FOREVER VELVETEEN, a sequel to THE VELVETEEN RABBIT, will be available December 2nd, 2025. Written by yours truly and illustrated by @vincentchong.bsky.social. Hardcover only.

You will be missed, Baker & Taylor (book distributor founded in 1828, serving libraries for nearly 2 centuries). Your loss basically leaves us with Amazon and Ingram. If only there were, you know, multi-billionaires who could chip in and keep things flowing. If only books mattered . . .

Thank you, current U.S. Administration, for changing the Affordable Care Act, which now means my health insurance (on a worse plan than before) will be close to double in 2026 what I paid in 2025. And thank you, California, for requiring me to have health insurance, lest I be penalized.

There are new guidelines for VIEWS FROM THE OVERLOOK (the anthology tie-in to @stephenking.bsky.social's THE SHINING). As @jamieflanagan.com puts it: "Listen. Learn. Adapt." Now includes a 24-hour open window, no cap in submissions, and more names revealed. jamieflanagan.com/guidelines-2

I posted about the recently announced anthology tie-in to Stephen King's THE SHINING (edited by @jamieflanagan.com) and mentioned it includes someone who shares my name. To clarify, it's me (some asked). Want to be a part of it? Check out @chuckpalahniuk.bsky.social's newsletter for more info.

Congratulations to @jamieflanagan.com and everyone involved with this anthology rooted in Stephen King's THE SHINING. Chelsea Cain, Johnny Compton, Mike Flanagan, Christopher Golden, Justina Ireland, Ai Jiang, Alma Katsu, Brian Keene, Daniel Knauf, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Chuck Palahniuk, and me.

ANTHOLOGY BIBLIOGRAPHY Written Backwards is perhaps best known for its anthologies (along with publishing unique collections, novels, and other unique books), so below is a complete bibliography in order of release. These books have received numerous accolades over the years and have, more…

Silent me means a busy me, but here's an update on a not-so-silent project, SILENT NIGHTMARES, co-edited with Chuck Palahniuk for Saga Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. This incredible anthology will include illustrations by @orionzangaraart.bsky.social, so here's a teaser.

IT'S THE END IF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT (current book I'm reading, and also the state of the planet), but my copy is bound UPSIDE-DOWN! Is this by design, or did the printer know I like things a little backward? Anyone else see the same?

The first two volumes of YOU, HUMAN return to regular eBook prices soon, so you have the rest of this weekend to snag them discounted. Lots of copies moving, which is always nice and supports future books.

YOU, HUMAN: Get it all, digitally, for under 3 bucks. 200,000 words of dark science fiction.

YOU, HUMAN: Vol. 2 – BOOKBUB! You, Human, Vol. 2 is a BookBub deal for a limited time, now only $0.99. The first volume is also discounted at this time. Also available in hardcover, trade paperback, and eBook wherever books are sold. Amazon: eBook | trade paperback | hardcover Barnes &…

YOU, HUMAN, Vol. 2 is currently a BookBub deal.

New mirror for the casa.

I really enjoyed OVERSIGHT, a collection of two novellas and a short story by @nettirw.bsky.social. The book luxuriates in sci-fi horror in the vein of BLACK MIRROR, with a strong emotional edge. There's some scary stuff, some smart speculative sci-fi, and a whole heaping of humanity. Check it out!

It's a good day to support independent press and to remember that our fight for freedom is far from over.

Happy book birthday to YOU, HUMAN: Vol. 2, available today wherever books are sold, simultaneously in hardcover, paperback, and eBook. One of the most highly anticipated anthologies of dark science fiction is finally here! nettirw.com/anthologies

YOU, HUMAN: Vol. 2 – NOW AVAILABLE! One of the most highly anticipated anthologies of the year is now available wherever books are sold! The book releases today, simultaneously in hardcover, trade paperback, and eBook. Amazon: eBook | trade paperback | hardcover Barnes & Noble: trade…

Dragonfruit flower ... time to fertilize.

I am late to the game, but finally going in. If anything, this will be my favorite part of this movie, a simple splash screen giving credit where credit's due (to @paultremblay.bsky.social). And it's @mnightshyamalan.bsky.social , so it will be pretty and atmospheric and other things.

Who's a finalist for the National Indie Excellence Awards for anthologies? FUMPTRUCK and all its contributors, that's who.

Novelist Post interview. My hair's a bit longer now, but this is an interesting read if you're curious about my process and latest creations. (I guess I'm due for new headshots). novelistpost.com/michael-bail...

INCIDENTS AROUND THE HOUSE, Josh Malerman: This is the rare novel that's authentically scary. I mean, this is THE EXORCIST level of scary. The audiobook version is good, too.

YOU, HUMAN: Vol. 2 – PREORDER! Yes, you can now preorder one of the most highly anticipated anthologies of the year! Amazon: eBook | trade paperback | hardcover Barnes & Noble: trade paperback | hardcover Books-A-Million (BAM!): trade paperback | hardcover Multi-award-winning editor Michael Bailey…

See you all soon!

A friendly reminder to always do a little research / reading before sending queries or proposals. There's always a little wiggle room when becoming friends or project buddies, but there's only so much wiggle room to spare.

It's always a wonderful feeling paying professional rates to writers. Paid out $7,000 in advances for SILENT NIGHTMARES this week (10 cents per word), and $6,000 for YOU, HUMAN before that. Plus illustrator / cover artists. Gotta pay them too. Yes, anthologies are expensive when done right

Back from California with a real certificate, a ribbon / medal, a rock, a glass book, some silver stickers, and a proof copy of the latest. Not pictured: all the stuff that won't fit in this picture.

Ha! Still making FUMPTRUCK waves...

Interview: done! Next up: final edits on a four-author poetry collection.

THE LIBRARY OF THE UNDEAD. This is just the beginning.

FUMPTRUCK is still killing it in the indie book world. Now an anthology finalist for the Indie Book Awards! Once again, congratulations to all the contributors.

SILENT NIGHTMARES - TABLE OF CONTENTS

Everyone nominated for the @horrorwritersassoc.bsky.social's Bram Stoker Award seems to be posting selfies with their certificates. Since I'm in Costa Rica and mine (my 10th!) is in California until I can get there, I decided to make my own for now to keep on the fridge.

The SILENT NIGHTMARES full Table of Contents will be announced Monday, 04/28. Out of 2,138 total submissions, @chuckpalahniuk.bsky.social and I ultimately chose 6 to play along with our invited authors. This line-up is filled with legends and future legends. Any guesses?

I haven't been on social media much (which means I am about to announce major book-related things soon), but I had to drop in for a very happy book birthday to two of my favorite people on the planet: @nytebird45.bsky.social & Jamal Hodge. EVERYTHING ENDLESS is available now. Get it!

No one is going to be ready for THE LIBRARY OF THE UNDEAD when the initial line-up of contributing writers drops. It's insane, and big. Very big. And speaking of incredible anthologies in the works, expect the final line-up for SILENT NIGHTMARES soon!

YOU, HUMAN, Vol. 2 update! Last but not least, and it's the first, leading off the anthology: "The Spotter" a novella by @joshmalerman.bsky.social. "Mark imagines the boy behind glass again. Imagines the flames beginning in a split-open face," as illustrated here by @lukespoonerartist.bsky.social.

Next up . . .

FUMPTRUCK is now a first-place recipient of The BookFest Awards for Nonfiction: Politics & Government/ Corruption & Issues. Anonymous thanks you, and so does everyone from this anthology's incredible Table of Contents.

“It doesn’t matter what was done—what we did. What matters is what we will do. What kind of world we’ll make now. The past is already written, but the future is a boundless expanse waiting for a narrative.” - From Bruce Golden's novelette "Emergence." Illustration by @lukespoonerartist.bsky.social.

YOU, HUMAN, Vol. 2 update! "The Touch of an Old Friend's Hand," a novelette by Scott Edelman, explores the survival of our once-loved artificial companion animals once humanity is gone, and what they might long from us. Illustration by @lukespoonerartist.bsky.social.

The penultimate group of acceptances (and non-acceptances) just went out for SILENT NIGHTMARES, the anthology edited by @chuckpalahniuk.bsky.social and me. Out of 2,138 submissions, we only have 6 spots, so we've had to make difficult choices. Full ToC announcement in late-April / early-May.

YOU, HUMAN, Vol. 2 update! @aijiang.bsky.social's near-future novelette "All the Names You Didn't Choose" will make you wonder about all the names you could have been, who you are now, and what you might choose as a final name. Illustration by @lukespoonerartist.bsky.social.

CHIRAL MAD 3 was published a while ago, yet the eBook is once again the #1 Bestseller in Horror Anthologies. Why? It's currently a @bookbubpartners.bsky.social deal. All CHIRAL MAD volumes are discounted, too. Illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne. Introduction by @chuckpalahniuk.bsky.social.

YOU, HUMAN, Vol. 2 update! Sachin Baliga's novelette "Time for a (R)Evolution!: A Documentary" explores how we evolved into what we are today, and where humanity might be headed when barely a whisper away from extinction. Illustration by @lukespoonerartist.bsky.social.

YOU, HUMAN, Vol. 2 update! To separate the mind from the human body is an act of the most brutal amputation possible. “Will you die?" questions @willmcmahon36.bsky.social's novelette "Doubt" (illustration by @lukespoonerartist.bsky.social), "Or is this a backdoor to immortality?”

YOU, HUMAN, Vol. 2 update! "Indeed, there’s much fragility in humankind, not simply in being unable to withstand the strength of nature." How fragile are we? Find out in @genni.bsky.social's novelette "AI Chronicles: Properties of a Human Curse." Illustration by @lukespoonerartist.bsky.social.

YOU, HUMAN, Vol. 2 update! Save the World—Recycle! In @haileypiperfights.bsky.social's novelette "A Hollow Where the Screams Have Gone," when observed from the right perspective, everything is a form of digestion. Illustration by @lukespoonerartist.bsky.social.

YOU, HUMAN, Vol. 2 update! With an illustration by @lukespoonerartist.bsky.social, Ngô Bình Anh Khoa's novelette "Immortalized" will leave you pondering what you might consider doing on your Allowance: one last day to be human, so to speak.