If you love fiction that feels like a fever dream set in a carnival midway — where country music legends rub shoulders with ghosts, couture dresses hide horrors, and the prose snaps like a sequin under stage lights — then Derek McCormack is your writer.
This cult-favorite Canadian author blends horror, queer camp, fashion, vaudeville, and rural Ontario gothic into short, razor-sharp books that read like nothing else on the shelf. His style has been called “minimalist maximalism,” and once you’ve read one, you’ll hunt down everything he’s ever written.
Here’s the complete Derek McCormack bibliography in publication order (the best way to experience his evolution), with quick notes on each book so you know exactly what you’re diving into.
List Of Derek McCormack Books In Order by Year
Here is the complete list of Derek McCormack’s books in strict publication order, presented in a clear table format. Note: Derek McCormack does not write traditional series (no recurring characters or sequels), so this is the full chronological bibliography of his standalone works and collaborations.
| # | Year | Title | Publisher | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1999 | Wish Book | Gorsky Press | Novella | Debut |
| 2 | 2003 | The Haunted Hillbilly | Soft Skull Press | Novel | His most famous and accessible work |
| 3 | 2004 | Mansized | Little Joe Books | Chapbook | Extremely rare, limited edition |
| 4 | 2006 | Grab Bag | Akashic Books | Stories | Limited art edition |
| 5 | 2008 | The Show That Smells | Akashic Books | Novella | Part of the “Little House on the Bowery” series curated by Dennis Cooper |
| 6 | 2012 | Christmas Days | House of Anansi Press | Novella | Twisted holiday tales |
| 7 | 2015 | The Well-Dressed Wound | Semiotext(e) / Native Agents | Novel | Extreme fashion-horror |
| 8 | 2020 | Castle Faggot | Semiotext(e) | Novel | Queer medieval fairy tale / experimental prose |
| 9 | 2018 | Judy Blame (with Chris Lloyd) | Self-Published / An Art Service | Art book | Fictional catalogue of punk stylist Judy Blame |
| 10 | 2022 | The Devil’s Hop Yard | Anvil Press | Novella | Rural Ontario gothic, beer & Satan |
Correct Chronological Order (by first publication year)
- Wish Book (1999)
- The Haunted Hillbilly (2003)
- Mansized (2004)
- Grab Bag (2006)
- The Show That Smells (2008)
- Christmas Days (2012)
- The Well-Dressed Wound (2015)
- Judy Blame (2018)
- Castle Faggot (2020)
- The Devil’s Hop Yard (2022)
As of November 2025, this is the complete list — no new titles have been announced. Happy collecting (and good luck tracking down the ultra-rare early chapbooks)!
Derek McCormack Books in Publication Order
- Wish Book (1999) McCormack’s debut — a twisted take on the Sears catalogue where every page promises something sinister. Short, strange, and already showing his obsession with consumerism and desire.
- The Haunted Hillbilly (2003). Quite possibly his masterpiece (and the book that put him on the map). A queer vampire novel starring a demonic fashion designer who turns a young country singer (think Hank Williams meets Nudie Cohn) into the ultimate rhinestone hillbilly. Dark, hilarious, heartbreaking, and only 128 pages. Start here if you’re new.
- The Show That Smells (2008) A feverish retelling of the marriage between Elsa Schiaparelli and Salvador Dalí… except they’re vampires running a carnival of horrors in 1930s Louisiana. The prose is perfumed with coconut oil and blood. One of the wildest, most fragrant horror novellas ever written.
- The Well-Dressed Wound (2015) A Civil War-era S&M fever dream featuring Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, and a demonic fashion house run by the devil himself. Written as if the Marquis de Sade ghost-wrote a couture lookbook. Not for the faint of heart.
- Judy Blame (2018) Co-written with artist Chris Lloyd as a fictional “catalogue” of the legendary British stylist and punk icon Judy Blame. Part biography, part fantasy, all McCormack-style obsession with buttons, safety pins, and trash-made-treasure.
- The Devil’s Hop Yard (2022)is A return to the rural Ontario gothic of his early work. Beer, Satan, square dancing, and a family curse. Short, vicious, and soaked in Labatt 50.
- Castle Faggot (2020) – Wait, timeline alert! Actually published in 2020, but many collectors slot it after The Well-Dressed Wound because of its extreme style. A queer medieval fairy tale written like concrete poetry on poppers. It’s… an experience. (Officially, the publication order is Castle Faggot (2020) → Judy Blame (2018) → Devil’s Hop Yard (2022), but most fans read it whenever they feel brave.)
Recommended Reading Orders for Different Moods
- First-time reader? The Haunted Hillbilly → The Show That Smells → Castle Faggot (brace yourself)
- Want maximum fashion-horror-camp? The Haunted Hillbilly → The Show That Smells → The Well-Dressed Wound → Judy Blame
- Prefer rural Canadian darkness? endal Wish Book → The Haunted Hillbilly → The Devil’s Hop Yard
Bonus: Rare & Limited Editions (for the completists)
- Mansized (2004) – ultra-rare chapbook
- Grab Bag (2006) – limited art edition of early stories
- Christmas Days (2012) – twisted holiday tales
- Various limited broadsides and zines (good luck!)
Why Derek McCormack Deserves Your Shelf Space
In a literary world full of door-stopper novels, McCormack writes gem-like books you can read in an evening and think about for years. His sentences are lethal one-liners, his imagery is unforgettable, and he somehow makes horror glamorous and glamour horrific.
If you love Gary Indiana, Dennis Cooper, Bruce LaBruce, or John Waters — or if you just want fiction that feels dangerous again — Derek McCormack is essential.
Happy (and slightly haunted) reading!
Which Derek McCormack book are you starting with? Drop your favorite in the comments — I need to know I’m not the only one obsessed with rhinestone vampires. 🦇✨
