From Mystery Lover to Independent Publisher: The Story of KeiterBennett Publishers

Why did you start your own publishing company? I get this question a lot when I'm out and about networking with writers and nonwriters alike. As a child, I was captivated by the world of mystery novels, devouring every page with eager anticipation. I would read The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, Agatha Christie, and anything else I could get my hands on.

Whenever Scholastic Dat came around during the school year, it felt like the money I had was burning a hole in my pocket. I couldn't get enough of the thrilling plots, characters, and the puzzle-solving adventures that kept me up late into the night. Little did I know that this childhood passion would one day lead me to embark on a journey to start my own independent publishing company, KeiterBennett Publishers, based in the heart of Hartford, CT.

A Love for Mysteries and Storytelling

Growing up, those Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books were my constant companions. They fueled my imagination and inspired me to start crafting my own stories. I'd spend hours creating my own whodunit storylines. Little did I know that years later, those stories would be the foundation of me starting my own company. 

Timeline

I won't bore you with everything that's happened between The Tower Treasure and where we are today because that would be a book in itself (maybe one day that book will get written) but I will say that officially KeiterBennett Publishers was formed in 2014. 

The first book released was "Slicker Than Most", Book 1 in a urban romance trilogy. Now you might be wondering if I loved mystery novels so much why would I release an urban romance book first. Well, it's because I love mystery novels so much that I spent more than ten years working on what was going to be the first book in a new detective series. It was my baby and I just couldn't get it right. After a decade of edits, changing plots, changing character names, changing everything, I need I had to take a break and step away. That's how Slicker Than Most came to be. 

What KBP is today, wasn't what it started out being. Originally, I wanted to build a publishing house where I would publish other authors projects. I tried and while we did manage to publish the books. The headaches I endured completely changed what the purpose of the company was going to be. I realized that I had more than enough stories swimming around in my head that I didn't need to publish anyone else's books. I could use the publishing company as a vehicle for me to release the mystery books I wanted to write. 

The one other thing that pushed me to just focus on my work is I actually got a book deal from a major publishing company, one of the Big 5. I was so excited for about two seconds until I realized that as a newbie author, I didn't have any control. My book wouldn't be my book by the time they got through with it. 

I think this is a good spot to leave off with for now. 

Stay tuned for Part II

Happy Reading.