u/InkslingerJames

Hey everyone, James Hunter here!

I’ve been sitting on a secret for a while now and, as some of you might know ( u/DSpenceATL can testify, lol), I am truly, unbelievably, god-awful at sitting on secrets. It's a genuine problem and I might need help. But the time has finally come for me to share this secret and I’m super excited to announce that Discount Dan, book 1, is officially getting a special edition!

The prelaunch page for the Mythic-Grade Hardback Edition of Discount Dan is now on Kickstarter. This bad boy has been in the works for a while, and it’s gonna have all the fancy bells and whistles you’d want in a collector’s edition.

Brand new hard cover, sprayed and forced edges (not supposed to tell you about those), and a new dust jacket (I’m definitely not supposed to tell you about that one since it's a "stretch goal"). Plus, loads of all-new interior art, 100% created by real human artists bringing Croc, Dan, and the Backrooms to life in ways you’ve never seen before and, frankly, may regret seeing after--the one of Croc in battle-mode is genuinely upsetting but accurate.

Make sure to hit the “notify me” button so you don’t miss out on the Doorbuster Deal when this thing goes live. There's a sweet Early Bird Special--though, sadly, no actual birds are involved in the Kickstarter--and the first fifty backers will also get a limited-edition Kiosk Club Card Patch.

Link in the comments. Let’s POG!

Hey everyone -- James Hunter here. I've been a little scarce for the past couple of weeks. Me and the fam were on our big summer vacation to Thailand. It was a lot of travel, but we had a blast.

We officially made it home alive and well for the most part (Jeanette is dealing with some bad jet lag and might be coming down with a little something), so if you've messaged me and haven't heard back that's the reason why. You should expect to hear from me today or tomorrow as I work to get caught up on all the stuff I missed while we were away.

Also, also. We got a WHOLE BUNCH OF BOOKS in while we were away, so DiscountDan.shop should be back in action starting this weekend, if any one is interested in picking up signed copies or other merch. I will say, since we're only a few weeks out from LitRPG Con, that I will be attending there as well, and I'll have a bunch of books and merch to sell as well. So if you're going to be there, you can always wait and grab it in person (though if you want a robe, maybe grab one before the Con since I will have a very limited number with me).

Lastly, just a quick update on book 4. Things are trucking along, and I'm trying to post new chapters to Patreon every week. That should become a bit more regular now that I'm back home and I have normal work hours again. I think we're almost up to chapter 30 over there, so about 50 - 60% of the way through the book, and it's shaping up to be a wild ride.

Also, a picture to show proof of life, lol.

Hey everyone, James Hunter here, the author of Discount Dan! A couple of weeks ago, I made a post about the upcoming Discount Danthology. I was talking with Jess (our art director) about what we should do for the cover, and she came up with a brilliant idea.

Since this is a fan anthology, instead of relying on one of our regular cover artists, we decided to hold a contest for all of the wildly talented creative folks in the community. This is open to literally anyone! If you're interested, check out the details below. We will not accept AI generated images, so only real Human Art, please.

[NEW QUEST: MAKE ARTS FOR THE DISCOUNT DANTHOLOGY!]

Hello intrepid scribbler! You're invited to create the cover art for the Discount Danthology, a side quest in the Discount Dan's Backroom Bargains series. This anthology isn't about Dan, but about all the unfortunate explorers who accidentally No Clip into the Backrooms... and die horribly!

Quest Objective: Submit a .jpg preview file of your completed artwork, along with your contact information, to the Google Form in the comments below. Details for sizing and layout are all included on the submission form page.

Quest Deadline: July 31st 2026

1st Place Reward: $1,000, infinite accolades, +the opportunity to become a go-to Shadow Alley Press artist

2nd Place Reward: $250

3rd Place Reward: $50 Amazon Gift Card

Submission Form: https://forms.gle/fqnnj7VNccd7y6xf9

Hey everyone, James Hunter here. Super excited to announce that we’re doing a Discount Dan short story anthology. There were a bunch of folks in my Discord who were keen to write some short stories, and after giving it a little thought, I decided why the hell not. We've got a ton of creative folks in the community and I figured this would be a cool way to include folks. The inspiration for the anthology comes from all the morbid stories Croc is constantly telling about all the horrifying Backrooms-related deaths that have happened over the years.

To stay true to that vision, at least one Delver has to die in some horrific way in each story. The story can have a happy ending, but again, someone MUST die. Sadly, Dan can only appear as background character, and he can’t be directly involved. But, if the story is set Pre-Dan, Croc can be used as a side character, and you can pull from any of the “cautionary tales” Croc tells throughout the main series, or you can invent your own.

This Anthology is open to everyone, so even if you’ve never written anything before, please feel free to give it a shot. The stories can be anywhere from 500 to 15,000 words, can range from comedy to true horror, and the submission deadline is July 4th, 2026. There are some other specific rules for the anthology as well as additional resources (including a floor list and A BUNCH of Relics to pull from) provided in the Submission Form link below.

For people who want to contribute but aren’t writing inclined, we’ll also accept fan art submissions. For the art, winners will be selected by a poll and those will be included in the book. Lastly, for anyone looking to brainstorm or connect with other writers, please consider joining the Shadow Alley Discord (the link is also in the submission form).

Submission and Resource Links: https://forms.gle/eFMZwzbdseVT76Wv6