Columbine Publishing Group
Our History and Philosophy:
Columbine Publishing Group began in 1994, when our imprint, Intrigue Press, introduced the first hardcover book in the Charlie Parker mystery series by Connie Shelton. A year later, we began expansion, signing other authors in the mystery genre, including Linda Grant, Steve Brewer, Susan Slater, Alex Matthews and Sophie Dunbar. We published in both hardcover and mass market paperback formats. Our list grew, as did the popularity of our authors, until the Intrigue Press imprint was acquired by Corvus Publishing and eventually by Big Earth Publishing. Our overriding goal during these years was to find new writers and nurture them, a commitment to publish each new book an author wrote, to build and grow the author's reputation and their following among readers.
Meanwhile, our Columbine Books imprint began when a local Chamber of Commerce approached the writer's group in our small northern New Mexico town, looking for writers who would commit to write the history of an area for which not much information existed. Under the guidance of Professor Carlos Vasquez of UNM's Oral History Program and Santa Fe Trail historian Jack Urban, the writers interviewed long-time residents and put together the fascinating history of the Moreno Valley. The resulting book included an amazing amount of previously undiscovered information, but it did not have a publisher. Columbine Books stepped up to publish Lure, Lore and Legends of the Moreno Valley on a pro-bono basis, and the book eventually went into five printings. Today, locally, it is still a best-seller. Other titles include Enchanted Adventures: Diverse Day Trips in Northern New Mexico. It, too, found a niche market because of its local appeal.
Back to the mystery genre. In 2009 some of our authors who had moved along with Intrigue Press learned that their editor had left, creating a situation where their books were "stranded" without editorial or publicity support. Columbine's editorial staff was still very much in love with the mystery genre and so, beginning once again with Connie Shelton's Charlie Parker mystery series, our imprint Secret Staircase Books was born to fill the need for a publishing arm that could fill the needs of both authors and readers.
Our philosophy remains the same--nurture a book along and build a readership for it. And now we are even more committed to the relationship between writer and reader, keeping the publisher, distributors and other middle-men as minimal as possible. We publish in trade paperback and digital formats for all e-book readers and we license many titles for audiobook and mass market paperback release, the goal being to keep prices affordable and to facilitate worldwide distribution so that readers around the globe can find and enjoy their favorite books. Through our contacts with literary agents, we have licensed foreign language rights and had several titles optioned by Hollywood.
Columbine Publishing Group began in 1994, when our imprint, Intrigue Press, introduced the first hardcover book in the Charlie Parker mystery series by Connie Shelton. A year later, we began expansion, signing other authors in the mystery genre, including Linda Grant, Steve Brewer, Susan Slater, Alex Matthews and Sophie Dunbar. We published in both hardcover and mass market paperback formats. Our list grew, as did the popularity of our authors, until the Intrigue Press imprint was acquired by Corvus Publishing and eventually by Big Earth Publishing. Our overriding goal during these years was to find new writers and nurture them, a commitment to publish each new book an author wrote, to build and grow the author's reputation and their following among readers.
Meanwhile, our Columbine Books imprint began when a local Chamber of Commerce approached the writer's group in our small northern New Mexico town, looking for writers who would commit to write the history of an area for which not much information existed. Under the guidance of Professor Carlos Vasquez of UNM's Oral History Program and Santa Fe Trail historian Jack Urban, the writers interviewed long-time residents and put together the fascinating history of the Moreno Valley. The resulting book included an amazing amount of previously undiscovered information, but it did not have a publisher. Columbine Books stepped up to publish Lure, Lore and Legends of the Moreno Valley on a pro-bono basis, and the book eventually went into five printings. Today, locally, it is still a best-seller. Other titles include Enchanted Adventures: Diverse Day Trips in Northern New Mexico. It, too, found a niche market because of its local appeal.
Back to the mystery genre. In 2009 some of our authors who had moved along with Intrigue Press learned that their editor had left, creating a situation where their books were "stranded" without editorial or publicity support. Columbine's editorial staff was still very much in love with the mystery genre and so, beginning once again with Connie Shelton's Charlie Parker mystery series, our imprint Secret Staircase Books was born to fill the need for a publishing arm that could fill the needs of both authors and readers.
Our philosophy remains the same--nurture a book along and build a readership for it. And now we are even more committed to the relationship between writer and reader, keeping the publisher, distributors and other middle-men as minimal as possible. We publish in trade paperback and digital formats for all e-book readers and we license many titles for audiobook and mass market paperback release, the goal being to keep prices affordable and to facilitate worldwide distribution so that readers around the globe can find and enjoy their favorite books. Through our contacts with literary agents, we have licensed foreign language rights and had several titles optioned by Hollywood.
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Secret Staircase Books
Our fiction imprint is devoted entirely to mystery, romance, epic fantasy, and suspense titles. In addition to ongoing mystery series by bestsellers such as Connie Shelton, J.M. Poole, and Susan Slater, we are proud to have published new cozy mysteries by Jennifer J. Morgan, Rebecca Barrett, Susan Yawn Tanner, and Mary Seifert. Jeffrey Poole tops our list of epic fantasy titles with his Bakkian Chronicles and Tales of Lentari. Since Secret Staircase Books began publishing, many of our titles have reached #1 positions on Amazon.com and a placement on the USA Today bestseller list. With worldwide distribution, our authors have reached audiences in more than 100 countries.
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Columbine Books
Our Columbine Books imprint specializes in two areas of publishing -- Northern New Mexico history and Writing/Publishing information. Since both of these are very niche markets, we usually define the audience for each new title very carefully, well before we consider publishing.
In addition to books with writing how-to information, we feature the ground-breaking writing course designed by USA Today bestseller Connie Shelton, who taught hundreds of students with the well-known Long Ridge Writers Group for several years. Titled Novel In A Weekend, Shelton shares the methods she has devised for getting a quick start on writing a book. Find more information about the course here.
In addition to books with writing how-to information, we feature the ground-breaking writing course designed by USA Today bestseller Connie Shelton, who taught hundreds of students with the well-known Long Ridge Writers Group for several years. Titled Novel In A Weekend, Shelton shares the methods she has devised for getting a quick start on writing a book. Find more information about the course here.
Submissions Policy:
We accept only email submissions and only with prior approval. Please send a query of 500 words or less, telling us about your book. Do not attach a manuscript file unless asked to do so. Note that all submissions must fit the criteria for the imprint you select.
Secret Staircase Books - Mystery and Romance fiction only! In the mystery genre, we lean toward cozies, amateur sleuths, and lighter fare, although we may consider somewhat darker themes if we feel the book is a good fit with our current line. Although we occasionally consider a single book by a writer, we heavily favor those who have written a minimum of three books and plan an ongoing career with a commitment to at least 1-2 books per year.
All books submitted must be full-length novels (minimum 65,000 words) and must be complete at the time of submission. No partial manuscripts or book proposals will be considered. If your book was previously published, we would love to take a look, but be aware that we will require a release-of-rights letter from your previous publisher before we can consider it.
Columbine Books - Please do not query us for any non-fiction book that does not fit into one of the following categories. This imprint is very specialized and does not accept books other than in these areas:
Southwestern - We only accept very specific titles that pertain to northern New Mexico, the history and/or present day sights to see. Biographies of famous New Mexicans may be considered but we find that there is a fine line between information that has already saturated the market and a biographer who is too obscure to draw an audience. Do some market research first and be sure that your book doesn't cover already-charted ground. Contact us by email and include details about the area your book covers, along with its intended audience. Tell us who will buy your book!
Writing How-to - If you've written a how-to book on writing technique, send us a proposal. Tell us how your book is different from the other writing instruction books on the market.
We accept only email submissions and only with prior approval. Please send a query of 500 words or less, telling us about your book. Do not attach a manuscript file unless asked to do so. Note that all submissions must fit the criteria for the imprint you select.
Secret Staircase Books - Mystery and Romance fiction only! In the mystery genre, we lean toward cozies, amateur sleuths, and lighter fare, although we may consider somewhat darker themes if we feel the book is a good fit with our current line. Although we occasionally consider a single book by a writer, we heavily favor those who have written a minimum of three books and plan an ongoing career with a commitment to at least 1-2 books per year.
All books submitted must be full-length novels (minimum 65,000 words) and must be complete at the time of submission. No partial manuscripts or book proposals will be considered. If your book was previously published, we would love to take a look, but be aware that we will require a release-of-rights letter from your previous publisher before we can consider it.
Columbine Books - Please do not query us for any non-fiction book that does not fit into one of the following categories. This imprint is very specialized and does not accept books other than in these areas:
Southwestern - We only accept very specific titles that pertain to northern New Mexico, the history and/or present day sights to see. Biographies of famous New Mexicans may be considered but we find that there is a fine line between information that has already saturated the market and a biographer who is too obscure to draw an audience. Do some market research first and be sure that your book doesn't cover already-charted ground. Contact us by email and include details about the area your book covers, along with its intended audience. Tell us who will buy your book!
Writing How-to - If you've written a how-to book on writing technique, send us a proposal. Tell us how your book is different from the other writing instruction books on the market.