Lineups 1-3 Now Available in PDF

We've explored releasing The Lineup in eBook format as well as print. The major obstacle has been that poem text doesn't flow like prose. It is sometimes laid out in nonstandard ways, and if that formatting is lost, the poem is lost.

Looking to the future, to our prospects of growing The Lineup by working with a more established press or distributor like Consortium or PGW, we need a more complete picture of the demand for The Lineup. As such, I've made Lineups #1-3 available as PDF downloads from Lulu.com.

These PDFs preserve the full interior text as originally published, but may not be the optimal format for your particular e-reader. In any case, they are another way to get The Lineup, and if they sell well, The Lineup #4 will be released in PDF as well as print on April 1.

The PDFs are also eligible purchases in the drawing for an advance signed and personalized copy of The Lineup #4. The contest ends tonight at 11:59 Eastern time, so get to it.

The Lineup #4 Coming to M is for Mystery

On Lineup #4 contributor David Corbett's recommendation, I sent a sample copy to M is for Mystery in San Mateo, California. Manager Pam Stirling has ordered five more copies. Very pleased to have our first location on the West Coast.

The Lineup #4's Marching Orders

This week, Murder By The Book in Houston ordered ten copies of The Lineup #4. NYC's Mysterious Bookshop has ordered 6, and Minneapolis's Once Upon a Crime 4.

A number of Lineup #4 contributors happen to live in the Texas and New York areas, so you may be able to score a copy signed by multiple contributors. The books are scheduled to arrive mid-March and officially go on sale April 1.

We also have interest from M Is For Mystery in San Mateo, CA. If you frequent the store, put in a good word for us.

Crimespree #39

The Nov/Dec 2010 issue of Crimespree begins with an 11-page remembrance of Murder By The Book's David Thompson by several fans, authors, and editors. Due to the vicissitudes of layout, my name is at the bottom of the left column on page 9, but my words of tribute are at the top of the right column:

David was the first bookseller to believe in The Lineup: Poems on Crime, undoubtedly opening several more doors for us. The Lineup #4 (2011) will be dedicated to David's memory and include a poem by Ken Bruen recommended by David.

Improved

You can now find the Lineup cover images and links to where to buy or borrow each issue on the Get The Lineup page.

Lineup Reading at Murder By The Book Tomorrow

Houston-based Lineup co-editor Sarah Cortez and contributors Joe Barnes and Larry D. Thomas will read from and sign copies of The Lineup at Murder By The Book tomorrow, starting at 6:30 P.M. Central. I wish I could be there. If you're attending, send me photos or video clips, and I'll post some here.

July 14: Houston Lineup Reading at Murder By the Book

Murder By the Book in Houston, the first independent bookstore to carry The Lineup will host a reading by Houston-based Lineup co-editor Sarah Cortez and contributors Joe Barnes and Larry D. Thomas, July 14 at 6:30 PM Central.

THE LINEUP Wins an Edgar®

Not The Lineup: Poems on Crime, but The Lineup: The World’s Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives edited by Otto Penzler. The book of essays last night won the award for Best Critical/Biographical presented by the Mystery Writers of America.

Congratulations, Otto, and thanks to The Mysterious Bookshop for carrying both the poetic and critical Lineups.

Lineup 3 Amazon Availability

As of now, I'm not sure The Lineup 3 will be made available on Amazon Marketplace. Issues 1 and 2 are available there as part of a pilot program that began last year, but the program may end at some point.

I will always provide the latest availability information here.

Today's Lineup Update

In Focus: Once Upon a Crime Books (Minneapolis, MN)

The Lineup display at Once Upon a Crime (Click on the image to enlarge.)

Once Upon a Crime in Minneapolis was the second independent mystery bookstore to take a chance on The Lineup. Continuing our celebration of National Poetry Month, I asked owners Gary Schulze and Pat Frovarp what first attracted them to The Lineup, and why they continue to support it:

We've always been attracted to, and try to support, independent presses. As long as we like what they have to offer. And it helps when they publish some of our favorite authors. Your "The Lineup" crime poetry series does all that, plus it's attractive and affordable. I was thrilled when I saw that Anne Frasier has a poem in #3. And we'll read anything by Reed Coleman or Ken Bruen - they seem to be born poets. Thank you for providing this unique venue not only for them, but for all authors with a voice that should be heard.

Thanks,
Gary & Pat
Once Upon a Crime
Minneapolis

The Lineup 3 Video Announcement

Houston's Murder By The Book orders The Lineup #3

Murder By the Book (Houston, TX) has ordered fifteen copies of The Lineup 3.

The Mysterious Bookshop orders The Lineup #3

Otto Penzler's Mysterious Bookshop (58 Warren Street, NYC) has ordered six copies of The Lineup 3. They also still have copies of Issues 1 and 2.

Once Upon a Crime orders The Lineup #3

Once Upon a Crime in Minneapolis, MN has ordered six copies of The Lineup 3. They also still have copies of Issues 1 and 2.

Wallace Stroby's GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER Tour

Lineup 3 contributor Wallace Stroby's third crime novel, Gone 'Til November, was released last week. Here's a synopsis from Wallace's Web site:

St. Martin's/Minotaur ISBN 978-0-312-56024-9

From the urban jungles of New Jersey to a sleepy Florida town, a ruthless killer blazes a bloody trail...and a young mother must risk everything to protect what she loves.

Shots ring out on a lonely Florida road, and Sheriff's Deputy Sara Cross finds herself the unwilling witness to the killing of a young black man, gunned down while fleeing a routine traffic stop. A single mother raising an ailing six-year-old, it's bad enough that she's the only female deputy in a town where everyone knows your business. But now Morgan, an aging enforcer for a brutal New Jersey drug gang, has come to town to settle some debts, and Sara soon finds herself torn between love and duty, loyalty and the truth...and just trying to stay alive.

Stroby's debut novel, The Barbed-Wire Kiss, is one of the most memorable I've read. I hope you get to meet him on tour, particularly on January 30 at Houston's Murder By the Book, when he appears with fellow Lineup 3 contributor James W. Hall. And of course, Murder By the Book also carries The Lineup 1 and 2. Ask about reserving your copy of Issue 3.

Wallace will also appear at the New York Public Library on April 13 with fellow Lineup 3 contributor Henry Chang.


GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER Tour Dates:

JAN. 29: 7:30 p.m. WBGO-FM 88.3 interview with reporter Andrew Meyer, taped at WBGO's Newark, N.J., studios. Will air on 88.3, and as part of the live stream at www.wbgo.org. Will be archived on the station's site afterward, along with a reading from GONE 'TIL NOVEMBER.

JAN. 29: 7 p.m.: BOOK PEOPLE, 603 N. Lamar, Austin, Texas, (512) 472-5050. Signing/discussion

JAN. 30: 5 p.m.: MURDER BY THE BOOK, 2342 Bissonnet St., Houston, Texas. (713) 524-8597. Signing/discussion with James W. Hall and Bob Morris.

FEB. 5: 6:30 p.m.: THE MYSTERIOUS BOOKSHOP, 58 Warren Street, New York, NY. (212) 587-1011. Signing/discussion

FEB. 6: 6 p.m.: WORDS! ASBURY PARK, 612 Cookman Avenue, Asbury Park, N.J. (732) 455-5549. As part of Asbury Park's "Samedi Gras" First Saturday festival. Signing/discussion

FEB. 27: 1 p.m.: WATCHUNG BOOKSELLERS, 54 Fairfield St., Watchung Plaza, Montclair, N.J. (973) 744-7177. Signing/discussion

MARCH 6: 2 p.m.: MOONSTONE MYSTERY BOOKSTORE, 12 Bloomfield Ave., Flemington, N.J., (908) 788-9094. Signing/discussion

APRIL 13: 6:30: NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY, Fifth Ave. and 40th, Manhattan. Panel discussion on "Crime Scenes: From Cities to the Back of Beyond: Why & How Mystery Writers Choose Their Settings" with Peggy Ehrhart ("Sweet Man is Gone"), Lorenzo Carcaterra ("A Safe Place," "Sleepers"), Henry Chang ("Chinatown Beat"), Laura Joh Rowland ("The Cloud Pavilion") and Julia Pomeroy ("Cold Moon Home").

MAY 3: 4 p.m. FESTIVAL OF MYSTERY, Oakmont, Pa.

OCT. 14-17: BOUCHERCON 2010, Hyatt Regency, San Francisco, Calif.

NOV. 4-7: NOIRCON 2010, Philadelphia, Pa.

Once Upon a Crime: An Anthology of Murder, Mayhem, and Suspense

Gary R. Bush and Chris Everheart have co-edited an anthology dedicated to Lineup seller Once Upon a Crime (Minneapolis, MN), with proceeds going to a local blood bank. Below is a promotional message from Gary R. Bush:

August 27th is the launch date for the "Once Upon A Crime," anthology. As co-editor along with Chris Everheart I'm proud to announce the launch for this great collection of mysteries, thrillers and suspense.

Four year in the making, dedicated to the best mystery book store in America (Crime Spree Magazine), we gathered twenty-five stories by some of the best mystery writers in the field. I.E. Ken Bruen, C.J. Box, S.J. Rozan, Max Allan Collins and Barbara Collins, William Kent Krueger,Sujata Massey, and many more. Check out the website: onceuponacrimebook.com.

If you're in the Twin Cities, come to the launch party at Once Upon A Crime 7:00 PM Thursday August 27th.

The Lineup coming to the Mysterious Bookshop

New York's renowned Mysterious Bookshop has ordered ten copies each of The Lineup 1 and 2!

The Lineup's Amazon Listing Updated

The Amazon.com Marketplace listings for The Lineup 1 and 2 now include Patrick, Richie, Anthony, and me as "Editors". Both issues of The Lineup can be purchased via Amazon at the same prices as directly from Lulu.com. Go ahead. Make my day.

The Lineup 2 arrives at Houston's Murder By The Book

The Lineup 2 has arrived at Murder By the Book in Houston, TX. Thanks again to David Thompson and McKenna Jordan, the first booksellers to take a chance on our collection of crime poetry.