How To Sell a Haunted House
is out in the world! Release the Kraken!
Buy it now from Bookshop.org, Amazon, Indiebound
or get a special edition from Barnes & Noble with extra material!
If you’re in the UK or EU, you can get a special, very limited signed edition from
The Broken Binding Bookshop!
Check out the UK cover here.
“…gripping, wildly entertaining exploration of childhood horrors.”
— New York Times
“In “How to Sell a Haunted House,” Hendrix, with relentless efficiency — and a bit of humor — forces us to confront our fears.”
— Washington Post
“What follows is classic Grady Hendrix: an authentically frightening, genuinely funny reconfiguration of what a haunted house can be.”
— Esquire
“Warm up the VCR and fire up the air popper for a most bitchin’ horror story by a gifted practitioner of these dark arts.”
— Kirkus
“With strong connections to twenty-first century classics [...] Hendrix's book sets the high watermark for horror in 2023.”
— Booklist
“Hendrix is a best-seller for a reason, and this new novel shows he is only getting better with age."
— Library Journal
Also, you can get a special How To Sell a Haunted House candle to burn your house down as you read for a fully immersive experience! Smell of Fear has created a candle that smells like “earthy haunted doll scent” and changes to “gathering storm” as it burns down.
During the pandemic, I wanted to write something comforting and old fashioned and gothic. I wanted to write a traditional haunted house story and I wanted it to be full of empty bedrooms, restless spirits stalking the halls, family curses, and ancient secrets. Because whether it’s around a campfire, at a sleepover, or alone by ourselves on the couch, there’s nothing more comforting than a haunted house story. I mean, it’s right there in the title: they’re about houses. They’re about home. Whether it’s the House of Usher, Bly Manor, Hill House, or the House of the Seven Gables, haunted house books are all about family: family secrets, family histories, family curses, family stories. And during the pandemic, I missed mine.
Writing about family is hard because families are big, and complicated, and weird, but I wanted to try because all of us are shaped by our families, we’re shaped by the stories our families tell, and the ones they don’t, we’re shaped by the family that surrounds us, and the ones who aren’t there anymore. I am only here today because I’ve got three big sisters who have saved my life both figuratively and literally more times than I can count and I wanted to write about the weird, tangled relationships between siblings and how no matter how old you are, they can bring you right back to 15 years old.
This is also the last book I’m writing set in the neighborhood where I grew up. I didn’t set out to write a trilogy about my hometown, but somehow that’s exactly what I’ve done. My Best Friend’s Exorcism came first about high school (and demonic possession), then came The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires about parenthood (and evil vampires), and now, finally, How To Sell a Haunted House, about families. The same characters don’t appear in these books, the story doesn’t continue from one to the next, and you don’t need to read one book to understand the others, but they’re all about the same couple of square miles in Charleston, SC where I grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s. And for now, it’s time to move on. I may come back later, but my next two books are set in other times and places.
This book took me longer to write than usual (26 months!) because I wanted to get it right, but I hope you feel like the wait has been worth it. I’m really nervous and scared and excited for y’all to dive in.
And finally, I am so very sorry about the haunted dolls.
APOLOGY: a lot of stuffed animals participated in the writing of this book, but one was inexplicably left off the acknowledgements page. Bunny, I am so sorry. I couldn’t have done it without you. Please don’t murder me.