Polis Books

About Polis Books

Polis Books is an independent book publisher founded in 2013 aiming to deliver the service and distribution of a major trade publishing house with the nimbleness, innovation, and forward thinking of an independent press at the vanguard of an ever-changing industry. We are also the home to Agora, our new imprint focusing on crime fiction from unique and diverse social and cultural viewpoints, which launched Fall 2019. Read more about Agora here.

Using our knowledge of ever-changing technology, distribution, publicity, marketing, design, editorial and social media, as well as a deep respect for the communities that love and appreciate commercial fiction and non-fiction, Polis Books aims to introduce readers to brand new voices, as well as reinvigorate the careers of talented authors who deserve a wider readership, whether in print, digital, or both. We will be publishing a mixture of new and previously published books from contemporary writers across all platforms, retailers, and e-retailers. We publish books in print (hardcover and paperback, depending on the acquisition) and digital, evaluating each potential acquisition to determine its appropriate publication format. We distribute our titles through Publishers Group West/Ingram, the largest book sales and distribution company in the country, to get our titles the widest possible distribution in all formats.

Frequently Asked Questions About Polis Books

Do you offer advances?

Yes. Polis Books offers an upfront advance against royalties. We are an independent press, which means our advances might be modest, but nearly all of our authors earn out, and earn out quickly. We look at every author we work with as a long term investment in their future as well as ours, and want our authors to feel they are treated as partners both creatively and in business.

What services does Polis offer?

Because we act as a full service publisher, Polis Books handles every aspect of a book's publication, from cover design to formatting, editing and copyediting, printing, marketing, distribution and publicity. We work with every author hand-in-hand to make sure they are completely satisfied with not only the content of their book, but how it is packaged and published. We offer our writers the hands-on care of an independent press with the knowledge and experience of people who have worked in the publishing industry for years.

What royalty rates does Polis Books offer?

There is no 'One Size Fits All' Polis agreement. We negotiate advances and royalties on a book-by-book basis, often offering performance-based escalations or bonuses, and our royalties are always at or higher than the industry standard.

What type of distribution does Polis Books have?

Polis Books is distributed by Publishers Group West, the leading book sales and distribution company in the U.S., working with over 40 retail and ebook vendors including, but not limited to, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Sony, Kobo, Ingram, Baker and Taylor, Follett, Overdrive, and large and small independent bookstores across the country. Your books and ebooks will be available at retailers both large and small, including libraries, ensuring your work will be available to every reader, regardless of reading habit, device or platform. Booksellers and libraries: you can order Polis titles directly through iPage or via your PGW sales representative. If you do not have an iPage or Ingram account, email us at info@polisbooks.com and we'll make sure your order is placed.

What type of marketing does Polis Books offer?

Polis Books markets every book and author individually, tailoring campaigns based on your book and genre, both short and longterm. We look to publish authors whom we can promote 24/7/365, and are constantly on the hunt for more opportunities to showcase our amazing writers. We look at your genre, the communities who read your work, and put together marketing campaigns, both in print, digital and via social media. We also have the ability to promote your books through many highly-sought-after print and e-retailer promotions, and are aggressive in placing our books into those important programs.

Do you accept unsolicited submissions?

Yes, however due to the overwhelming volume of unsolicited submissions we receive, we can only respond to queries we have interest in. We apologize that we cannot respond to every writer who submits to us, but time is one thing we cannot get more of and we need to devote as much of it as possible to our authors under contract. If you write for us, you wouldn't want it any other way.

For more information on Polis authors and titles, please follow our social media feeds, where we actively post news and glimpses into what's in store on Twitter and Facebook.

Polis Books was founded in 2013 by Jason Pinter. With over a decade of trade experience in the publishing industry, Mr. Pinter has worked in editorial, marketing and publicity for publishers both large and small, at Warner Books, Random House, St. Martin's Press, Grove/Atlantic and The Mysterious Press, and has worked with numerous bestselling and award-winning writers. He is also the bestselling author of six novels with over one million copies in print: five in his acclaimed Henry Parker thriller series and the standalone thriller The Castle, which have been nominated for the Thriller Award, Strand Critics Award, Shamus Award, CrimeSpree Award and RT Reviewers Choice Award, and Zeke Bartholomew: Superspy! for Middle Grade readers. His next novel, The Broken Woman, will be published in early 2020 by Thomas & Mercer. Having worked in the editorial, marketing and authorial side of the industry, he knows exactly what publishers expect from their authors, and what authors should expect from their publisher. Follow Jason on Twitter or email him for business matters directly related to Polis Books at jpinter (at) polisbooks (dot) com.

Agora Books is led by Chantelle Aimée Osman. Chantelle is the former Editor-in-Chief of RT Book Reviews Magazine, co-hosts the Crime Friction podcast, and is an instructor at the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, Authors at Large, and LitReactor. She is the author of the seven-volume non-fiction series on writing The Quick and Dirty Guides To… and has also published numerous works of short fiction, in addition to serving as editor for several anthologies. She was previously named a Left Coast Crime Guest of Honor and spearheaded their scholarship and anti-harassment initiatives. Contact her at cosman (at) polisbooks (dot) com. Follow her on Twitter.

Agora authors include: John Vercher, Patricia Shanae Smith, Tori Eldridge, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Gabino Iglesias, Gary Phillips, Sung J. Woo, Johnny Shaw, Andrea J. Johnson, RV Raman, Josh Stallings, Cynthia Pelayo, Zhana Slor and Dea Poirier.