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For Authors

Launching in 2026, Hawberk Press is a digital-first, independent publisher run by Jordan Acosta and Michael Dodd, focusing on strange, dark fiction that isn't easily classified into neat genres. We’re definitely SFF and horror-leaning, but not straight-up SFF or straight-up horror - hence the 'strange, dark' bit. 

Some of our core principles include:

  • Digital-first: focusing on ebook (and, where possible, audio) for everything we publish, while crowdfunding the release of physical editions for selected anthologies and, in future, novels.
  • Sandbox storytelling: encouraging authors to build out joined-up worlds across multiple works, whether via sequential stories or more abstract interconnectivity.
  • Being author-friendly: offering fair, easy to understand contracts and good payment rates, supporting authors across the full lifecycle of their work, and building long-term author/publisher relationships.

Initial projects

For our 2026 launch we’re commissioning two main projects:

  • The King in Yellow anthology: a collection of new short stories inspired by Robert W. Chambers' 1895 cult classic, including a reprint of Chambers' own The Repairer of Reputations.
  • Introductory ‘get to know us’ short stories: a range of digital short stories designed to introduce readers to the type of fiction Hawberk will continue to publish. The aim for these is to be a mix of King in Yellow-inspired stories and original, standalone stories.

These will be supported by a narrative podcast, produced by Alternative Stories, featuring audio drama adaptations of The Repairer of Reputations and two original King in Yellow-inspired stories.

Details

  • Word count: we’re looking for stories between 3.5k and 7k words as an initial guide, but we’re happy to be flexible.
  • Format: to begin with, we're focusing on releasing everything in ebook, either as anthologies or individual e-shorts. The first King in Yellow anthology will also be the subject of a crowdfunding campaign for a premium paperback edition. We also plan to produce audio versions of selected works in future.
  • Payment: we’re currently finalising our contracts, but we will be paying a minimum of £0.05 GBP per word with royalties offered for digital releases.