Akashic Books Launches Street Fiction Imprint

by Felicia Pride, PW Daily -- Publishers Weekly, 8/8/2006

Brooklyn-based independent publisher, Akashic Books, is launching a street fiction imprint to be called The Arsenal. The imprint is positioned as a high-quality line that will be edited by novelist Kenji Jasper.

Akashic publisher Johnny Temple said the imprint will start slowly, eventually releasing two books a year. The first title, Got, will be released in February. The book is a gangster-inspired tale written by a pseudonymous author named D, whose bio says he’s written for urban publications including Vibe. Jasper, who has written three novels and published the memoir The House on Childress Street in January, will acquire titles and assist with packaging and marketing.

Temple said he’s been impressed by the motivation of self-published street writers to produce and market their own work. "When Kenji pitched the idea to me," said Temple, "I saw it as an opportunity to capture the energy of street literature and build a line with high production and editorial values that can reach a broad audience."