Wow. Didn’t see this one coming. Two of the best of the independent presses just pulled a crime fiction Voltron and united. Tyrus Books has acquired Busted Flush Press. Crime fiction Voltron — Unite!
Joking aside this is very interesting news. The one question that comes immediately to mind is how this deal will affect Tyrus’s MWA eligibility since Busted Flush is an MWA approved publisher. Under the current MWA guidelines Tryus isn’t yet eligible to be on the approved publishers list because the guidelines state that a publisher needs to be in business for two years but Busted Flush IS on the list.
The publisher must have been in business for at least two years since publication of the first book by a person with no financial or ownership interest in the company. (Exception: a new imprint by an established, approved publisher.)
As far as I know the MWA rules don’t have something in place to handle this type of acquisition. So hopefully someone can swing by and leave a comment. Otherwise I’ll keep an eye on Lee Goldberg’s blog to see if he proffers any clarification.
After the jump check out the full press release and the obligatory Voltron video (because I’m a geek like that).
TYRUS BOOKS ACQUIRES BUSTED FLUSH PRESS
Two of Crime Fiction’s Most Respected Independent Presses Merge
MADISON, WI— August 26, 2010 — Tyrus Books, Inc. today announced the acquisition of Busted Flush Press, LLC., in a move that brings together two of crime fiction’s most recognizable independent presses.
“We’re very excited to add the Busted Flush brand to Tyrus Books. David Thompson is a dedicated and tireless advocate of crime fiction and I look forward to seeing the Busted Flush brand continue to grow,” said Benjamin LeRoy, Publisher and President of Tyrus Books.
Thompson, Publisher of Busted Flush Press, will continue in his current role, selecting approximately twenty titles a year for publication. The combined companies will have approximately 45 books in print by the end of 2010 with another 20 titles scheduled for spring 2011.
“I am very excited to join forces with Ben and Tyrus Books. I’ve long been a fan of what Tyrus has been doing,” Thompson said, “and I believe Busted Flush Press will be a good fit.”
With this acquisition, Busted Flush becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Tyrus Books. Both companies are distributed to the trade by Consortium Book Sales and Distribution. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
About Busted Flush Press
Busted Flush Press has published previously out of print books from authors such as Ace Atkins, Daniel Woodrell, Reed Farrel Coleman, Don Winslow, Zoe Sharp, and Ken Bruen. Works published by Busted Flush have won or been nominated for nearly all major awards in the crime fiction field including the Shamus, CWA Dagger, Macavity, Anthony, Derringer, and Edgar Awards. For more information about Busted Flush Press please visit www.bustedflushpress.com
About Tyrus Books
Tyrus Books, founded in 2009, publishes crime and dark literary fiction from emerging and established authors including Loren D. Estleman, Victoria Houston, Peter Gadol, Angela S. Choi, Victor Gischler, Seth Harwood, and Mary Logue. Before starting Tyrus Books, Publisher Benjamin LeRoy founded and presided over Bleak House Books. For more information on Tyrus Books please visit www.tyrusbooks.com
Holy Crap