Dorchester Publishing
Encyclopedia
Dorchester Publishing is a publisher of mass market paperback books. Although mostly known for romance
, Dorchester also publishes horror
, thriller and Western
titles.
line of pulp-style mysteries. In addition, Dorchester distributes the Family Doctor series of health guides in the U.S.
and Canada
. Their Love Spell imprint
handles the newer types of romance, and complements their more traditional Leisure Books
imprint. They also have an imprint for thrillers, the Smooch imprint for young adult literature
, and Making It for trade paperback chick-lit novels.
Dorchester also publishes romance magazines such as True Confessions and True Story
. Dorchester offers book clubs, fan registries, and a comprehensive website for readers. Dorchester books are featured in their "Dear Reader Book Clubs", which allows readers to read a chapter a day from the book for a week.
They added the Love Spell imprint in 1993, and new thriller and young adult imprints in 2003. In 2004, they launched their trade paperback chick-lit imprint Making It, and with Charles Ardai
they co-founded the Hard Case Crime imprint.
Also in 2004, Dorchester purchased magazine publisher Sterling/MacFadden
, acquiring with it several romance magazines.
In August 2010, after two years of big drops in sales, Dorchester announced a temporary shift from printing books on paper to e-book
s and print-on-demand services. At the same time, they announced that they would be setting new royalty rates for their authors. However, in October 2010, the Mystery Writers of America
removed Dorchester from their list of Approved Publishers citing failure to pay authors their advances and royalties. In November, Dorchester's former CEO, John Prebich, resigned and was replaced by Robert Anthony; Anthony promised that his first step would be to review the publisher's royalty process. In October 2010, Dorchester announced that publication of the Hard Case Crime imprint would be transferred from Dorchester to Titan Books
, and in January and February 2011, Dorchester offered to sell off the names of several of its discontinued magazines. In March 2011, horror author Brian Keene
announced a boycott of Dorchester over claims that it was still not paying its authors and that it had sold books to which it did not own the sales rights; Keene was joined by dozens of other authors, editors, artists, and organizations. Dorchester responded by promising to suppress sales of reverted books and to pay its authors what they are owed.
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
, Dorchester also publishes horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
, thriller and Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
titles.
Publication lines
Dorchester was the original publisher of the Hard Case CrimeHard Case Crime
Hard Case Crime is an American imprint of hardboiled crime novels founded in 2004 by Charles Ardai, also known as the founder of the Internet service Juno Online Services, and Max Phillips....
line of pulp-style mysteries. In addition, Dorchester distributes the Family Doctor series of health guides in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Their Love Spell imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
handles the newer types of romance, and complements their more traditional Leisure Books
Leisure Books
Leisure Books is an imprint of Dorchester Publishing specializing in Horror and Thriller mass market paperbacks. As of 2000, Leisure Books was the only U.S. publisher with a line of horror books...
imprint. They also have an imprint for thrillers, the Smooch imprint for young adult literature
Young adult literature
Young-adult fiction or young adult literature , also juvenile fiction, is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 14 to 21. The Young Adult Library Services of the American Library Association defines a young adult as "someone between the...
, and Making It for trade paperback chick-lit novels.
Dorchester also publishes romance magazines such as True Confessions and True Story
True Story (magazine)
True Story was an American magazine published by Dorchester Publishing. It was the first of the confessions magazines genre, having launched in 1919...
. Dorchester offers book clubs, fan registries, and a comprehensive website for readers. Dorchester books are featured in their "Dear Reader Book Clubs", which allows readers to read a chapter a day from the book for a week.
History
Dorchester Publishing was founded in 1971, and claim to be the oldest independent mass market publisher in America.They added the Love Spell imprint in 1993, and new thriller and young adult imprints in 2003. In 2004, they launched their trade paperback chick-lit imprint Making It, and with Charles Ardai
Charles Ardai
Charles Ardai is an entrepreneur, writer, editor, and television producer. He is best known as founder and CEO of Juno, an Internet company, and founder and editor of Hard Case Crime, a line of pulp-style paperback crime novels.-Biography:...
they co-founded the Hard Case Crime imprint.
Also in 2004, Dorchester purchased magazine publisher Sterling/MacFadden
Macfadden Publications
Macfadden Communications Group is a publisher of business magazines. It has a historical link with a company started in 1898 by Bernarr Macfadden that was one of the largest magazine publishers of the twentieth century.-Macfadden Publications:...
, acquiring with it several romance magazines.
In August 2010, after two years of big drops in sales, Dorchester announced a temporary shift from printing books on paper to e-book
E-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
s and print-on-demand services. At the same time, they announced that they would be setting new royalty rates for their authors. However, in October 2010, the Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America
Mystery Writers of America is an organization for mystery writers, based in New York.The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday....
removed Dorchester from their list of Approved Publishers citing failure to pay authors their advances and royalties. In November, Dorchester's former CEO, John Prebich, resigned and was replaced by Robert Anthony; Anthony promised that his first step would be to review the publisher's royalty process. In October 2010, Dorchester announced that publication of the Hard Case Crime imprint would be transferred from Dorchester to Titan Books
Titan Books
Titan Publishing Group is an independently owned publishing company, established in 1981. It is based at offices in London, England's Bankside area. The Books Division has two main areas of publishing: film & TV tie-ins/cinema reference books; and graphic novels and comics reference/art titles. The...
, and in January and February 2011, Dorchester offered to sell off the names of several of its discontinued magazines. In March 2011, horror author Brian Keene
Brian Keene
Brian Keene is an American author, primarily of horror, crime fiction, and comic books. He has won two Bram Stoker Awards.- Background :Keene was born in 1967. He grew up in both Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and many of his books take place in these locales. After graduating high school, he...
announced a boycott of Dorchester over claims that it was still not paying its authors and that it had sold books to which it did not own the sales rights; Keene was joined by dozens of other authors, editors, artists, and organizations. Dorchester responded by promising to suppress sales of reverted books and to pay its authors what they are owed.