Nightfire

Nightfire is an imprint of the Tor Publishing Group dedicated to publishing across the breadth of the horror genre—from novels and novellas to collections, from standalone works to series, from dark fantasy to cosmic terror, from originals to reprints of beloved modern classics, to anything else that keeps you up at night. We believe that there is a renaissance in progress for all things horror, and we strive to bring new literary voices to that community. Nightfire’s goal is to become the destination for horror writers and readers alike by publishing books for the dead, the living, and everyone in between.

Tom Doherty, Chairman

(he/him/his)

For over forty years, Tor Books, Forge Books, Tor Teen, and Starscape have been dedicated to publishing the best in genre fiction for adult, teen, and middle-grade readers. In 1979, when I founded the company, our intent was to focus on fiction, often grounded in science past, present, and future, starting with prehistoric fiction—which would be science fiction based on anthropology—and stretching across history and the present into a future which is often extrapolated from possibilities suggested in physics and other scientific fields of today.

The resulting list not only includes books from a wide range of genres, but has managed to win recognition in all of these fields. A diverse list like ours comes from an editorial staff with diverse interests. I want editors to reach beyond those founding concepts. To have the freedom to do work that interests them with authors that they enjoy reading. Our editors bring passion to every project and are dedicated to finding and publishing the best books in every genre. It is a pleasure to introduce them to you.

Photo credit: Mark Billy

Devi Pillai, President and Publisher of Tor Publishing Group

(she/her/hers)

Devi Pillai is the President and Publisher of TPG (Tor, Tordotcom, Forge, Starscape, Tor Teen and Nightfire).

She has over twenty years of publishing experience at HarperCollins, Hachette, and Macmilian where she worked at a variety of science fiction, fantasy, and mainstream imprints. She was the founding editor at Orbit, where she worked for over a decade and which published The Witcher; James S. A. Corey’s Expanse series; the works of Brent Weeks, Gail Carriger, and Joe Abercrombie; and Hugo award-winning authors N. K. Jemisin and Ann Leckie.

Since joining Tor in 2016, she has overseen the publication of many award-winning and bestselling authors, including V. E. Schwab, Cixin Liu, and Mary Robinette Kowal. Her own authors currently include Brandon Sanderson, Christopher Paolini, Jenn Lyons, and Arkady Martine, whose debut novel A Memory Called Empire won the 2020 Hugo Award.

A fan at heart, she describes herself as having the bloody-minded reading tastes of a thirteen-year-old boy. She is always receptive to skillful pacing and deftly sketched characters, and of course assassins and dragons.

Photo credit: Jacqueline Singer

Claire Eddy, Editorial Director for Tor, Nightfire, Tor Teen

(she/her/hers)

They say that those who can’t do, teach. In college, I envisioned becoming a professor in medieval studies, teaching generations of students and toiling away as a nameless handmaiden of history. But the editing life called its siren song and for more than thirty years I’ve worked at Tor, indulging in my many passions in genre fiction – fantasy, science fiction, horror, and mysteries. I’ve had the honor of working with such wonderful authors as Jacqueline Carey, Juliet Marillier, Ramsey Campbell, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gene Wolfe…and many others, too many to count.

I’ve spent the better part of my adult life working with authors to (hopefully) make their stories and dreams the best that they can be, becoming that “third eye,” general nudge, and all around pain in the butt to accomplish this feat. I give encouragement when I can, instruct when possible, and, again, hopefully contribute in some small way to sharing in the dream, giving readers new worlds and delightful puzzles.

And the best part? I still get to do this and every day feels as fresh as my very first day at Tor did. There is no other feeling like that in the world…

Photo: Zack Dezon

Ali Fisher, Executive Editor, Tor, Nightfire, Forge, Tor Teen, Starscape, Bramble

(she/her)

Since 2013, I’ve been HEA with Tor Publishing Group where I’m actively acquiring speculative fiction for adults, teens, and middle-grade readers, as well as humorous nonfiction for adults.

I’m a big fan of comedy in all genres so please send me the manuscripts that make you laugh and I love to see submissions from BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ writers.

FOR TOR, NIGHTFIRE, BRAMBLE, TOR TEEN, AND STARSCAPE: I’m interested in diverse and inclusive commercial speculative fiction with off-the-charts character chemistry, truly original world-building, and strong opinionated voices.

I’ve been a Tor fangirl since high school when I read Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Dart and Juliet Marillier’s Daughter of the Forest. Iconic. These days my manuscript wish list includes new and original takes on folklore, possession, rivals-to-lovers, fake dating, witches, magic that requires tangible spellcraft, classic little guy aliens, and more. I’m into romance of all spice levels—from zero to four chili-pepper emojis—and I’m eager to see more gender and body diversity. Historical and dystopian settings generally don’t hit for me.

On the adult side, I acquired, edited, and debuted work from TJ Klune (The House in the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, In the Lives of Puppets, and repackages of the previously published Green Creek Series), Everina Maxwell (Winter’s Orbit, Ocean’s Echo), and Ananda Lima (Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil). I manage Ursula K. Le Guin’s backlist with Tor and I’m working with Jennifer L. Armentrout on Fall of Ruin and Wrath, the first-ever book to be published under Bramble!

On the kids’ side, I’m currently working with Terry J. Benton-Walker (Blood Debts, The White Guy Dies First), P. Djèlí Clark (Abeni’s Song), Amanda Foody and C. L. Herman (All of Us Villains, A Fate So Cold), TJ Klune (The Extraordinaries Series), Kristen Simmons (Find Him Where You Left Him Dead), and more to be announced!

FOR FORGE: I’m interested in feel-good, humorous nonfiction. I love niche cultural explorations with vulnerability and heart.

I acquired and edited #1 New York Times bestseller Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered by comedians Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark, co-hosts of My Favorite Murder, as well as A Bathroom Book for People Not Pooping or Peeing but Using the Bathroom as an Escape by comedian Joe Pera and illustrator Joe Bennett, I Will Not Die Alone by Dera White and illustrator Joe Bennett, and Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs by comedian and podcaster Jamie Loftus.

I am not currently taking unagented or unsolicited manuscripts.

Jennifer Gunnels, Editor, Tor, Nightfire

(she/her)

I’ve been with TPG since 2017, and I want to give readers their deepest wishes. Whether that’s seeing themselves, trying out the inside of someone else’s head, or just a book that pairs well with an adult beverage after a hard day.

For the most part, I’m a genre omnivore. That said, my heart belongs to science fiction and horror. I love emotionally grounded adult fiction that runs from warmth and teamwork to nihilistic horror. Whether it’s hard or squishy, space opera or first contact, I’m looking for compelling characters in a book that feels like you’re watching it instead of reading it.

Things I love: snappy dialogue, complex world building, veins of weirdness and dark humor, ensemble casts and found families, cool people snarking and blowing things up then going in for a good ugly cry.

Secret wishlist: a Dark Academia book, but with a cut-throat faculty, not the students (think The Chair, but with magic), in system” sf, complicated first contacts, and stuff I didn’t know I needed until it fell into my lap in the best of surprises.

Science Fiction I love includes but isn’t limited to: The Expanse, Firefly, Andor, Severance, Foundation, The Last Watch, Semiosis, the varied permutations of Dune.

Horror I shudder to: folk horror (Wickerman, Midsomer), supernatural horror, gothic horror, ghost stories, Nope, Sf horror like Event Horizon, Alien, Housebound, Mary, Cassandra Khaw, S. A. Barnes.

But above all I want nuance—in the worlds, in characters, in dialogue. The books that I find most compelling engage with new ideas, alternate or immersive worlds, new science, and new spins on old tropes.

I have the pleasure of working with a number of talented Tor authors such as Sue Burke, J. S. Dewes, Nat Cassidy, L. E. Modesitt, and Brian Staveley.

Both commercial and literary genre is welcome. I would love to see more diverse material in my inbox both in terms of authorship as well as characters.

I am not currently taking unagented or unsolicited manuscripts.

Kelly O'Connor Lonesome, Executive Editor, Nightfire, Tor

(she/her)

I joined Tor in 2019, and since then I have had the privilege of working with terrifyingly talented authors like Catriona Ward, Gretchen Felker-Martin, Lucy A. Snyder, S.A. Barnes, and Chuck Tingle. I acquire adult horror for Nightfire, and am always searching for unique stories to keep me up at night.

I’m currently seeking the following types of nightmare fuel for my list:

Creatively reinvented nightmarish fairytales and folklore — preferably those outside the Western canon — like in Cassandra Khaw’s Nothing But Blackened Teeth and Alex Grecian’s Red Rabbit.

Cleverly subverted horror tropes with contemporary twists that add a unique or irreverent spin to the source material, like CJ Leede’s Maeve Fly, Anne Heltzel’s Just Like Mother, and Stephen Graham Jones’ My Heart is a Chainsaw.

High-stakes horror with a beating heart that centers marginalized or POC voices, like those found in Gretchen Felker-Martin’s Manhunt, Chuck Tingle’s Camp Damascus, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic.

Thrilling, heart-pounding stories that are impossible to put down and have a speculative bent, like Catriona Ward’s The Last House on Needless Street and Sundial, and S.A. Barnes’ Dead Silence.

“Monsters as metaphors” and “man as monster” that show the dark side of humanity, or what happens to us when we’re pushed into circumstances outside our control, like in Liz Kerin’s Night’s Edge, Agustina Bazterrica’s Tender is the Flesh, and Rachel Harrison’s Such Sharp Teeth.

Atmospheric hauntings of any kind — real, metaphorical, gothic, gruesome, contemporary — like in Leopoldo Gout’s Piñata, Johnny Compton’s The Spite House, Erika T. Wurth’s White Horse, and Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts.

No matter the subcategory, I’m always excited to see stories that really push the boundaries, or tackle themes like power imbalances or injustices in our current world, or highlight POVs of people outside the status quo. Horror with a message — good, bad, or ugly — is very important to me!

I am not currently taking unagented or unsolicited manuscripts.

Kristin Temple, Associate Editor

(she/her)

I’ve been at Tor since 2016 and am exclusively acquiring adult horror for Nightfire. I edit novels and novellas, and am very eager for underrepresented voices, with a huge soft spot for queer stories.

I’m primarily drawn to commercial, fast-paced, character-driven stories that can surprise me. My favorite kind of horror is grounded in close friendships/found family – think IT, Stranger Things, and the Fear Street movies – or twisted, complicated family dynamics – think A Head Full of Ghosts, Hereditary, and Netflix’s adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House.

I’m particularly hungry for creature features, deep water terror, found footage/ghost hunting, and slashers – if you have the next Jaws, Underwater, The Blair Witch Project, or Scream, I want to see it! I’m also on the lookout for books that use horror to tackle modern-day anxieties in fresh, unique ways (e.g. Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Alison Rumfitt’s Tell Me I’m Worthless).

I can stomach (and love!) some pretty dark stuff, but my favorite kind of horror is ultimately hopeful. I want to watch characters face their fears and win. Make impossible choices and survive. Rescue each other and rescue themselves.

I’m not usually the best fit for gothic, literary, or historical horror (though, of course, there are always exceptions!). I’m also a hard sell on the classic monsters—vampires, werewolves, zombies—unless there’s a very unique (and queer) twist. I’m more interested in unknown creatures, or folklore that hasn’t been explored yet.

I’m open to dark fantasy and sci-fi horror, but they have to have very strong horror elements. Examples on my list include: Black Tide by KC Jones, The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown, and Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw.

I am not currently taking unagented or unsolicited manuscripts.

Miriam Weinberg, Senior Editor, Tor, Starscape/Tor Teen, Nightfire, Bramble

(she/her)

Having been in publishing since 2008, and at Tor for over a decade, I’ve been lucky to work with a wide-range of wonderful authors and phenomenal colleagues.

I’m currently acquiring adult and YA books, with a strong emphasis on the former. Many of the authors on my own list cross between markets, genres, and formats, like V.E. Schwab, Mark Oshiro, Sarah Gailey, Charlie Jane Anders, Alix Harrow, Madeline Ashby, and Alaya Dawn Johnson.

While I tend to immediately look for evocative world-building, distinctive style, and strong writing–I am always delighted to be entirely surprised by voices and narratives that don’t match anything that I’ve previously known.

I love to see anything that feels “too much”—maybe with twisty unreliable chaos like Knives Out, or the lush, goth-adjacent frenzies of Angela Carter. I’m also a long-time anime/manga nerd, raised on Ikuhara, CLAMP, and Cowboy Bebop–if your project would fit in on noitaminA (Psycho-pass, Tsuritama, Mononoke, Katanagatari), or at Bones studio (FMA:B, Darker than Black, Noragami, MHA, Star-Driver), it would likely fit on my list!

Give me your genre mash-ups, your high-brow-low-brow speculative-inflected narratives, and strongly rendered characters and relationships that evoke intense reactions and emotions from readers. I am always on board for a ghost story, witches, found families, genre mash-ups, and beloved tropes being subverted OR remarkably rendered—but again, I love being surprised by pitches I wouldn’t have even anticipated.

I’m particularly interested in making space for authors with a novel approach to storytelling, and in encouraging a more inclusive readership (and supporting authors) that better represents the plethora of human experiences and joys.

I am not currently taking unagented or unsolicited manuscripts.