Most people reading this are well aware of Shocklines, but a few may not be and I’m writing this for them. It’s also a reminder for those that already shop there.
I’ve been a horror reader for a long time. I’ve always bought books by mail order and I remember well the bad old days before Shocklines. Dealing with dubious sellers and outright thieves like Sideshow. Paying in advance from publishers, only to wait months or even years for the book to see print. And sometimes the publisher would go belly-up and you never got your book or your money back.
Most know that Matt never expects payment up front. You pay when your item is in stock and ready to ship. Matt also offers many cool extras, such as signed and/or inscribed books at no extra cost. Matt Schwartz, with his bookstore and his message board, has done more to bridge the gap between reader and writer than anyone else ever has. Sometimes the Shocklines board is a train wreck and people get a bit out of hand. But Matt puts up with it all and on his dime too. And with the kind of activity that goes on there, trust me, it ain’t cheap.
I gotta tell you, I’d be lost without Shocklines. Matt and his store and board are such a vital part of the horror fiction community…I don’t think its influence can be measured. I was a co-founder of the message board and I’ve lost count of the people who have written to thank me for showing them all the horror small press has to offer. People that would otherwise still be just buying mass market books. People that have helped make the small press thrive.
Some of you want to support the presses at the source and I respect the hell out of that. No question, it’s a noble thing to do. But indie booksellers are critical to the small press. So many new publishers are starting out and who can keep up with it all? I can. I watch the Advance Orders page at Shocklines religiously. Publishers lose a cut when readers buy from secondary markets, but on the other hand, they wouldn’t sell as many books as they do without places like Shocklines.
Shocklines isn’t the only independent bookseller the genre has. There’s Clarksworld, Bad Moon Books, etc. I wish them all well. But I think Shocklines is unique. Matt is the field’s best friend and he bends over backward for everyone, taking a lot of shit along the way. You can’t please everyone at a busy forum such as Shocklines, but Matt does an admirable job.
Matt also stocks and sells small chapbooks and mass market publications where he only makes a dollar or so, and sometimes not even that. He does it to support the writers and readers and publishers.
There’s more to this than Matt’s second-to-none service and vital role in the horror community. Matt is not just a friend of mine, he’s my brother. He’s been there in times of personal crisis and I’ll never forget all the things he’s done for me.
But Matt is in a bad way. His personal health insurance has sky-rocketed and the future of the bookstore is uncertain. I can’t express in words how horrible that is for me. We might take Shocklines for granted sometimes and think it’ll always be there for us. In an all-too-imperfect world of despicable insurance greed, it could fall. I’m not asking for donations and Matt wouldn’t accept them if I did. I am asking you to make Shocklines your primary source for horror books. And I’m asking you to help spread the word. Tell your reader friends. Pimp Shocklines on your My Space page or blogs. Buy a book or two and don’t forget Shocklines gift certificates for the holidays.
In short, without Shocklines, we’re fucked.
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