@Regina Thanks so much! Yes, the much-overlooked midlist author. They are increasingly being pushed out these days, not just because of this shelving phenomenon but also due to publishers being less willing to keep them on if they’re not making blockbuster sales. It is a sad thing.

@Peggy Thank you! I love the brick-and-mortar stores too, although they are making it more and more difficult not to turn to online venues due to their lack of books, as Lura mentioned. One of my few (small) consolations is that the Amazon link I use donates money to a very good writing-industry cause. Whenever possible, I buy directly from the author.

@Russ Thanks Russ! I totally get where you’re coming from. I actually have an entire blog post about this subject in the works, so I’ll try to be brief here.

Personally, I like a decent dose of sexy “monsters,” but I do think they’re a different game than horror altogether. Since horror came from gothic, which involved both romance and horror, the whole trend towards romance and sex in the horror field makes sense to me. Some of the most original horror stories (for their times) involved turning the POV on its head and making the monster the protagonist (Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, Lestat). Once you make that switch, it’s an easy leap to what we have today.

I do think there’s a big difference between going for sex appeal and doing so at the expense of fear, though. Sex appeal without fear, even if there’s a monster, isn’t “classic” horror: it’s paranormal romance. I think it could be argued that that subgenre has become a genre all its own. Its association with its parent genre is perhaps what throws off classic horror fans who want frights instead of tingles.

But there’s no reason there can’t be both—and no reason all horror *has* to attempt sexiness. I still think there’s plenty of good stuff out there that’s what most readers would consider classic horror without the romanticization. But yes, you definitely have to look harder to find it.

Good luck with your short!

I’d say once creatures of the night got downgraded to sex-machines or people started going into heat for were-creatures, Horror was overwhelmed with stories doing their best to switch from “fear” to “turn on”. It was a slow process (can’t blame Twilight or Anne Rice even – I’d say compare Bella Lugosi’s Dracula to the original Nosferatu as far as pop culture goes.)

This has lead to the romanticization of a ton of things – real life horrors such as serial killers for example. IMO what happens is that people are essentially taught -not- to fear these base concepts (which is in itself disturbing IMO). They become the boy next door, the hero, the love interest and the only “horror” is the gore that MIGHT splatter on the page.

Bah. I’m surfing over to YouTube to watch serial killer interviews for a short I’m writing – and for a legit scare. *locks the doors*

Patrick, I love your comments, also! You beautifully expressed why I love a “real” bookstore rather than ordering all my books online.

I wonder if horror’s own popularity is working against it here. A lot of people probably read Stephen King or Peter Straub but say they don’t read horror, so stores and publishers adjust to meet market demands. Which is still awful. Horror book blogs, lit mags, small presses (like ChiZine Pub, not sure if there are others), and old-fashioned word of mouth will be more important than ever now.

@Cher I hear you. I don’t think paranormal romance is a sell-out though. Not at all! As I mentioned, horror came from gothic, which is a blend of horror and romance, so to me the two have always seemed well-fitted. Plus, I always say write what you love. If you love paranormal romance, that’s probably what you should be writing!

@Cynthia Thank you, Cynthia! I’m glad we’re in agreement. =)

@Patrick Hi Patrick! Lovely to see you here. And yes; so many readers are horror fans without even realizing it! Fear is a very primal emotion. It’s difficult not to be moved by it when you pick up the right book. It truly is sad what’s happening to brick and mortar bookstores. I haven’t completely abandoned hope that they can turn it around, but I feel like I might be the only one.

@bn100
@ Geoff Thank you both very much!

@Julia Well, as I mention above to Melissa, it was its own genre, and I believe it still should be. The problem is the marketing of that genre, truly. As with any genre or subgenre, making it a title increases its popularity. Steampunk is easy to find because people call it that. Same re: paranormal romance. So correctly identifying a genre is the key to getting the right readers. It seems that bookstores are doing away with identifying horror, which scares me for the future of the genre.

Thanks very much to everyone for commenting!