Dan Houser has announced the launch of Absurd Ventures Press, the new book publishing imprint of his storytelling entertainment company, Absurd Ventures with submissions now open.
Through Absurd Ventures Press, Houser aims to publish interesting stories of all kinds — fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, plays, short stories, and more — from fellow writers who understand the value of a daring tale well told, who grasp the absurd but fascinating nature of our world, or simply believe that humour, satire or humanity itself can be found in in the oddest situations.
Hailed at the 2025 Game Awards as an ‘industry icon’, Houser is known for his work as writer and creative director of many of the bestselling and most critically acclaimed games of all time, including genre-defining and record-breaking titles in the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption series. Having departed Rockstar Games, Houser founded Absurd Ventures to focus on a wide variety of storytelling media including books, comics, audio fiction, and animation, as well as video games. In 2025, Houser authored the first novel of his technothriller series, A Better Paradise, with future volumes to be announced.
Jason Bartholomew, CEO – The Midas Group, will head up the team working with Absurd Ventures Press on the commissioning process and in bringing newly acquired books to market internationally.
Dan Houser said, “Absurd Ventures’ mission is to tell innovative stories in a wide range of media. I’m very excited to launch our new publishing arm. I hope we discover the next James Baldwin, Dawn Powell or William Gibson. Of course, we hope so, but more than that, we want to curate an eclectic and intriguing list of books that reflect our own wide-ranging tastes as well as embodying the Absurd Ventures philosophy. Above all, we want to share great stories.”
Jason Bartholomew, CEO – The Midas Group said, “Dan is known for his revolutionary writing in video games, but he is also a voracious and passionate reader of books of all kinds. I love that Dan is launching a books publishing arm of Absurd Ventures to support interesting, innovative and fearless storytellers. It will be a privilege to work with Dan and the Absurd Ventures team to launch this list to the world.”
