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Interview Overview
In this episode of The Writer’s Chair, Daniel Willcocks sits down with Jennifer Barnes, managing editor of Raw Dog Screaming Press, for a candid and illuminating conversation about what it really takes to run a small press in the world of horror.
With more than twenty years of experience publishing off-kilter, cross-genre fiction, Jennifer reflects on how Raw Dog Screaming Press grew from the early days of online literary zines into an award-recognised independent publisher. They explore the shifting landscape of “gatekeepers” in publishing, the rise of self-publishing, and why sustainability — not speed — is the true key to longevity in the industry.
Jennifer shares hard-earned insight into avoiding burnout, resisting the temptation to overextend, and protecting quality over hype. The discussion covers horror poetry, the evolving place of novellas in the market, what makes a submission stand out, and why community — especially among writers — keeps the creative fire alive. They also touch on the uncertainty around AI in publishing, and why sometimes the smartest move is simply to keep doing the work well.
The episode closes with an exciting announcement about the upcoming anthology Abandoned: Asylum, edited by James Chambers, and a wider look at how anthologies can become more than just collections — they can become cohesive storytelling experiences in their own right.
This is an honest, grounded conversation about the realities of horror publishing behind the scenes — perfect for writers curious about small presses, editors thinking about starting their own imprint, and anyone who wants a clearer picture of how books move from manuscript to shelf in the independent horror world.
Interview Transcription
Daniel Willcocks:
Welcome back, wordsmiths and story seekers. I am your host, Daniel Willcocks, broadcasting from the shadowy halls of Devil’s Rock HQ. Today, I am thrilled to share the writer’s chair with the wonderful Jennifer Barnes.
Jennifer Barnes is the managing editor of Raw Dog Screaming Press, which has been publishing off-kilter books for more than two decades. Her editing career began in the early 2000s when she spent four years as an editor for The Dream People literary magazine. Her children’s book, Better Haunted Homes and Gardens, illustrated by Kristen Margiotta, is a seasonal favourite. She is also co-chair of the Maryland chapter of the Horror Writers Association.
Jennifer graduated from the University of Maryland with a BA in English with a concentration in poetry, and she is also an accomplished graphic designer.
Jennifer, welcome to the show.
Jennifer Barnes:
Thank you. Thanks for having me.
Daniel Willcocks:
I’m excited to have you. Before we get into the deeper questions, I want to know a little about you and your journey. So here’s a Friday night scenario. It’s eight o’clock. The work week is finished. Dinner is cooked. What are you most likely to be doing?
Friday Night Viewing
Jennifer Barnes:
Sad to say, I’ll probably be watching TV with my husband.
Daniel Willcocks:
Anything in particular? Do you have a go-to show at the moment?
Jennifer Barnes:
We’ve really enjoyed Slow Horses. We’re caught up now, so there aren’t any more episodes to watch. We actually started rewatching it with our son to show him.
You haven’t heard of it? It’s a British show, so I probably just assumed you’d know it. It’s based on a series of novels and it’s about MI5 — but it follows all the rejects from MI5. They work in Slough, and that’s why they’re called “Slow Horses.” Apparently working in Slough is terrible.
Daniel Willcocks:
No offence to anyone in Slough, but I went through it last year and it’s not somewhere I’m inspired to revisit.
Jennifer Barnes:
Well, it’s about the MI5 losers, and it’s a really great show. It’s hilarious, dramatic, exciting — the writing is excellent.
Daniel Willcocks:
I’ve genuinely never heard of it, so I’ll have to look it up after this.
From Reader to Editor
Daniel Willcocks:
For people who don’t know you, give us a little overview of your journey. How did you get to where you are today?
Jennifer Barnes:
I’d call it more of a reading journey than a writing one. I’ve been an inveterate reader from a young age. I actually had trouble learning to read at first, but my mom was a teacher and she worked with me until it clicked. And once it did, I just took off — novels, fantasy, horror, sci-fi, anything I could get my hands on.
I was interested in writing too. I studied poetry in college and wrote some myself. But I was also drawn to graphic design and book production. So while I’ve done a bit of writing, most of my work has ended up on the editing and production side of publishing.
I got into editing through an online zine — back when that was the thing to do. My husband and I worked on The Dream People for another publishing company. After a few years of doing that, we realised there was so much great cross-genre work out there, but no one would publish it. At that time, everything had to fit into a very specific niche.
So we thought, well, if no one else will publish it, I guess we’ll do it ourselves.
Gatekeepers and Overcorrection
Daniel Willcocks:
It’s interesting, because “gatekeeper” can sound like a harsh word, but sometimes that role is about championing good work.
Jennifer Barnes:
At that time, they were absolutely gatekeepers. And it’s strange having been in publishing long enough to see how much that’s changed. I was always a champion for removing gatekeepers — but now I can see some of the value in them. I think we may have overcorrected a bit.
Daniel Willcocks:
It’s similar to what happened with Amazon. It’s incredible that anyone can publish a book — but it’s also challenging that anyone can publish a book. Finding the work that really shines becomes harder. That’s why editors are so important — to take something rough and help it become its best version.
Jennifer Barnes:
Exactly.
Finding the Darker Side
Daniel Willcocks:
Was it always horror for you, or did that develop over time?
Jennifer Barnes:
As a reader, I’ve always read everything — literary fiction, sci-fi, fantasy, horror. When we started Raw Dog Screaming Press, we actually published quite a bit of literary fiction too.
But you can’t just publish what you personally like. That becomes an audience of one. You can’t build a press around, “Jennifer Barnes would really enjoy this book.”
Over time — and possibly partly because of the name of the press — we developed a reputation for horror. We did especially well with horror poetry, which was something almost no one else was publishing at the time. That’s an area I feel really proud of.
We ended up following the readership. The books our audience responded to were dark — or at least dark-adjacent. And honestly, that tracks with my personal taste too. If something isn’t at least a little bit dark, I’m probably not going to love it.
You’re absolutely right — thank you. Here is the full, clean transcript of the latest section you provided, with no cuts and only light smoothing for clarity and flow.
The Origin of Raw Dog Screaming Press
Daniel Willcocks:
It needs a bit of teeth in there. How would you say Raw Dog began? What was the origin of Raw Dog? Where does the name come from? How much can you tell us about Raw Dog Screaming Press?
Jennifer Barnes:
So, in the time when we were doing the zine, my husband is an author, and he wanted to — first he was trying to work with another publishing company. We saw what they were doing and we were like, you know, we can really do this ourselves.
Which was not untrue. We could do it ourselves. But what you see from the outside is always different from the inside. Publishing is really a lot of work, and there’s a lot to it.
Anyway, he was writing poetry at the time, and Raw Dog Screaming is the title of a poem that he had written, which I thought was really cool. So we used that as the title of our press.
At the time, everybody — all the presses — were named things like Green River Hills or things like that. Very forgettable names. People responded to our name pretty well. They kind of liked it. They were like, “What the heck is that?”
Since then, there have been some things that have come up associated with the phrase that were not intended in any way by us. But what can you do? Language changes. Literary culture evolves, I guess.
Publishing Beyond Ourselves
Daniel Willcocks:
So it began as a way for you to publish your partner’s work, or were you at that point interested as well in collecting other authors and showcasing their work?
Jennifer Barnes:
Like I said, we had originally been running this zine. So we were mostly interested in publishing other people’s things.
He edited an anthology that we put out. We put out a few of his books, but it wasn’t our primary focus.
Mostly, I would often use his stuff to test things, because I didn’t feel bad if we were trying something new. If I was like, “Let’s try to put out a poetry collection,” I didn’t feel bad putting out his thing.
I take the responsibility of publishing someone’s project pretty seriously. I’m always trying to make sure that I’m bringing value to that. It made it a lot less stressful for me to experiment with his stuff, because I knew he wouldn’t hold it against me if it didn’t work out.
Staying Afloat for Twenty Years
Daniel Willcocks:
You’ve been around for 20 years now, publishing other people’s work and doing different things in horror and other genres as well.
One thing I’ve noticed, especially in the last few years — and it’s stuff I generally try to stay out of — is there’s a lot of friction sometimes with small presses. There are a lot of people who have the best of intentions when they start these engines, create machines they can no longer control, and then it collapses on itself quite significantly, and often very publicly.
What would you say has been the secret for yourselves in keeping the machine going for as long as you have?
Jennifer Barnes:
It’s that I won’t give up on stuff, I guess. It’s more a matter of just keeping going.
I agree that there are a lot of presses that come up. The thing is, most people — pretty much everyone — goes into it for the love of the work.
None of us are very good businesspeople. No businessperson would look at publishing and say, “This is a great business model.” You would never be like, “I want to go into the business where people can return your product after 60 days.”
So I’ve always tried to keep it really tight — not to overextend. I don’t want to lose a bunch of money on projects that are really meant to be creative.
I’m not a great businessperson either, but I’m kind of stingy. I think that’s what’s kept us going.
My husband is the ideas guy. He’s the person who could easily go overboard and tip the whole thing over. So it’s good that we have both sides of that. We never tipped over. But it would be very easy to do.
Advice for Aspiring Press Owners
Daniel Willcocks:
I’m potentially including myself here — I have Devil’s Rock Books and Devil’s Rock Publishing. I’ve published a series of anthologies. I’ve got one or two authors whose work I’ve published. I’ve kept it very small because I’ve seen, and as an author I know, the work that goes in behind the scenes.
Authors spend hours by themselves pouring over work that is essentially a labour of love. So much of it is unpaid. I want to get to a point where I have enough income and reputation behind me to really bring authors in and support them properly.
What would your advice be to editors, authors, or aspiring publishers who want to build a press?
Jennifer Barnes:
Don’t.
That’s always my advice.
It’s kind of hard because we definitely need more people who are able to do it and do it well.
I always approached it from the standpoint of: I wouldn’t put any money in that I wasn’t willing to have completely go away. Which meant I didn’t put very much money in.
It took us probably five years to get to the point where it was self-sufficient. Once that happened, it stayed self-sufficient. I feel really lucky about that.
There are things that happen that are completely out of your control that can tip you over.
My advice would be exactly what you’re doing: start small and build incrementally.
So many times you see people get excited and overextend — signing too many projects. That’s when it all goes down.
Usually it’s one or two people running these presses. For us, it’s two people. And really, I do most of it.
You have to keep in mind how much you can actually do.
There were years when I published 12 or 13 books in a year. I would hate life. Hate myself. Wonder why I did that.
Then the next year I’d only publish six or seven books so I could get back to a place where I wasn’t hating life.
AI, Publishing Pace, and Staying Steady
Daniel Willcocks:
How do you balance that kind of production schedule? As you say, some years you publish more, some less. But we’re in 2026. AI is out of the bottle, which I’m sure is the bane of many publishers’ and editors’ existence.
How are you approaching keeping consistent books coming out without becoming subject to the rapid pace AI seems to be bringing to publishing?
Jennifer Barnes:
Right now, I would say we really have no idea how AI is going to affect the business. I have no idea if it’s going to ruin everything or if it’s going to be more of a blip.
I’ve stopped trying to guess.
We’ve been through multiple industry “threats.” Way back when eBooks came out, the industry was hysterical. They were saying eBooks would destroy print books. That was everywhere — “print books are finished.”
I’m a designer. I love print books. So I just kept doing what I was doing. We added eBooks, of course, but it wasn’t our primary focus.
At the time I was pretty hysterical too — thinking eBooks were going to ruin everything. But now look where we are. Print books are still here. In fact, I think a lot of people buy both formats. They want the physical book, but they like the convenience of having it on their phone.
Daniel Willcocks:
I’ll do audiobooks too. Sometimes I’ll buy all three formats.
Jennifer Barnes:
Exactly. I like audiobooks too.
So with AI, there’s no way to predict what effect it’s going to have. You just have to stick to your plan. Whatever your plan was, you keep going.
That’s what I’m doing.
We have scaled back a little on releases — not because of AI, but because of everything going on in the world. Here in the US, things feel pretty crazy right now. People are distracted. It’s harder to reach them.
It’s also hard for us to focus. So we’ve reduced the number of books with the intention of maintaining the same level of quality.
There’s just a lot of freaking out happening. You need to leave space for yourself to freak out.
Community and Creative Energy
Daniel Willcocks:
It feels like a very — maybe “cozy” is the wrong word — but kind of cozy operation behind the scenes. I like that the origin of Raw Dog was about publishing stories you loved, and then the community shaped where it went.
How has the community kept your fire going? Do you have a strong relationship with readers? What does that look like from your side?
Jennifer Barnes:
It is cozy and small. There are good things and bad things about that.
For me, it’s more about the relationship with the writers. If I meet a reader I can connect with, that’s fantastic. But most of the people I interact with are also writers.
When you’re doing this on your own, it can feel detached. You wonder, is anyone going to like this? Will they respond to it?
Going to conventions and meeting authors makes a huge difference.
I have to say, probably every five years I think, “This is it. I’m done. I’m wrapping up these projects.”
But then I’ll meet someone new — someone who’s really into the writing, the scene, helping people — and that gives me energy again.
You can’t always sustain that excitement on your own. But other people’s enthusiasm can reignite it.
The Horror Community
Daniel Willcocks:
I feel that too, especially at in-person events. So much of what we do is alone, on a computer, pouring over words for hours.
You can be in a slump creatively, and then you go to an event — whether it’s people you know or brand new faces — and you can’t help but come away with more lift and enthusiasm.
The horror community in particular feels incredibly welcoming. Even online, there’s a strong vibe and connection. It must be nice from your side to feed stories into that and give people something they love.
Jennifer Barnes:
There’s nothing better than when a reviewer or reader posts, “I loved this book.” You just think, okay — someone really connected with this.
Recognition and Awards
Daniel Willcocks:
You’ve had award-winning and award-nominated titles — Bram Stoker Awards, Shirley Jackson Awards, Ladies of Horror Fiction, Bookfest Awards.
What does it mean to manage a press with that kind of global recognition?
Jennifer Barnes:
It’s a weird place to be.
I know exactly how big and how small what I do is. It’s a strange position.
You’ll meet people who say, “Wow, Raw Dog Screaming Press!” And then you’ll meet people who have never heard of us.
We were at the convention where we received the Publisher’s Award from the Horror Writers Association — which is one of the few publisher awards out there. We were at the breakfast, and I was sitting next to someone who asked who I was.
I said, “Raw Dog Screaming Press,” and she had no clue.
It was a little humbling — especially given the setting.
Impact and Recognition
Jennifer Barnes:
The point being, it’s really cool when you see something like — like I said about poetry — I do feel like we made an impact on the horror poetry scene. I see a lot of horror poetry being published now that I don’t think would have been published if we hadn’t kind of laid the groundwork and shown people that it was possible.
I think that’s super rewarding.
At the same time, though, you also know that sometimes your reach is very regional. If you go outside of that region, people haven’t heard of you. So it’s this strange mix.
Did I answer the question?
Writing Poetry Again
Daniel Willcocks:
Yeah, I think so. It’s clear poetry is still a passion. Is it something you’re writing yourself now, or still mainly curating from other authors?
Jennifer Barnes:
I used to write poetry. About six months ago I had this idea that I was going to start again. I set myself a goal: write a poem every day. It didn’t matter if it was good or not.
The mistake was I didn’t set an end date. I should have said, “I’m going to do this for 30 days,” or something like that.
I did it for a little over a month. I was really proud of that. But I just have too much going on.
It’s also a weird position to be in. I’ve got 20 years of publishing experience, but if I start publishing my own work now, I feel like a newbie. Way back when, I had a couple of poems published, but that was a long time ago.
I have mixed feelings about it. I worry people would say, “She’s an editor, and now she thinks she can write poetry.”
If I get the time, I’ll do it. But it’s complicated.
Horror Poetry and Accessibility
Daniel Willcocks:
I’ll be honest — I don’t think I’ve ever read horror poetry. I used to write poetry myself and did spoken word performances around the UK, so I appreciate the form. But I haven’t really encountered horror poetry much.
Jennifer Barnes:
It’s not super popular. Most of the poetry that gets published is very literary. That’s a whole separate ecosystem.
A lot of readers don’t resonate with that style of poetry. I think poetry gets a bad reputation because of that.
When my husband published his collection, The Troublesome Amputee, people really flocked to it because they could understand it. They’d say, “I hate poetry, but I like this.”
I heard that so many times that I really wanted to publish poetry that readers could connect with.
Our horror poetry imprint still leans literary, but it crosses genres. The literary scene often won’t take horror poetry seriously. It kind of lives between worlds.
Defining “Off-Kilter” Horror
Daniel Willcocks:
Coming back to Raw Dog — how would you define “off-kilter” or fringe horror?
Jennifer Barnes:
When we started publishing cross-genre work, that wasn’t really done. So I think the “off-kilter” label grew out of that.
As a reader, I want something that feels new. The best way to get that sense of newness is to cross things — to juxtapose elements that aren’t normally joined.
That slight dissonance gives you the feeling that something’s a little off. You should expect, when reading our books, that you might feel a bit uncomfortable or encounter new ideas.
That’s the exciting part of reading for me.
What Makes a Submission Stand Out
Daniel Willcocks:
If an author were to submit to Raw Dog, what would you look for? What makes something truly “off-kilter” in a way that grabs you?
Jennifer Barnes:
First, I have to say we’re not really open to submissions right now. And I’m sorry about that.
It’s honestly better for authors. If I do agree to look at something, it can take over a year for me to get to it. That’s not fair to anyone.
But what I look for in a book is a certain darkness. It doesn’t have to be strictly horror, but it needs an edge.
I want something unique — whether that’s in voice, perspective, style, or concept.
I’m a demanding reader. I want character development. I want strong language at the sentence level. I care about how it’s written. And I also want plot.
I know that’s a lot to ask.
Standing Out in 2026
Daniel Willcocks:
What does it take for horror to stand out in 2026? There’s so much horror being published. What makes something rise above?
Jennifer Barnes:
It’s hard to say exactly.
Right now, I’ve really enjoyed seeing bigger publishers take on books from different cultures — horror rooted in specific cultural backgrounds. That’s been exciting.
But I also feel like that might be a trend we’re nearing the tail end of.
I’m not sure where things will go next. My guess would be a swing back toward more standard story structures — something that feels familiar again.
Novellas, Word Count, and Market Swings
Daniel Willcocks:
I’m seeing a lot of swings in format. A couple of years ago there seemed to be a move towards shorter fiction — novella-length works — and now it feels like things are shifting back toward beefier books.
This is a selfish question because I have two unshopped novellas sitting on my desk. I’m wondering where they fit. Not that I’m pitching you live on air — but I’m thinking: will an agent take these? Is this what the market wants? Should I do something else with them?
What’s your view on word count? Because it’s strangely contentious in author groups. Is this long enough? Is this too long? Does length matter to Raw Dog?
Jennifer Barnes:
Absolutely. Length is super important for us.
It’s funny you say that because two years ago we started a novella line. That was my passion project. I love the novella format. I think it’s fantastic.
When a novella works, it feels like you’ve read a full novel — you’ve had the complete experience — but it takes half the time. That’s the magic of a really good novella.
We tried to present novellas as serious books, not as “less than.” We even structured it as a series, though all the books were standalone. I brought in a guest editor, R.J. Joseph, to curate the line.
In one sense, it was a huge success. Many of the books were award-nominated, and one won a Shirley Jackson Award — which was a first for us.
But commercially? It was more mixed.
I’m not sure we won over as many readers as we hoped. I still feel like novels tend to get more attention. I promoted the novellas with the same intensity as novels, but reception was varied.
Reviewers loved them. Once someone read one, they often wanted to read them all.
So I wouldn’t give up on novellas. I also see agents querying novellas more than they used to. There was a time when novellas were basically a no-go unless they were part of a collection. Now I think certain publishers are more open.
Reader Habits and Story Length
Daniel Willcocks:
Some of my favourite reads in recent years have been novellas. I’ve wondered whether that’s connected to short-form content — social media, streaming series — everything being more consumable.
I’ve caught myself choosing shorter books to hit my Goodreads goal. Then I read something like Fever House — 500 pages — and realised I just wanted a big, immersive book.
It made me ignore my Goodreads target and just enjoy reading again.
Jennifer Barnes:
I do that too — especially in the last half of the year.
I think it really depends on the story. I appreciate it when an author doesn’t waste your time. If the idea is a novella-length idea, that’s perfect.
There are stories that simply work better at that length.
Writing in the Dark and Horror Craft
Daniel Willcocks:
You’ve also ventured into nonfiction. Writing in the Dark by Tim Waggoner is one of the very few craft books specifically about writing horror.
What has publishing nonfiction taught you about the horror community? Is there crossover between fiction readers and craft readers?
Jennifer Barnes:
With the craft books, the audience is writers. That’s really who it’s for.
There isn’t much crossover between someone who reads our novels purely as a reader and someone who buys a craft book — unless they’re a reader thinking about becoming a writer.
But the series has been hugely successful.
Tim is honestly a treasure to the horror community. He genuinely cares about craft. He will talk to anyone, anywhere, anytime about writing.
If someone owns his book and emails him a question, he will respond. He’s incredibly generous.
Even as someone who doesn’t consider herself primarily a writer, I find that reading his books sparks creativity. They make me think differently about writing. I really value that.
Looking Ahead: What’s Coming Next
Daniel Willcocks:
Looking ahead — what are you most excited about from Raw Dog Screaming Press over the next year or two?
Jennifer Barnes:
Today we’re announcing a book deal for an anthology called Abandoned: Asylum, edited by James Chambers.
We’ll be Kickstarting it.
It includes stories from Clay McLeod Chapman, Elizabeth Massie, Lisa Morton, and others. There will be a final table of contents announcement soon.
Jim is an excellent editor. He has a real talent for arranging anthology stories. He’s also written framing stories for the collection.
It’s inspired by a real abandoned asylum he used to photograph. He used those photos to inspire the contributing authors.
The stories span decades — from when the asylum was first built to stories set on the grounds after it was abandoned.
The whole anthology reads like a single story, even though it’s composed of multiple pieces. I’m really excited about it.
Quick Fire Round
Daniel Willcocks:
Are you ready for the quick fire round?
Jennifer Barnes:
I’m ready.
Daniel Willcocks:
Cats, dogs, or neither?
Jennifer Barnes:
Neither.
Daniel Willcocks:
Worst spice?
Jennifer Barnes:
I like them all.
Daniel Willcocks:
Favourite method of transportation?
Jennifer Barnes:
Walking.
Daniel Willcocks:
Cliffhangers — love them?
Jennifer Barnes:
If they’re forced, no. If they’re earned, yes.
Daniel Willcocks:
Drink of choice when editing?
Jennifer Barnes:
Tea. Always tea.
Daniel Willcocks:
Late, early, or on time?
Jennifer Barnes:
A little bit late.
Daniel Willcocks:
Books read per year — including slush?
Jennifer Barnes:
Probably 80 to 100.
Daniel Willcocks:
Happy ending or bleak masterpiece?
Jennifer Barnes:
Bleak.
Daniel Willcocks:
Sitcom world or fantasy world?
Jennifer Barnes:
Fantasy.
Daniel Willcocks:
Book you’re most looking forward to this year?
Jennifer Barnes:
Omonokatsu just announced one I’m excited about. That’s the first that comes to mind.
Where to Find Jennifer and Raw Dog Screaming Press
Jennifer Barnes:
Our website is rawdogscreaming.com. On most socials we’re RDS Press — Twitter, Instagram. I technically have a TikTok, but I don’t really use it.
Closing
Daniel Willcocks:
Thank you so much, Jennifer, for joining me on The Writer’s Chair.
Jennifer Barnes:
Thank you. This was really fun.
Daniel Willcocks:
And thank you to our listeners. If you’re craving deeper conversation, writing advice, or just want to connect with fellow horror fans and storytellers, join the Devil’s Rock community on Discord.
Head to devilsrockbooks.com/podcast for the invite link.
Until next time — write bravely, and dream dark.
