In the spring of 2008, mystery author David Fulmer found himself in the
crosshairs of the perfect publishing storm. Though his most recent novel,
“The Blue Door,” had earned a string of superlative reviews, Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin was at the time still adjusting to a merger and chose
not to pick up their option with him - as well as a number of other their
authors. Meanwhile, the economy was in a fast downhill slide.
As time passed, the outlook didn’t improve for the Shamus Award winner
and LA Times Book Prize nominee, even though "The Blue Door" received
a nomination for a Shamus Award for Best Novel and his final HHM release,
“Lost River,” received plaudits from Publisher's Weekly, The Washington Post, and a host of
other national publications.
Like other well-reviewed, award-nominated, and award–winning authors who do not achieve
stellar sales, he found himself in professional bind.
“I couldn’t afford to leave my career up to the shifting tides of the publishing world," he says. “I
had no interest in self-publishing. If I was going to release a new book in 2010, I'd need another
strategy.”
He made rounds, talking to anyone he could find who knew something about publishing and
bookselling, from small press editors to store managers. Eventually came a moment of
revelation, courtesy of a New Yorker piece by Malcolm Gladwell titled “How David Beats
Goliath.” Using the example of a coach who discovered a way to turn his underdog basketball
team into champions, Gladwell explained that the Davids of the world rarely beat Goliaths at
the latters’ game. They do it, Gladwell writes, by changing the game itself.
This particular David decided to follow the same strategy, but now with some help. “Two
business-savvy friends came on board and we developed a plan to shares in my next book.”
Fulmer says that he and new partners Tara Coyt and Anna Foote surmised that he had enough
cachet banked away to make his next book effort seem worth supporting. So in late August, the
word went out to friends and family members. The one hundred shares in what was called “The
First Book Project” began to sell.
“We were pleasantly surprised at the response,” Fulmer says, and within a few weeks, enough
funds had been committed to begin the publication process. The plan is for a March 1st release
of “The Fall,” his seventh mystery.
The novel was a departure for the Atlanta-based author, known for his evocative historicals. The
new mystery is contemporary (as in 2002) and in first person. “But it's got a music angle,” he
says. “That’s a given.”
Under the banner of Five Stones Press, proof copies will be sent out to editors and reviewers.
“We’re not asking for special treatment,” Fulmer says. “As a legitimate publishing venture, we
just want a fair shake.”
The author hastens to point out that it’s unlikely the plan would have gotten off the ground
had he not garnered a solid list of reviews, nominations, and awards. “My last two novels were
the best-selling since my first. (2001’s ‘Chasing the Devil’s Tail’). I don’t think what we’re doing
is an option for anyone who doesn’t already have real momentum.”
He does believe that lean and agile ventures like Five Stones Press are going to make a
difference in the publishing landscape. “It’s the equivalent of how digital technologies and the
internet change music and filmmaking,” he says.
For now, however, the partners’ attention is focused on a book to be released on March 15th.
crosshairs of the perfect publishing storm. Though his most recent novel,
“The Blue Door,” had earned a string of superlative reviews, Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin was at the time still adjusting to a merger and chose
not to pick up their option with him - as well as a number of other their
authors. Meanwhile, the economy was in a fast downhill slide.
As time passed, the outlook didn’t improve for the Shamus Award winner
and LA Times Book Prize nominee, even though "The Blue Door" received
a nomination for a Shamus Award for Best Novel and his final HHM release,
“Lost River,” received plaudits from Publisher's Weekly, The Washington Post, and a host of
other national publications.
Like other well-reviewed, award-nominated, and award–winning authors who do not achieve
stellar sales, he found himself in professional bind.
“I couldn’t afford to leave my career up to the shifting tides of the publishing world," he says. “I
had no interest in self-publishing. If I was going to release a new book in 2010, I'd need another
strategy.”
He made rounds, talking to anyone he could find who knew something about publishing and
bookselling, from small press editors to store managers. Eventually came a moment of
revelation, courtesy of a New Yorker piece by Malcolm Gladwell titled “How David Beats
Goliath.” Using the example of a coach who discovered a way to turn his underdog basketball
team into champions, Gladwell explained that the Davids of the world rarely beat Goliaths at
the latters’ game. They do it, Gladwell writes, by changing the game itself.
This particular David decided to follow the same strategy, but now with some help. “Two
business-savvy friends came on board and we developed a plan to shares in my next book.”
Fulmer says that he and new partners Tara Coyt and Anna Foote surmised that he had enough
cachet banked away to make his next book effort seem worth supporting. So in late August, the
word went out to friends and family members. The one hundred shares in what was called “The
First Book Project” began to sell.
“We were pleasantly surprised at the response,” Fulmer says, and within a few weeks, enough
funds had been committed to begin the publication process. The plan is for a March 1st release
of “The Fall,” his seventh mystery.
The novel was a departure for the Atlanta-based author, known for his evocative historicals. The
new mystery is contemporary (as in 2002) and in first person. “But it's got a music angle,” he
says. “That’s a given.”
Under the banner of Five Stones Press, proof copies will be sent out to editors and reviewers.
“We’re not asking for special treatment,” Fulmer says. “As a legitimate publishing venture, we
just want a fair shake.”
The author hastens to point out that it’s unlikely the plan would have gotten off the ground
had he not garnered a solid list of reviews, nominations, and awards. “My last two novels were
the best-selling since my first. (2001’s ‘Chasing the Devil’s Tail’). I don’t think what we’re doing
is an option for anyone who doesn’t already have real momentum.”
He does believe that lean and agile ventures like Five Stones Press are going to make a
difference in the publishing landscape. “It’s the equivalent of how digital technologies and the
internet change music and filmmaking,” he says.
For now, however, the partners’ attention is focused on a book to be released on March 15th.
| How It Began |
| Five Stones Press |