You can do a lot with a bad hand.
We’re bringing you the best independent horror, crime, and dark-fantasy fiction.

Founded in 2021, Bad Hand Books is owned and operated by Bram Stoker Award-winning and Shirley Jackson Award-winning editor, Doug Murano.

Since the beginning, Bad Hand has partnered with some of the world’s most successful authors—and a number of those who soon will be. Our partners include Mike Mignola, Laird Barron, Chuck Palahniuk, Josh Malerman, Zoje Stage, Gabino Iglesias, Alex Grecian, Hailey Piper, Cynthia Pelayo, Ai Jiang, Eric LaRocca, Trevor Henderson, and many more.

Check out our News page to see some of the awards and acclaim we’ve earned along the way.

This Is What We Believe:

You can do a lot with a bad hand.

Vision: To revolutionize independent genre publishing from the heart of South Dakota.

Mission: To collaborate with the world’s best authors and artists to bring readers the most dynamic horror, crime, and dark fantasy fiction.

Core values: Grit. Irreverence. Inclusion. Respect.

Our Team

Casey Kelderman (right) and Sam Lenz, collectively known as Screams from the Basement, are a horror-loving duo who run The Bad Signal, The official podcast of Bad Hand Books. When they’re not reading, they’re usually arguing about which Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel is the best or being the world’s biggest fans of Chopping Mall. They are also the hosts of Late Night at the State Theatre in Sioux Falls, SD, organizers of the Vermillion Vortex Film Festival, and hosts of the Screams by Night Horror Con. Long live the Bad Hand!