Macmillan has launched CriminalElement.com, an online community for fans of crime and mystery fiction, focused on celebrating the genre and offering a combination of new material and pre-release excerpts as well as fan and writer commentary and more.
Like its sister community sites, Tor.com, focused on science-fiction and fantasy, and HeroesandHeartbreakers.com, for romance, CriminalElement is a “publisher neutral” community, reaching beyond Macmillan authors to include crime and mystery authors and creators from all publishers. The site is beginning with original fiction and articles by such noted crime writers as Rosemary Harris, Luis Alberto Urrea, Joseph Finder and Steve Hamilton.
Liz Edelstein, senior manager and editor of CriminalElement and a published author herself, said the site was not simply to promote Macmillan authors. “We think of CriminalElement.com as a community for fans, by fans, and the focus is on editorial content rather than on marketing.” Edelstein said the site will highlight the vast range of crime and mystery writing—from Noir and procedurals to mystery graphic novels—and reach out to fans of the genre to make the site a destination for creators and fans.
The site is looking for short story submissions and excerpts and any interested parties should contact Edelstein (submissions@criminalelement.com).
