Dennis Lehane rocks, I have thought that since we first met back in…well, it was a long f**kin’ time ago. Dennis was a rising crime writer about whom, big things were predicted. He has more hair and we both had fewer lines. Those predictions came true and much of America came to realize just how talented this dude from Boston was.
Now, Dennis has worked out a deal with Harper Collins to have his own imprint.
William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, announced today that it will begin a new relationship with Dennis Lehane, bestselling author of Moonlight Mile, Mystic River, Shutter Island, and The Given Day. Lehane will oversee an eponymous line of books at HarperCollins that will publish a select number of fiction titles a year. With his impeccable publishing credentials, strong film and television connections, and a history of supporting emerging and established writers, Lehane will help identify and acquire literary fiction with a dark urban edge.
The establishment of this line was negotiated by Michael Morrison, HarperCollins President and Publisher of U.S. General Books and Canada, and Liate Stehlik, Senior Vice President and Publisher of William Morrow, with Lehane’s agent, Ann Rittenberg, President of the Ann Rittenberg Literary Agency, Inc. Lehane will work with his longtime Harper editor, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Claire Wachtel. Stehlik says, “Dennis is a treasured house author, who embodies that definition in every way; and William Morrow is proud to have been his publisher since almost the very beginning of his career—a relationship spanning 17 years. In a world where computer algorithms and screen placement often replace in-store recommendations, having a line of books with a talented and highly regarded writer like Dennis is a great way to help readers discover what to read next. The list will be made up of the kind of high-quality writing that Dennis most admires and that readers would associate with his name. We are thrilled to work with him on this line of books, giving voice to a new generation of authors and showcasing some great unheralded talent.”
“I’m one of those people,” says Lehane, “who buys ten copies of a book I like and sends it to people I think would enjoy it. My goal is to call attention to worthy writers, who for some unknown reason aren’t as popular as they deserve to be. That’s a reason to get out of bed every morning. My background—where I grew up in Boston, the kinds of novels I like to read and write, my time spent as a writer on ‘The Wire’—will influence the kinds of books I acquire. But I just want to publish good work—an enthralling story gracefully told.”