Mission Statement
What and Why
Dreadstone Books was founded by dark fiction author T.M. McLean, whose work has consistently appeared in print and online. After years of writing, editing and publishing, Tim launched Dreadstone as a way to elevate both his own stories and those of fellow agents of the macabre.
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Inspired by his first love—punk rock—Dreadstone follows the same DIY spirit as the indie labels that gave voice to underground bands. This press exists to amplify bold, independent horror—raw, unfiltered and unapologetic.
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Deadly Duos
The flagship series of Dreadstone Books, Deadly Duos, features two authors, each delivering one killer story per release. Like a split 7-inch single, there's nowhere to hide—no A-side, no B-side.
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Curated through invites and open calls, Deadly Duos keeps horror fiction tight and punchy. Forget bloated anthologies. Here, every tale hits hard. Short. Sharp. Deadly.
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Micro Horrors
For those who like their terror quick and brutal (sometimes absurd or funny), Micro Horrors brings bite-sized nightmares of 500 words or less. Published online only, it's dark fiction stripped to the bone—nothing wasted, every edge sharpened. Just because it's bite-sized doesn't mean it won't bite back.
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On the Horizon...
In the spirit of staying nimble and loud, Dreadstone is looking ahead to potentially releasing novella-length work.
Stay tuned.
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Donations and Support
The best way to support Dreadstone is to buy our books, write reviews and share with your friends both on- and offline. Should you wish to make a donation to the running of Dreadstone Books, you can rest assured that any money will be used exclusively to buy artwork and to pay authors more. The aim is to pay $0.05 per word. To do that, a budget of around $1,000 is required per release.