While Dick is right that big Brit sellers are printed in the
States, I've gotta agree with Kevin that this does not seem
to apply to much hardboiled. Does hardboiled sell over there
beyond Rankin?
Kevin:
"As I said before, I hadn't really been to a decent-sized
American bookstore in a while, and I should have made it more
clear that I was thinking more along the lines of writers
like Ken Bruen, Mark Timlin, Irvine Welsh and the
like."
Ken Bruen's Serpent's Tail books were available pretty much
simultaneously on both sides of the Atlantic. However, his Do
Not Press books take a while to get over here (and then only
at larger Borders), even though they are the same editions,
except for an added sticker for the US distributors Dufour
Editions. I'm still waiting for the import of Bruen's The
McDead (and Russell James's latest, for that matter).
As far as I know, Timlin was never available over here except
as an import in mystery specialty stores. The TV series never
made it over here, either, not even now that its Nick
Sharman, Clive Owen, has gotten US visibility due to The
Croupier and his latest TV show, Second Sight
(not bad, by the way), is currently showing on PBS.
Welsh's Acid House was printed here before the Trainspotting
movie, but that's it. Since the movie, all of his books have
been printed here, although with a slight delay. Other Scots,
like Gordon Legge don't get the same treatment, although Alan
Warner has seen print.
Only Jeremy Hawes' first, A White Merc With Fins, saw print
on this side of the Atlantic, and is now out of print. Only
Blincoe's first two, from Serpent's Tail, were available
here, but not his next two or the New Puritans anthology he
edited.
Kevin again:
"And sometimes it's not even British authors. I bought
several of George's early books as British editions, because,
as far as I could tell, there just weren't any U.S. editions
available."
George's first four went in and out of print before most
caught onto him. None saw paperback until Serpent's Tail (UK
company, but with US distribution on books without a US
publisher) put out the three Nick Stefanos books (where I
first read them, too). I'm pretty sure King Suckerman was his
first book out in paperback by a US publisher.
Does Jason Starr have one or two books that are available in
the UK, but were never printed here?
Only a few of Chester Himes's Harlem Cycle are in print in
the US, Payback Press has compiled them all in three very
nice volumes. Payback's UK catalog overlaps Old School's US
listings, but has more titles. Gil Scot-Herron's novels are
only available in the UK, as far as I know.
Although they are now out of print, the Brit Black Box
Thriller books reintroduced a number of authors, like
Thompson and Goodis, who were out of print. Several Goodis
titles have no US printer to conflict with Serpent's
Tail.
So it would seem that UK publishers find a niche audience
worthwhile, whereas US publishers drop their midlists in
pursuit of blockbusters.
Mark
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