Lonely Road Books is a

small press A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably. However, when a distinction ...

publishing company founded in 2007 by

Brian James Freeman Brian James Freeman (born 1979) is an American author whose fiction has been published in magazines and anthologies including '' Borderlands 5'', ''Corpse Blossoms'', and all four volumes of the ''Shivers'' series. His first novel, ''Black Fire, ...

and

Richard Chizmar Richard Thomas Chizmar (born 1965) is an American writer, the publisher and editor of '' Cemetery Dance'' magazine, and the owner of Cemetery Dance Publications. He also edits anthologies, produces films, writes screenplays, and teaches writi ...

and based out of Forest Hill, Maryland. They are a publishing company that specializes in deluxe signed

limited edition book The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition or expanded edition are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as b ...

s. Lonely Road Books has released the anthology '' Dark Forces: The 25th Anniversary Special Edition'' edited by Kirby McCauley, and they have released and are releasing books by notable writers

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

Ray Garton Ray Garton Jr. (December 2, 1962April 21, 2024) was an American author of horror fiction for adults and young adults. He wrote at least 68 books; the best-known, ''Live Girls'', was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award. Personal life Ray Garton ...

(writing as Arthur Darknell),

Douglas Clegg Douglas Clegg (born April 1, 1958) is an American horror and dark fantasy author, and a pioneer in the field of e-publishing. He maintains a strong Internet presence through his website. Early life Born in Alexandria, Virginia to a "family of ...

, Stewart O'Nan,

Mick Garris Mick Garris (born December 4, 1951) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter and novelist born in Santa Monica, California. He is best known for his work in the horror film genre, as well as making Stephen King adaptations. Early life Garris was b ...

, and more.

Edition types

Lonely Road Books have released their books mostly in two limited states (Limited Editions and Lettered Editions), but they have also release Gift Editions and

Chapbook A chapbook is a type of small printed booklet that was a popular medium for street literature throughout early modern Europe. Chapbooks were usually produced cheaply, illustrated with crude woodcuts and printed on a single sheet folded into 8, 1 ...

Limited editions

Lonely Road Books' "Limited Editions" are hardcovers that tend to come signed by the authors, editors, and the artists involved in the publication on a specially illustrated signature page. They also are usually bound in a deluxe material (imported leather, Japanese silk, etc.). They often contain a

frontispiece Frontispiece may refer to: * Frontispiece (books), a decorative illustration facing a book's title page * Frontispiece (architecture) In architecture, the term frontispiece is used to describe the Façade, principal face of the building, usually ...

that is created specifically for that edition. Plus, they are usually housed in a custom-made

slipcase A slipcase is a five-sided box, usually made of high-quality cardboard, into which ring binder, binders, books or book sets are ''slipped'' for protection, leaving the spine (book), spine exposed. Special editions of books are often slipcased for ...

. They are limited from 200 to 500 copies.

Lettered editions

Lonely Road Books' "Lettered Editions" are hardcovers that usually come with the same bonus features as their "Limited Editions," but they are bound in a different high quality material, feature extra or different art, and they are housed in a custom-made deluxe traycase. They are usually limited to 26 to 52 copies.

Collector's gift editions

Lonely Road Books' "Collector's Gift Editions" are hardcovers that usually come bound in a deluxe material and housed in a special slipcase. They are not usually signed. So far, only '' Riding the Bullet: The Deluxe Special Edition Double'' by

and

has been released in this format. It was limited to 3000 copies.

Chapbooks

Lonely Road Books' "Chapbooks" tend to be an illustrated short story bound as a paperback

chapbook A chapbook is a type of small printed booklet that was a popular medium for street literature throughout early modern Europe. Chapbooks were usually produced cheaply, illustrated with crude woodcuts and printed on a single sheet folded into 8, 1 ...

. Keith Minnion has designed and illustrated all of the chapbooks that Lonely Road Books has released so far. ''The Most Interesting Prospect'' by Ray Garton (writing as Arthur Darknell) was limited to 26 copies. ''Monsters'' by Stewart O'Nan was limited to 226 copies (one for each Limited and Lettered Edition produced).

Releases

*'' Dark Forces: The 25th Anniversary Edition'' edited by Kirby McCauley (2007) Features the same stories as the original release (like

The Mist Mist is a weather phenomenon similar to fog. Mist, MIST or The Mist may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Fiction * ''Mist'' (novel), a 1914 novel by Spanish author Miguel de Unamuno * ''The Mist'' (novella), a 1980 horror novella by Ameri ...

), but it also includes signatures from the editor and all of the artists, a new interview of Kirby McCauley conducted by Kealan Patrick Burke, a new cover by

Bernie Wrightson Bernard Albert Wrightson (October 27, 1948 – March 18, 2017) was an American artist, known for co-creating the Swamp Thing, his Bernie Wrightson's Frankenstein, adaptation of the novel ''Frankenstein'' illustration work, and for his other ho ...

, and over twenty-four new color and black and white inner illustrations by

Jill Bauman Jill Bauman is an American artist. She has been nominated for the World Fantasy Award five times and nominated for the Chesley Award several times. Her art has been exhibited at the Delaware Art Museum, the Moore College of Art, Art Students ...

Glenn Chadbourne Glenn Chadbourne (born October 19, 1959) is an American artist. He lives in Newcastle, Maine. He is best known for his work in the horror and fantasy genres, having created covers and illustrated books and magazines for publishers such as Ce ...

Alan M. Clark Alan Marshall Clark (born May 10, 1957) is an American author and artist who is best known as the illustrator and book cover painter of many pieces of horror fiction. He was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel for his 2005 ...

, Allen Koszowski,

Alex McVey Alex McVey is an American fine artist and illustrator from Texas, mostly known for his work on high-end limited edition books and album art. He has illustrated the works of Stephen King, William Peter Blatty, Brian Keene, Joe R. Lansdale, and ot ...

, Keith Minnion, Chad Savage, and Erik Wilson. It was available in two editions: :* Limited Edition of 300 copies :* Lettered Edition of 26 copies *''The Arthur Darknell Double'' by

(writing under the pseudonym Arthur Darknell) (2008) Released as an oversized slipcased hardcover that is bound in the flip book /

tête-bêche In philately, ''tête-bêche'' (French language, French for "head-to-tail", lit. "head-to-head") is a joined pair of Postage stamp, stamps in which one is upside-down in relation to the other, produced intentionally or accidentally. Like any pa ...

format (like an

Ace Double American company Ace Books began publishing genre fiction starting in 1952. Initially these were mostly in tête-bêche format with the ends of the two parts meeting in the middle and with a divider between them which functioned as the rear cover ...

). It includes two complete novels: ''Loveless'' and ''Murder Was My Alibi''. It features artwork by Vincent Chong, Keith Minnion and

. It was available in two editions: :* Limited Edition of 200 copies :* Lettered Edition of 26 copies (with a bonus chapbook "The Most Interesting Prospect" which was also limited to just 26 signed and lettered copies.) *''Poe'' by Stewart O'Nan (2008) Features a

foreword A foreword is a (usually short) piece of writing, sometimes placed at the beginning of a book or other piece of literature. Typically written by someone other than the primary author of the work, it often tells of some interaction between th ...

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

and frontispiece by

. All copies came with a bonus chapbook containing the story ''Monsters''. ''Poe'' was available in two editions: :* Limited Edition of 200 copies :* Lettered Edition of 26 copies *'' Riding the Bullet: The Deluxe Special Edition Double'' by

and

(2010) Released as an oversized slipcased hardcover that is bound in the flip book /

format (like an

). It features the novella ''

Riding the Bullet ''Riding the Bullet'' is a horror novella by American writer Stephen King. It marked King's debut on the Internet. Simon & Schuster, with technology by SoftLock, first published ''Riding the Bullet'' in 2000 as the world's first mass-market e-b ...

'' by

, the original script for the film with same name by

, and artwork by

and

. Lonely Road Book Available in three editions: :* Collector's Gift Edition: limited to just 3000 slipcased copies (not signed) :* Limited Edition of 500 copies (signed by Mick Garris and the artist) :* Lettered Edition of 52 copies (signed by Stephen King) *'' Blockade Billy'' by

(2011) All Lonely Road Books editions come with a signed Stephen King baseball card, the William "Blocakde Billy" Blakely baseball card that came with the

Cemetery Dance Publications Cemetery Dance is an American company known for their specialty press publisher of horror and dark suspense and their horror magazine of the same name. Cemetery Dance was founded by Richard Chizmar, a horror author, while he was in college. Ce ...

trade edition, extra artwork from

Glen Orbik Glen Orbik (1963 – May 11, 2015) was an American illustrator known for his fully painted paperback and comic covers, often executed in a noir style. Early life and education In the 1970s, Orbik and his mother moved to Douglas County, Nevada. H ...

and

, an illustrated signature sheet signed by the two artists, and two color printing throughout the book. Available in two editions: :* Limited Edition of 350 copies (comes in a custom deluxe traycase with pullout ribbon) :* Lettered Edition of 52 copies (comes with an original piece of artwork, a bonus art portfolio of Limited Edition prints, and a deluxe hand-made custom box) *''The Vampyricon Trilogy: The Definitive Special Edition'' by

(forthcoming( Looks to be finally released 8 years after original solicitation and payment, March 27, 2009.)) Contains all three of the Vampyricon novels: ''The Priest of Blood'', ''The Lady of Serpents'', and ''The Queen of Wolves''. All have been re-edited to the author's liking. Plus, an addendum of around 50 to 100 pages of exclusive "deleted scenes" and "lost material" is also included. Also includes color and black & white artwork by Erin Wells. Available in two editions: :* Limited Edition of 250 copies :* Lettered Edition of 26 copies

References

{{reflist

External links

Lonely Road Books' official websiteLonely Road Books' official Facebook page
American speculative fiction publishers Small press publishing companies Horror book publishing companies Publishing companies established in 2007 American companies established in 2007