Death by TBR Books offers a wide range of horror reads through an online bookstore specializing in horror, dark fiction, and diverse authors. The owner and author Stephanie Rose recently released the novella Small Town Slasher and edited the anthology Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night. We asked Rose, a Washington state resident, to tell us more about combining bookselling and publishing. All the Death by TBR Books are available via https://deathbytbrbooks.com/
Can you tell us what inspired the name Death by TBR Books?
The name is really a joke about every reader’s completely out-of-control TBR pile. You keep buying books knowing full well you may never live long enough to read them all. Death by TBR felt funny, a little morbid, and perfect for a horror bookstore. Once we expanded into publishing, it still fit us really well.
How many books do you plan to publish in 2026?
Four! We started the year with Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: Another Halloween Horror Anthology, followed by my adult slasher novella Small Town Slasher which is the first in the new Woods Bay series. My middle grade horror novel I Wish I Was a Vampire came out on September 15, and then we finish the year with Twisted Tales to Tell in the Night: A Yuletide Horror Anthology in November. It’s definitely been a busy year and 2027 is shaping to be busy too!
What aspect of Small Town Slasher do you think will surprise horror fans?
Probably how much is going on underneath the slasher story. There are absolutely murders and blood and all the things you want from a slasher, but I was also really interested in what happens to a town after something horrific becomes part of its identity. There’s grief, survivor trauma, true crime culture, and this obsession people have with turning real tragedy into entertainment. I think people expecting a straightforward slasher may be surprised by how much the aftermath matters.
Your upcoming releases include a middle grade horror novel. Did you have a favorite horror author as a kid?
R.L. Stine was huge for me. I read Goosebumps constantly then Fear Street. I’ve loved horror for as long as I can remember, whether it was vampires, ghosts, witches, monsters, haunted houses, or anything Halloween. I Wish I Was a Vampire definitely comes from that part of me that still remembers how exciting it was to find something spooky at the bookstore or school book fair and immediately need to read it.
What’s the most rewarding part of being a writer, publisher, and bookseller of horror?
Getting to be involved in horror from basically every direction. I get to write the stories I want to read, help other authors get their stories into the world, and then put books directly into the hands of horror readers. Publishing other writers is especially rewarding because I know how much it means when someone believes in your work. I also love being able to champion indie horror and books that might not always get the same attention from larger parts of the industry.
What would you advise someone considering jumping into indie publishing?
Do your research before you spend money, and understand that publishing the book is only one part of the job. You’re also dealing with editing, formatting, covers, distribution, metadata, marketing, accounting, contracts, deadlines, and about a hundred things you didn’t realize were part of publishing.
I’d also tell people not to feel like they have to copy what the bigger publishers are doing. One of the best things about indie publishing is being able to take chances, publish weird books, work with voices that are being overlooked, and figure out what works for you. Just go into it knowing that loving books and running a publishing business are two very different things.
