first publication, Altar 13 auctioned off the first 80 numbers for lifetime rights or refusal. The final bid of each number sold for as high as $750.
One of the main components of an Altar 13 edition is its bonus material. Altar 13 commissions each author to provide exclusive content not found in any other edition, adding a little extra to each title's collectible nature.
Editor-in-Chief: Dave Thomas
Visit the official Altar 13 page
DarkFuse Publication (established in 2011)
DarkFuse is a hybrid publishing company formed from part specialty press, part mass market publisher and is focused on bringing to readers the best in dark fiction. Discover genre-bending titles of truly original first editions by the best modern storytellers.
DarkFuse productions includes the unique art of design and bookbinding showcased as first edition limited collector's editions as well as mass market releases in both trade paperback and eBook editions.
Editor: Greg F. Gifune
Visit the official DarkFuse Publications page
Our Staff
Greg F. Gifune (DarkFuse editor)
Often described as one of the best writers of his generation, Greg F Gifune is not only an acclaimed internationally published novelist, but also an accomplished editor.
For seven years he was Editor-in-Chief at Thievin' Kitty Publications, publishers of anthologies, novellas, poetry collections and the acclaimed fiction magazines The Edge: Tales of Suspense and Burning Sky, where he helped launch the careers of many name writers working in various genres today, including publishing the first short story by Khaled Hosseini, who went on to pen the international bestseller, The Kite Runner.
Later, Greg became Associate Editor at Delirium Books, a position he held for three years. In addition, he has worked as a freelance novel editor for both up-and-coming writers and established professionals for more than a decade. In January 2012 he accepted the position as Editor at DarkFuse Publications. Greg resides in Massachusetts. Visit him on Facebook or at his official website www.gregfgifune.com.
Larry Roberts (Morning Star Editor)
Larry Roberts has been a bookseller for over fifteen years and a publisher of small press limited edition horror titles for a decade. Larry began his publishing career in 2002 with the founding of Bloodletting Press and the online bookstore, Bloodletting Books. His first title published was Breeder by Douglas Clegg in an edition of 500 signed and numbered copies. Ten years later Larry has published over eighty titles under various imprints and sold hundreds of thousands of dollars in small press limited edition titles from the classics to current best selling modern horror genre titles. Some of the authors he’s published include. H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, Joe R. Lansdale, Wilum Pugmire, Brian Keene, Jack Ketchum, James A. Moore, Edward Lee, Ray Garton, Laird Barron and many more.
Larry Roberts parents moved from Lakeview Oregon to the California central valley when he was a toddler. He went to school in Ceres California and worked for a large winery for twenty years before making publishing and bookselling his fulltime career in 2006. Larry has since moved from California to a small bungalow nestled in the Mt Hood National Forest in Oregon.
When not editing or designing books he spends his time with his two grandchildren, working with his community and book scouting.
Richard Spencer (Communications Director, PR)
Richard Patrick Spencer is a published author and journalist who received his first break in the writing business by being published by some guy named Shane Ryan Staley in the 2002 anthology Dark Testament. Since then he's went on to be rejected by the same man at least a dozen times and for that he holds no grudge. And he's mostly honest when he states that. After squandering his big breakthrough, he put his dreams of becoming a bestselling author on hold to try his hand at journalism, which was much easier. As a reporter for a small town newspaper, he's covered such important world events as liquor store burglaries, Amish buggy drunk driving arrests and has interviewed a bunch of 4-H fair winners and cutie queens.
In 2012 he remembered he had a communications degree in college and posted his resume online, hoping to find acceptance at a high-paying company. Instead, he was hired by the same man who had rejected him countless times before. Since then, he has managed to earn cash in addition to books for his pay, but still reports on the side whenever important breaking rural news occurs.
The picture to the left was taken after opening one the many rejection letters he received over the years, at which time he hatched a plan to infiltrate a future company of the sender and wreak havoc. And he is being partially honest about that and not afraid to include it with his bio since he knows the man who hired him won't even read it because how could he? He obviously never read any of the manuscripts he submitted which were all totally top-notch!
Dave Thomas (Altar 13 Editor, Online Marketing Director)
Dave Thomas is a longtime small-press book collector and has a masters degree in Communications from West Chester University in suburban Philly. He's been a freelance copy editor and proofreader in the horror genre since 2005 and has worked on novels from Ed Lee, Jack Ketchum, Richard Laymon, Jeff Strand, Ronald Malfi, and many others.
In 2005, he quit his full-time job, feeling just a little too much like Peter Gibbons from Office Space, and learned how to proofread and copy-edit. A short time later, he started his freelance career at Leisure Books, eventually working his way up to horror copy editor, working on almost every horror title Dorchester has published since 2007.
A former radio DJ, pizza delivery driver, construction worker, ghost writer, and investment adviser, he spends most of his evenings reading, smoking cigars, and drinking good scotch while pleading with his dogs not to wreck the joint.
He can be reached anytime at dave_thomas@darkfuse.com, or through Facebook and Twitter (@DaveThomas76).
Patrick Zonn (Lead Coder, Digital Development)
Patrick Zonn has spent his post-graduate years as an English major abandoning all he had learned in college to master the language of code. Now as a part-time hacker and full time web developer, he's put his skills towards the development of the modern eBook, influenced by his working partnership with DarkFuse founder, Shane Staley, as the two worked side-by-virtual-side in developing and authoring PHP software for a corporation who shall not be named.
He is an avid reader in the speculative fiction market, a gym & health food junkie, and one hell of a poker player.
He joined the staff of Darkside Digital in the fall of 2009 and was promoted to lead coder in 2011.
