ABOUT US

(Excerpt from David A. Roses's Interview with SBM Online)

How did you get involved with eBooks?

I really had no interest in being a publisher to begin with... I am a voracious reader of Horror books, I always have been. I bought myself a Kindle reader around Christmas time and started taking a few eBooks with me on the road when I traveled to meetings and especially overseas. I was very familiar with the format as a fan. When I met Armand Rosamilia I decided to toss my proverbial hat into the small-press ring.

Why not print books?

It was a thought, but the more I spoke with Armand about his past failings with his own company [Carnifex Press] and the more research I did about the applications, limitations and positives of eBook publishing, the more I was hooked. After doing an extensive study of the medium I decided that I wanted to start there.

What past failings of Armand are you referring to? I don't want to start trouble, but...

Armand has been very forthcoming about what he did wrong with Carnifex Press, including not being able to manage the money aspect of the business very well. While his heart was always in the right place, it seemed that he was out of his league when it came to making business decisions. I don't have that problem - I hope! - with the business models I've created in the last forty years of being in business and successful enough to not have to live paycheck to paycheck. That doesn't mean I will throw money at the small-press wall and see what sticks. It means that I'm starting out small, with limited funds being dumped into the venture until I see that it can live on its own.

So is this just another business for you?

Yes and no. At this point it is a hobby, something I've always wanted to do as far as Horror fiction was concerned. I collect pulp magazines in my spare time, and have amassed quite an impressive display of Weird Tales, old EC Comics, original copies of certain books... I read half a dozen books per week, and have since I was around ten years old... I'm hitting sixty this year, so you can figure out how many books I've read in my life. Now, obviously with any business you want to turn a profit, but I'm not looking at this as another quick-profit turnaround, it's more of a personal investment. I am sinking my own personal funds into the project and I'm not going to shut it down in six months due to losses. This isn't about the money, like buying a chain of food stores, cleaning them up to making them look attractive, and then selling them at a profit twelve months later. If I break even, get to read some great stories and publish them, I'll be content.

What if it turns a profit?

I'll be ecstatic, obviously.

Who are some of your favorite authors?

No big surprises... HP Lovecraft, RE Howard, the classic Horror authors... but I've read so many great authors over the years. I find that all of the Leisure/Dorchester Horror books are my favorites because of the great authors they publish like Brian Keene, Nate Kenyon, Jack Ketchum, Richard Laymon... the list goes on. One of the reasons that Armand and I clicked was because we liked the same authors, and after reading his "Death Metal" novella [Sam's Dot Publishing] I knew he was an up and coming author himself.

Where do you hope Rymfire eBooks is in twelve months?

Realistically, I hope we've established the name and the reputation as a viable force in the eBook market and our author base grows as well as a fan base. Again, I want to have fun doing this!