About Pemberley Press

Pemberley Press is a small publishing house, dedicated to publishing escape fiction for readers with eager minds. We publish mystery novels in hardcover and trade paper formats.

The recent changes in the book trade, particularly the rapid growth in popularity of e-book readers, has it made it very difficult for a small press to make print runs feasible. Our readers, genre readers, have embraced e-readers, which allow them to buy books at lower prices and obtain them instantly. While this is a change we have expected since our founding in 2001, the result has been that our printed-book sales have fallen. This drop, plus the cost of distribution, has made it no longer feasible for us to continue printing books. We will no longer be able to publish new authors or even take on existing mystery series.

Our plan going forward is to complete just one series in hardcover, Patricia Wynn's Blue Satan mystery series. This will take at least three years, during which time we can evaluate our future as a publishing house further.

This decision has been made with some pain, but from its beginning, Pemberley Press was founded on the principle that great changes were taking place in book publishing which would allow authors to connect more directly with their readers. The ability of authors to publish their own fiction electronically with the expectation that readers will have the opportunity to discover their work over a period of years is a good development for authors and readers alike. Many of us who love books regret the availability of "real" books, but the reality of the business is that many books only stay in print for three to four weeks, not nearly long enough for word-of-mouth to bring them to the attention of enough readers to make a title profitable. The cost of storage means that publishers have to destroy books that do not sell quickly enough. The consignment business for books, with resulting returns, especially in the era of such high transportation costs, has taken a huge toll on publishers, booksellers, and authors alike. The time for the e-book and electronic delivery is clearly here.