Down and Out in Publishing
The publisher Down and Out Books, who had published a slew of books (including my novel, The Unrepentant, and two anthologies I co-edited, The Night of the Flood and The Swamp Killers) abruptly shuttered.
Were you disappointed?
Kind of, but I wasn’t surprised.
A brief two-paragraph history about my history with small publishers:
When I first started trying to publish a novel, I managed to sign with an agent and we had a couple of close calls, but that book ultimately didn’t sell and she and I amicably parted ways. Then I wrote a different book and, at that time, small publishers were on the rise. So I pitched directly to small publishers that didn’t require submission through an agent. That novel was acquired by a micropublisher (in other words, a very very very small publisher) and, a couple of months later, that publisher closed. I took that book to a different very very very small publisher, who offered a contract and published that book and its sequel, but didn’t offer any significant edits or do any marketing. This new publisher was recognized by the Mystery Writers of America and the International Thriller Writers (my sources, at the time, for vetting publishers) and they didn’t act irresponsibly or illegally, but they also didn’t offer much support to a green author. And those first two books were published, ignored, and disappeared.
Around that time, I thought it was a good idea that I, you know, do some actual research about publishing, and maybe work with people who know more than I do. I signed with a new agent and wrote a new book. The failure of those first two books had haunted me (as would their sales), and I’d begun to believe that the fault was in my writing – better writing, after all, might have attracted a larger publisher. I wrote something markedly different from my other work, a darker story informed by my research into the world of sex trafficking and, for the first time in my writing, had a woman as the lead, two elements that would remain a theme for the next few years. The book was short and violent and I didn’t pull punches and my agent and I knew it wasn’t a book for a big publisher, but it was a step forward in my career (my advice: sign with an agent who wants to work with you for your career, not just your current book). That book was The Unrepentant, and we sold it to a small but admirable publisher, Down and Out Books.
Did you know D&O would eventually go belly-up?
I mean, no? At that time, Down and Out was a feisty little beast in crime fiction. A lot of writers I admire published with D&O and the publisher won a slew of awards, and they seemed to have cracked the code of how to survive as a small publisher. I was excited to join their lineup, and it was the right home for The Unrepentant. And they did well by the book. The Unrepentant was one of their monthly choices to receive marketing support (an often heartbreaking choice that also isn’t uncommon among publishers, regardless of the publisher’s size). It was my first book to receive a trade review (a quick and lovely write-up in PW that made my heart jump), my first to be nominated for an award (the Anthony Award for Best Paperback). And my first to receive thorough, intense editing from the publisher.
To that end, I’m forever grateful that they hired Chantelle Aimee Osman to edit the book. She was a freelance hire for them (almost every publisher, big or small, regularly hires freelancers for edits, covers, marketing, etc.), but she’s absolutely one of the best I’ve worked with. Chantelle went on to work at Polis and then Amazon (Lake Union) and is now at Simon and Schuster, but still does freelance work, and I can’t recommend her enough. If you’re working on a book, or stuck in the middle of one, you couldn’t ask for a better editor. Hire her.
So why didn’t you stay with Down and Out for your next books? Always climbing that ladder, brah?
This is a tough thing for writers. When it comes to career-making choices like that, particularly when it involves turning your back on someone, I don’t think most of us are comfortable making them. I hope we’re not, anyway.
For one thing, I’m not someone necessarily built for change. I don’t want to switch day jobs on a routine basis (I was at my first day job for over twenty years), I don’t like moving locations much (I’ve been in Virginia since before this century), and I’m basically a barnacle to my wife and kid. If you’re one of my friends, you’re stuck with me, loser.
And yes, publishing is a business, and publishers are rarely loyal to writers. Loyalty is nothing more than a testament to sales. But the deeper you get into this business, the more aware you become of the limitations of a publisher, and your responsibilities as a working writer. My agent wasn’t making any money off me with D&O (no advance, scant royalties), and I wasn’t going to make even a side career with them as my publisher. I don’t have the time to do my own marketing and, truthfully, almost no writer has ever turned their marketing efforts into consistent royalty reports. I needed help.
My next book was published with a slightly larger publisher, and after that I was published by Thomas and Mercer. And that was the only moment that the possibility of writing as a side career was something I could even consider. Like a lot of writers, I want a home, but I need someone willing to build it with me.
Did Down and Out close because you left?
That would be sort of amazing, in a terrible way, but no. I don’t know why Down and Out closed. My guess – and this is only a guess, based off nothing – is that it wasn’t profitable and too difficult to maintain. Running a publishing house is an attractive idea, and often a noble one but, in practicality, it’s rather bleak. Many of these closed small publishing outfits are run by a couple of people (occasionally less), and you’ll find that they have quantifiable experience in one aspect necessary to the business of publishing (if that), but only one aspect, and that limitation quickly becomes apparent:
An eye for talent, but no understanding of editing or marketing or sales or distribution
An understanding of how to sell books, but no sense of editing
A background in editing, but no head for business
I don’t know what happened with D&O. Their closure was abrupt and terse, and a lot of their authors have since cited grievances on social media. Unfortunately, this isn’t unusual when a publisher closes.
Would you ever try to publish outside the Big Five/Six again?
Ostensibly, the biggies can offer more – extensive marketing, placement, stability, and money money money.
But none of those things is guaranteed.
Listen: many of the publishers outside of those giants shouldn’t be considered a secondary option. No one who takes crime fiction seriously would discount what Soho or Akashic or Kensington (for example) have done over the years, or the quality of writing they’ve produced. And, on the smaller side, Midnight Ink and Polis published remarkable writers, and so did Down and Out.
Those larger publishers can offer better marketing and money, but I don’t know any serious writer or reviewer who equates marketing or money with the quality of a book’s writing. The two occasionally do go hand-in-hand, but not exclusively. And a good competitive publisher, like the ones I listed above, can trade punches with anyone.
So what’s going to happen with The Unrepentant?
I dunno. Sometimes when a publisher closes, another one sees the opportunity to purchase their backlist. That’s not bad, because those books essentially get the salon glow-up treatment (I don’t quite know what that means), and they get new covers and updated editing and the potential of a new audience.
I’ve seen this happen with writers who have gone from one independent publisher to another, only to have that publisher close and their work set, again, adrift.
Other times a writer signs with a larger publisher, and that publisher also acquires their backlist. This happened with my friends Jess Lourey and Alex Segura – their new publisher bought and republished (or is republishing) their earlier work with Midnight Ink and Polis, respectively.
And sometimes writers self-publish those books and sell them on their own, which can be an attractive idea to keep your work available (and potentially easy for a new publisher to acquire).
And sometimes those books just die.
Is The Unrepentant going to die???
I’ll probably put it out on my own, although I have no idea when (vaguely, sometime next year?). Down and Out returned the rights to me, but I imagine that the process of revisiting it would be…a lot. I’ve never tried to revise something I wrote almost a decade ago, and I have a feeling I’d be tempted to write almost an entirely new book. And I’m okay with that concept, but I just don’t have the time right now.
I can’t let it die. It’s a part of me. It feels a bit like a wayward child that’s returned home, and I just want to sit with it a bit.
EA
I get to play in TWO Noir at the Bars this November, and they’re on back-to-back dates and in neighboring states!
I was invited to read at legendary author James Grady’s first Noir at the Bar in Silver Spring, alongside local stars Mark Bergin, Austin Camacho, Christopher Chambers, Christina Kovac, K.T. Nguyen, and George Pelecanos (!). This event will be held at the (also legendary) Quarry House Tavern on Wednesday, November 12.
And One More Page Books, in Falls Church, asked if I’d host a holiday-themed Noir at the Bookstoir the day after! I probably won’t be reading, but I’ll be emceeing a fantastic lineup featuring Louis Bayard, Olivia Blacke, Christina Kovac, Delia Pitts, and L.S. Stratton. This is a ticketed event, and all the proceeds go to support one of those necessary lifelines for any community, a wonderful independent bookstore. Learn more and purchase tickets HERE. There will be booze.
It's giveaway time! This newsletter I’m giving away a copy of a book by any of the writers reading at one of the events listed above - your choice! And the winner is:
cas____o@aol.com
Congrats, and I'll send you an email with more information soon.
A while back I interviewed the writer Sherry Knowlton about her new anthology, American Roulette, a themed anthology about gun violence in our country. The audiobook of that anthology is now available! You can learn more about that audiobook and check it out HERE.