Scary Business
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Given Strauch’s lack of publishing experience, he seems to have made a respectable debut. Alice Bentley, whose Lakeview store The Stars Our Destination specializes in horror and sci-fi, called the three titles “very nicely produced paperbacks” and the writing “much better than serviceable.” Chicago writer Rick R. Reed, who has published two horror novels with Dell, contributed a story to The Darkest Thirst and was also impressed by the design. “I was surprised by how attractive the books are,” he says, “something you don’t always see in small independent publishing houses.” Better yet, Strauch seems to have taken his own experience as a writer to heart and avoided draining his authors’ blood; Reed reports that he’s been paid a royalty on each book as soon as it has sold. “A lot of publishing companies I’ve worked with don’t do that.”
Strauch plans to publish three more books in the fall and another three in spring 1999. He’s engaged four DesignImage staffers and two people outside the firm in the publishing effort; to select the first three titles the editorial board sifted through about 1,200 novel and short story manuscripts, narrowing the field to 30 serious contenders. “It was pretty clear to all of us which two of the six novels were the best,” says Strauch, “but there was lots of discussion about the short stories.” Strauch’s story “The Alberscine Vigil” was one of 16 that made the cut for The Darkest Thirst. As his wry contributor’s note reports, “No one on the editorial committee volunteered to issue him a rejection slip.”
DTC hasn’t depleted its funds yet, but it’s decided to shelve a third production planned for August and rethink its strategy. In the meantime it will have to find a new artistic director to replace Amanda Weier, who has resigned. “They’re thinking more about doing instant-hit status stuff now, while I want to continue to do more experimental work,” she explains. Phil Kohlmetz is managing director of Roadworks Productions, a young theater that’s broken through the ranks of start-up companies; he thinks the Directors Theatre saga is fairly typical. “They all may have gotten a great education in the theater,” he says, “but they usually haven’t gotten an education in the marketplace, where it’s much tougher.”
