Representing Weird Fiction: A Q&A with the Innsmouth Literary Festival

With the second Innsmouth Literary Festival set to take place in Bedford next weekend, we chatted with one of the organisers, Tim Mendees, about running an indie horror event in the UK, and what it’s like being part of the indie horror scene.

What led you to set up the Innsmouth Literary Festival? What was the aim? 

The idea for the ILF started with a little bit of jealousy. Both Rob and I, while doing our podcasts, had talked wistfully many times about NecronomiCON and the Lovecraft Film Festival over in the States. It seemed to us, in comparison with our cousins over the pond, that weird fiction was something painfully overlooked in the UK. When you consider that many of the top names in the genre, such as Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, E.F. Benson, M.R. James, etc, hail from these shores, it seemed a massive oversight to us.

I have attended many conventions, and horror, in general, tends to get a lot less programme time than sci-fi and fantasy. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why, the crowd is much larger for those genres, but this means that weird fiction – being an even more niche sub-genre – gets even less time to shine. Even at dedicated horror conventions, they seem more geared towards film and TV, with a lot of more mainstream tropes such as vampires and zombies. We just thought it would be nice to have an entire day dedicated to weird fiction as we believe that it wasn’t getting the love it deserved.

Despite the name, it is not solely a Lovecraft festival; we are a celebration of all the things that fall under the weird umbrella, from cosmic and folk horror to classic ghost stories and pulp sword and sorcery. If it’s weird, you’ll find it at the ILF. 

We also wanted to run it almost as a hybrid of the traditional lit-con and a comic-con. Along with the panels, we have a lot of other stuff going on, from gaming sessions to live music. We also have a traders hall and various fun little things going on, such as our “tomb-bola” (pictured).

How do you find running an indie horror event in this country? 

It’s a lot of work, but it’s ultimately rewarding. This year has been a lot less stressful than the first due to us having things like banners and backdrops already done. Poor Rob and Shelley had a tough time last year painting up and crafting our photo opportunities. I think the biggest struggle is finding a date that doesn’t clash, or is too close to, other conventions. For such a small place, we have a heck of a lot going on. If you look at this year, you have the big ones such as Eastercon, Fantasycon, Bristolcon, and, recently, Worldcon. Then take into account the myriad other smaller events, comic-cons, film festivals, anime-cons, etc. It’s a struggle to find a date when people won’t be utterly skint.  

What are the interest levels like? 

Really good. We get a lot of traction on social media. It was a gamble but I don’t thing any of us were expecting the first one to go as well as it did. We had people flying in from the U.S.A and Europe. It was a great feeling and a really nice atmosphere. It’s one of the joys of doing something so niche – everyone that attended was really into it. There was a lot of excitement and we expect this year to be the same. 

You’re also an indie horror writer – what’s your experience like?

Very similar to the festival in terms of promotion and visibility. It can be a struggle to get any kind of attention. There are so many indie authors out there that to get noticed, you essentially have to stand on a soapbox and windmill your arms around. I honestly wish I was better at promoting my own work but with three podcasts, a radio show, and a band, it’s hard to find time to write never mind muck around making graphics for Instagram. 

The scene itself is an absolute joy. Almost without exception, everyone I have worked with or interacted with has been a delight. I truly think you’d be hard pushed to meet a more supportive and encouraging bunch anywhere on Earth.

Is the indie horror market growing at all? 

I think so, but it’s a long haul. Many bigger names in horror, such as Ramsey Campbell, are moving to smaller indie publishers which is helping to legitimise them in many readers’ eyes.

For a long time, there was a stigma attatched to indie and self-publishing in the media which was not only wrong, but quite insulting. To many organs of the press, unless you were signed to a Big 5 publisher you weren’t a ‘proper’ author. Personally, I think that some of the most vibrant, innovative, and exciting fiction across the board is put out by independent publishers. I’ve definitely seen a lot more readers going indie in the horror groups. I think people are finally realising that there is a rich seam of horrors lurking beneath the mainstream.

(Pictured: the traders hall at last year’s ILF)

What would you like people to know about indie horror in this country?

That it exists. The casual reader could be forgiven for thinking that the UK horror scene is restricted to about five authors. You walk into any Waterstones and, if they even have a horror section, you will see the same names crammed into a tiny space. Again, I get it, they are trying to make money so the obligatory wall of Stephen King books is a must, but it would be nice if they stocked a selection of indie titles. You can order a lot of them through the website, so why not pepper the shelves with a small revolving selection? This goes for all genre fiction, not just horror. People writing sci-fi and fantasy are up against the same problems. 

Finally, what can people expect from attending ILF?

Well, aside from our Innsmouth goodie bags, they will be treated to an interview and Q&A with Charles Stross, and three panels – one looking at location in weird fiction, one looking at gaming, and one looking at comedy in weird fiction. We have four book launch parties and a drop-in session with Brown Jenkin Books who will be presenting first-editions of Arkham House books. In the evening we have a performance of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Outsider by Edwyrdian Tales, a performance by improv-poet C.J. Hooper, and a live set from Byronic Sex & Exile. Throughout the day, we have a gaming room hosting Call of Cthulhu sessions and two drop-in games by local war-gaming groups. We have a packed traders room and guest tables in the main auditorium. Making a return this year are our backdrops and props for photo ops, the Tomb-ola, and our Name the Nameless competition. It’s going to be a packed day. Last year was packed and we went into this year trying to figure out a way to top it. Oh, and the BFS will have a table, so I’m looking forward to seeing you there. 

The Innsmouth Literary Festival happens on Saturday 28 September at Kings House Centre, Bedford. Tickets available here.