LJ’s Horror Review columnist, Becky Spratford, chats with Sadie Hartmann and Ashley Saywers about their rise from influencers to business owners to anthology editors and more, with the release of Human Monsters.

You are publishing your first anthology with Dark Matter, presenting 35 all-original stories centered around “human monsters.” Can you talk a bit about the submission process and your first time soliciting for and editing an anthology?

We did a combination of invites and open submissions. Our desire was to curate an anthology of seasoned horror voices, rising stars in the genre, and brand-new voices. Initially we were intimidated by the sheer volume of submissions and wondered how we would ever be able to give everyone’s story the attention they each deserved, but Rob Carroll and his team at Dark Matter do this sort of thing every month for the magazine, so they have a system that made it so much more manageable. Once we got the hang of it, we had an absolute blast. There were so many excited text messages and group discussions going on during the reading process. It was truly one of the most satisfying experiences we’ve ever had. The name on the story did not matter; it was 100 percent about the way those stories made us feel in relation to the “human monster” call we put out to the community of horror writers. We easily could have put together several anthologies out of just this pool of stories. It was extremely difficult to narrow it down to what has made it into the final TOC, but at the end of the day, we’re really proud of the way it came together [and] truly blown away by the professionalism and overwhelming talent of the community. Also, after we sent out acceptances, we were thrilled to learn how many of these authors expressed this was their first acceptance or the first time they were paid for a story. We’ve seen some of these authors go on to announce being acquired by agents, more story acceptances, book deals, and on and on. It’s so exciting.

Can you take a moment to summarize how you went from Bookstagram to owning Night Worms, the horror-book subscription service?

Bookstagram is a unique corner of the universe where readers have these dedicated bookish accounts for the sole purpose of celebrating our mutual love of reading. We have similar tastes in books, and we both repped for a horror subscription box called Nocturnal Reader’s Box. That company ultimately imploded, leaving a lot of disappointed horror fans who looked forward to getting an adult, monthly, curated package. We knew what we loved and didn’t love about the box and fine-tuned it to our specific preferences, putting a bigger emphasis on the books and making it less about the extra merchandise. We launched our horror subscription box in October of 2018 and have been growing it ever since. We’ll be celebrating our fourth year this spooky season.

You are strong advocates of promoting independent presses, new authors, and systematically oppressed voices. Can you talk a bit about how you intentionally crafted the mission of Night Worms to have this focus?

We are readers and fans of the genre first. We think what makes this package so successful is that our customers know how obsessed we are with this genre. We’re both extremely active on social media, recommending books that we’ve enjoyed and documenting our trips to the bookstore to show what’s available to readers. When we curate a package, we’re not just offering books we’ve read and “approve,” we’re including books we are anticipating from indie and traditional markets that we would be buying for our own libraries. We’re experiencing many of the titles we offer for the first time with our customers. It makes for a very interactive community.

What’s next for each of you?

SH: I’m excited to say that a publishing company distributed by Macmillan called Page Street Books has signed a contract with me for a book called 101 Horror Books To Read Before You’re Murdered, a nonfiction book about horror books! I have gone on hiatus from all my freelance writing platforms in order to dedicate my time to it. I’m also the editor in chief of my own horror imprint with Dark Matter Magazine, called Dark Hart. Our first release is this October: a demon-possession “horror with heart” story called All These Subtle Deceits by C. S. Humble, which is book one in a five-book series called “Black Wells.”

AS: I’m currently writing an article or two each month for The LineUp. They’re usually true crime–related. I also continue to host a monthly true-crime book club that’s almost reached its third anniversary!

What are some of your favorite recent titles and authors?

SH: I loved The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas, Jackal by Erin E. Adams, Siren Queen by Nghi Vo, The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones, We Are Here To Hurt Each Other by Paula D. Ashe, The Pallbearers Club by Paul Tremblay, The Fervor by Alma Katsu, The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon, and Anybody Home? by Michael J. Seidlinger, and I’m currently reading The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias.

AS: A few of my recent favorites are They Never Learn by Layne Fargo, Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement, Come With Me by Ronald Malfi, Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier, and everything by Jennifer Hillier. I’m also really looking forward to [Mariana Enriquez’s first novel to be translated from Spanish to English] coming in February, called Our Share of Night.