The Secret History of Black Book Detective Tales

Note: The following is reprinted from an archived copy of DixonKinqade.com - January 1, 2009.

So, I was sitting around one day and thinking about those sensational and lurid old pulp mags. More specifically, I was thinking about the old detective pulps. I've always loved those cheesy, cliché, hardboiled detective stories and the artwork on those covers was truly something. Today many of those old mags have become real collector's items.

I thought it was unfortunate that such products no longer exist in the marketplace today. Wouldn't it be cool if modern pulp mags were being published today? You know, something like a genre-specific version of readers digest. It seemed to me that would be a rather profitable undertaking. Think about it! Magazines sell advertising space to cover the expense of printing, publishing, and distributing their product. Then, they still have the audacity to place a $5.95 cover price on it! What a racket!

For me, that was the beginning of the Pulp Revival Project. Starting a magazine company is a bit too ambitious for me. That's entirely too much work and I'm far too lazy for that. Maybe if I had advertisers lined up and some business partners, I'd give it a go, but at the moment it's far less work, expense, and stress to simply write stories. 

Obviously, a compromise was needed. That inspired me to write retro-pulp-type stories and publish them in pulp-styled paperback format. Certainly, that could be accomplished with relative ease and at moderate expense.

I looked into Print-On-Demand service providers for authors who wish to self-publish. I soon discovered that most services are unreasonably priced. I found a few whose services were reasonable, but their prices still weren't as low as they should be. Most discouraging of all, the process of formatting a manuscript for publication looked to be more trouble than it was worth. Fortunately, I found a few manageable solutions.

Still, I was not impressed with the cost of the final product. The price is acceptable, but barely. I honestly wish to sell my work at a substantially lower price than I presently do.

This started me thinking and I considered the possibility of converting the manuscripts to e-book format. That would be ideal. I could sell downloads for $1.00 per book. That's a reasonable price from a consumer's viewpoint.

Ok, all this talk of pricing, buying, and selling probably has you thinking I'm a greedy, money-grubbing bastard. Well, you're right, but that's not where I was going with this. I was trying to determine how I could produce my books at a substantially lower cost to you. Although, I must admit that I am trying to make a living from this. Writing and selling books is how I put food in my stomach, a roof over my head, and clothes on my back. Still, I want to help you to help me. I figure I don't have to sell 100,000 copies of one book at $10.00 a pop, if  I can sell one copy of a million books for $1.00 each.

At any rate, that's how this whole thing started. Additionally, it should give you a basic understanding of the Pulp Revival Project and the concept behind a pulp magazine-styled publication in paperback format. That's the concept I had in mind which lead to the creation of the BBDT series.

So, now you know and knowing is half the battle!

Until next time, my friend...

Best Wishes,

- DK



Are you a fan of the classic pulp fiction style of storytelling? Do you crave the mystery of detective tales and the excitement of adventure stories? If so, then you're in for a treat!

Black Book Detective Tales and Dixon Kinqade are proud to present our first thrilling publication. Each volume contains a collection of three exciting detective stories written in the traditional style of Classic Golden Age Pulp Magazines. In every issue, you'll find pulse-pounding tales of intrigue, suspense, mystery, and adventure. Each tale is a self-contained story, full and complete. So you can begin wherever you'd like!  

And for a limited time, customers will receive a special fifty percent discount on all purchases!

So what are you waiting for? Head over to DK's online store and dive into the thrilling world of classic pulp-styled storytelling today! Experience the excitement of classic pulp fiction with Dixon Kinqade NOW!



 


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