Crime Publishers

[Jason Lewis / Garrett Alexander]

I'm having a beast of a time finding a reputable publisher for my latest project. Is there anyone out there that knows of a decent publisher that is not a scan and slam that can work with me on my project? Any help would be great.

[nigelpbird]

pugilist press is new on the block. you upload 3 chapters and if they like them they'll ask for the rest. you could check out their site http://pugilistpress.com/ and see if it's what you're looking for.

nigel

[Jason Lewis / Garrett Alexander]

Looking at the site listed seems like a place I could work with. Much thanks to you, Nigel, for suggesting Pugilist.

[nigelpbird]

cool

[Stacy]

Hi Jason,

If you have an agent then your agent can try Berkley which is probably the most popular big house in crime. If you are seeking smaller pubs, then you can try The Poison Pen. There are a lot of them, just Google for "Mystery publishers" or "Crime fiction publishers" and you should find a lot. I know of many but not by heart. I've forgotten a lot of the names. There's a few ebook publishers that publish mysteries and all genres. Whiskey Creek Press publishes all genres. There's also a crime ebook publisher. I forgot the name but it starts with an A. It's very popular so if you look up ebook pubs, you should find it.

It's easy to smell a scammer. Just remember, unless you're self-publishing, any house that asks you to pay them is a scam operation. Avoid these and vanity publishers like Dorrance, Trafford and Tate. These places only want your money, not your books. Avoid Publish America like the plague!

There are also a lot of author mills running around. They might not charge up front money so sometimes it's tricky to sniff them out right off. Just do lots of research and if someone offers you a contract, get the contract checked out and write the authors of the company to hear their experiences. Just always research but it's easy to tell when a pub is reputable. You can also check pub's titles to see where they are available and you'll know if they have distribution, stuff like that.

Best Wishes!

http://www.stacy-deanne.net

[Jason Lewis / Garrett Alexander]

Yeah, I got sucked into Dorrance by complete accident, and when I talked to the woman, she said it would be upwards of several thousand dollars to get done, and I was thinking, Wait, you should be the one paying, not me. If there are any other *vanity* places out there you can think of, please let me know. Olympia Press (the publisher of my first project) will not return any calls/emails I have sent fot the past month, and they are horrible. If I had known at the time what they were all about, I would not have chosen them. Even having an umbudsman and two senior editors working with me I'm having a hard time getting this even looked at, let alone published.

[Benjamin Sobieck]

Have you mentioned this manuscript before? Is it the 200k one? Trim the count in half and see what happens. It doesn't matter if everyone who has read it says there's no way it can be cut. If that truly is the case, self-publish. I know it sounds brutal, but a 200k word count will get you labeled as an author with unrealistic expectations about publishing.

Also, the golden rule is to never pay someone anything for your own writing.

And who are these editors? Are they at publishing houses or are they copy editors you contracted?

[Jason Lewis / Garrett Alexander]

Yes, it is the same one mentioned before. lol I have put it through two editors and the word count is almost the same. It began at 178,808 and is now just under 176,000. The entire story is engrossing, and taking any more than has been out would kill it, honestly. There's no way I can split it into two stories without screwing it up somewhere, so the whole thing has to go together. I can't really say that the length is an issue since I can't even find a house to look at it, let alone the whole thing.

[Benjamin Sobieck]

Are you putting the word count in your queries?

Whereas you think 176k is engrossing (and for all I know, it is), a publisher is going to see it as just gross. Because the publisher is thinking of the reader, and the reader is thinking, "Who is this author and why would I spend all this time reading?"

It is difficult to cut, yes, but the reader will never know what they didn't read. And if the book takes off, you can always come out with a "Director's Cut!"

[Jason Lewis / Garrett Alexander]

A directors cut would be incredible, believe me. I have not mentioned the length in any quiry I have sent to any house yet. Come to think of it, I have only sent a part of one chapter to one place. Many of the others I have contacted has been for the submission guidelines so I know what they're looking for. The one I got a response from is waiting until 7-1-10 to send out guidelines, and may very well be the one I end up going with.

[Vic]

it costs much more money to publish such a large work which is what the publisher is actually thinking as most crime novels are approx 75-85K.

Self publish digitally and test it in the marketplace, see what the readers think and then you'll have some feedback for a hardcopy publisher if there's enough interest = proof of market share despite the size.

cheers

[Erich R. Sysak]

I like this idea quite a bit. The limitations put on us by publishers should be tested and tested. Maybe 176k is too much, maybe not. I can understand the fear of investing that much in paper for a book you don't know will sell. Proving its appeal digitally could be the answer.

[Vic]

My experience is that it takes courage to publish digitally - the success lies I think in the quality of editing.

But for first time authors, it pays to stay within the guidelines, the longer book can always come out as a second or third novel when you've got a readership established. Think of it as an apprenticeship. And if you've written one excellent book, you can write another so either pub digitally or put it aside and write something within the guidelines if you're serious about getting into the business.