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About us
About Poisoned Pen Press
Poisoned Pen Press was founded in 1996 by Barbara Peters, an ex-librarian who turned to a life of crime selling mysteries, her husband, Robert Rosenwald, and their daughter. Peters, who founded Scottsdale Arizona's The Poisoned Pen, A Mystery Bookstore and More a decade ago, sees consolidations in the publishing industry as a terrible threat to cultural diversity and to the survival of the independent bookstore — ultimately becoming a subtle form of censorship. Besides, she wants to sell books she likes.
Poisoned Pen Press' mission has thus been defined as making available books, whether originals or reprints, for today's mystery audience. Its books are distributed through Baker & Taylor, Ingram, and Independent Publishers Group and are available directly from the publisher and at mystery and general bookstores everywhere.
Our Vision, Mission, and Values
Vision:
Set a standard for excellence as an independent publisher by producing only high quality, well written books in the field of mystery.
Mission:
Publish only those books that meet the following quality standards:
- Works that represent excellence in writing.
- Works that sustain and enhance the stature of Poisoned Pen Press.
- Works that expand our presence among all segments of the publishing and reading world.
- Works that increase the overall profitability of the Company.
Values:
- A passion for high-quality works of mystery.
- An atmosphere of participation and cooperation among our authors.
- A commitment to fostering a rewarding team environment.
- A commitment to the satisfaction of all stakeholders (owners, investors, advisory committee, employees and authors).
- Uncompromising honesty and integrity.
- Open, candid, and clear communication.
- A commitment to increasing profitability through publishing quality books.
An Email Interview, April 2000, with Barbara Peters
“By 1997, we had become more and more aware that good books we wanted to sell had vanished from our shelves. One day my staff said to me that instead of raging about it, why not reprint some? ...”
Interview with Robert Rosenwald
“There were 2 main events that contributed to the creation of Poisoned Pen Press. The first was that The Poisoned Pen had hosted a crime conference in Scottsdale in February of 1996, AZ Murder Goes...Classic, that had been extremely well-received. ...”