Penzler Publishers is launching an imprint, Crime Ink, that will focus on literary true crime. Crime Ink plans to publish four to six books in its first year, starting in the winter of 2024. Crime Ink will be distributed by W.W. Norton and Company, which also distributes the Mysterious Press, Scarlet, and American Mystery Classics.
The editor of Crime Ink will be Tom Wickersham, formerly manager of the Mysterious Bookshop, and the publisher will be Charles Perry, a position he currently holds with the Mysterious Press, American Mystery Classics, Scarlet, and MysteriousPress.com, an electronic book publisher--the other imprints of Penzler Publishers. Luisa Smith will oversee as editor-in-chief of Penzler Publishers.
Otto Penzler, CEO of Penzler Publishers, said, "True crime is an important publishing category that has enjoyed a long history of success. When Tom Wickersham agreed to join us in this venture, his extraordinary knowledge in this field immediately convinced me that we had a great addition to our team that would prove to be innovative and successful."
Wickersham commented: "I am excited to join Penzler Publishers and contribute to the rich genre of true crime with Crime Ink. We are poised to launch in the spring of 2024 with The Serial Killer's Apprentice, the first modern examination of 1970s serial killer Dean Corll. Also under contract are a biography of New York crime journalist Jimmy Breslin, a comprehensive account of the Son of Sam killings, and a series in translation from France. We will strive to publish revelatory works that shed new light on old cases, expose modern injustices, and expand the classification of true crime as we know it."