Hard Case Crime Double Artwork

More cool news from Hard Case Crime. I received a very nice email from HCC editor and co-founder Charles Ardai this afternoon with the artwork for their recently announced Robert Bloch "Double," as it will actually look--the the back-to-back format along with the spine.



While I had his ear I also asked him about the selection process of the titles they publish; particularly how they choose between reprints and original novels. His response was terrific and very kind. In part he said:

As for originals vs. reprints, to some extent it's the luck of the draw -- we'll have a run of reprints, then a batch of originals all clumped up. It's not intentional, it's just the result of when authors happen to finish writing their books, and also of the variable quality of the submissions we get. (I'll always choose to buy a great reprint rather than a second-rate original novel, if that's my only alternative.)

Which probably sums up why HCC has had so much success in the marketplace. I'm always pushing for HCC to release more originals, but I can't argue with the overall quality of the titles they have chosen to bring back into print. How can I when they are reprinting hard-to-find novels from authors like Lawrence Block, Ed McBain, Max Allan Collins, Day Keene, David Goodis, John Lange and so many more? But still....

Thanks for the artwork and the email Charles.