It is probably never a good idea to start a magazine. To do so on the basis of fannish enthusiasm, without substantial seed money, proper marketing or dedicated staff, is an even worse idea. So when Occult Detective Magazine was founded (initially as Occult Detective Quarterly), there was every reason to believe that lots of things would go wrong. And they did…

The heart of the original idea came from the late Sam Gafford and John Linwood Grant, and was based on a shared love of classic occult detectives and, in particular, of William Hope Hodgson’s Carnacki, the Ghost Finder, from 1910. Add a touch of Sam’s interest in TV’s investigative reporter Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and Linwood Grant’s own Edwardian ‘weird’ stories –  and his 1970s Margrave stories – and it seemed irresistible. There was NO other magazine publishing and encouraging new stories in this fascinating sub-genre, after all.

With a fledgling publisher, Travis Neisler, on board, we agreed to give it a go. The hope was (wildly) that as we had plenty of casual curiosity from weird fiction and horror readers, and as we had little likelihood of making a profit – breaking even was the initial aim – little damage could be done. So we launched in 2016 with a super first issue, illustrated, and rich with different interpretations of the occult detective concept from some great writers. It was popular with writers – naturally – and with a core of dedicated fans and supporters. It received very positive reviews. But…

For starters, not enough people even knew we existed — there was no spare money for promotion. So it was almost impossible to break into the wider market that probably still exists out there. And then we hit other snags, like the costs of distribution, mailing of hard copies and all the other logistical horrors which chew magazines apart. The workload was heavy, done outside of and on top of our day jobs, and we drew in UK editor Dave Brzeski, who soon became a mainstay of the team.

At the same time, and with the same fannish enthusiasm, we found we were receiving far too many long stories – novelette to novella length – some of which really were very good, and so we published an anthology, Occult Detective Quarterly Presents, in the hope that we could offer a venue for these to be seen. Again costs ate away at what might have helped bolster up the magazine, and sadly, the fledgling publisher could no longer cope.

Sam then stepped in with his own small press, Ulthar, and we stabilised what we had. We were determined to bite down and keep putting out a good, imaginative magazine, illustrated when we could afford it, perhaps not quarterly. The founders put the odd extra dollar in from their own pockets, and we were on the edge of that break-even point – with Occult Detective Quarterly #5 – when, tragically, we lost Sam to a massive heart attack. Which looked like being the final straw.

It wasn’t. With John Linwood Grant (the remaining founder) and Dave Brzeski now at the helm, we made an interim decision, partly in honour of Sam. We would try to publish a couple more issues, maybe going out on a highlight. And then, to our surprise, Cliff Biggers, an American writer and owner of a comics and games store, stepped in and said he felt like we did. With enormous generosity, Cliff offered us enough financial sponsorship for the next two issues, enough that Dave’s (and his partner, Jilly’s) micropress in the UK, Cathaven, took over the publishing duties, and we laid plans for the future. Ironically, the relaunch issue (as Occult Detective Magazine #6) proved very popular and paid for itself, probably the first to do so.

We’re proud of what we’ve achieved, though we’re still overworked and none of us – including Jilly, who took over the formatting duties – make any income whatsoever from it, of course. We have published – and paid – some seventy or eighty authors from many different countries, showcasing some fantastic work which has explored the whole Occult Detective concept with great inventiveness and style. We’ve commissioned new illustrations, and we’ve added reviews, articles and all sorts as we went along.

So here’s to Sam, and to Cliff, to our readers and supporters, and to the talented contributors who have provided us with so much new, original entertainment – for the project which should probably never have been…