APEX BOOK COMPANY is a small press publisher dedicated to producing exemplary works of science fiction, horror, fantasy and non-fiction. Based out of Lexington, Ky., Apex Book Company is owned and operated by Jason B. Sizemore. Their current catalog includes anthologies like the highly-acclaimed Dark Faith, novels and novellas like The Labyrinth of the Dead, non-fiction books like To Each Their Darkness and Apex Magazine.
BRANSON’S GENERAL STORE continues leatherwork as a Branson family tradition. Matt’s dad Dennis and mom Linda are both accomplished leatherworkers who started teaching him at a young age. Matt quickly developed a passion for the art form. Matt also dabbles in woodwork, blacksmithing, soapmaking, sewing, flintknapping, and just about any other primitive craft form that catches his imagination. The Bransons are also beekeepers, so natural products like beeswax and honey are important parts of the recipes at Branson’s General Store. If you are local to the St. Louis, Mo area, contact them about purchasing fresh local honey.
CRONE GIRLS PRESS originally began as a Facebook Group for fans of speculative fiction, hosted by speculative fiction author Rachel A. Brune. As the idea took hold to publish an anthology of horror fiction in honor of her favorite fall holiday, Rachel began soliciting stories of dread, despair, and doom, all of which made for some uplifting reading. Upon receiving some truly terrifying–and excellent–material, she decided to go for broke and start working on an anthology series that would feature work by established and debut authors … from the darker side of speculative fiction. Crone Girls now has published at least nine anthologies and collections and is going strong! Find out more at cronegirlspress.com.
DARK OAK PRESS, formerly known as Kerlak Publishing, is a small press based in Memphis, Tenn. specializing in fantasy, science fiction, dark fantasy, steampunk and other forms of speculative fiction. Find out more at www.darkoakpress.com
JESSICA HAINES AND MARK KAISER are an independent folk duet, and so far the Literary Underworld’s only musicians. If you appreciate Niamh Parsons, Susan McKeown, June Tabor, Cathy Ryan, Natalie Merchant, and/or Suzanne Vega, you definitely need to take a quick listen to their sound. You will find a sweet, rich voice singing murder ballads, sea shanties, and stories about strong women and men, supplemented by guitar rhythms that are engaging while still providing fertile ground for Jessica’s well-voiced melodies.
SEVENTH STAR PRESS is a small press publisher located in Lexington, Ky. SSP specializes in speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, and horror). The company was established in October of 2008. Find out more at www.seventhstarpress.com
STACHE PUBLISHING is an independent comic publisher devoted to comic creators and advancing sequential art. The anthology series Out of the Blue showcases short comics by top indie comic creators, benefiting child literacy. Comics like Seth Ferranti’s true-crime Supreme Team and Marcus Muller’s supernatural comedy King of the Unknown take comics in uncharted directions. Sadly, Stache has announced it is out of business, but we still have their work available as long as they’re in stock.
YARD DOG PRESS wants to shine a spotlight on the talent of authors who haven’t earned the “big numbers” yet; as a result, they get little or no attention from the corporate giants. These are great storytellers with equally great stories to share, and they think it is shameful that there is no forum for their work. Yard Dog Press is a privately owned micro-press; founded in 1995, it have grown far beyond their original expectations. Find out more at www.yarddogpress.com
ELIZABETH DONALD is a nature and art photographer. In addition to her fiction work, she is a newspaper reporter and regularly shoots news photos and videos that are distributed to tens of thousands of people every day. Her nature and art photography focuses on landscapes, with a special interest in cemetery and statuary photography. Her photographs have been featured in local art shows and on tourism websites, and have been licensed as book covers. Check out her print shop and posters at her website.