Angry Robot Gives Crime Another Shot

Almost two weeks ago, I received a curious announcement in my e-mailbox, sent by Samantha Lien of Chicago-based Kaye Publicity. It concerned UK publisher Angry Robot Books, a house “dedicated to producing modern adult science fiction and fantasy,” in the words of Wikipedia. Here’s the text of Ms. Lien’s note:

I have some exciting news from the Angry Robot Books team! On September 7, they are launching Datura Books, a new crime fiction imprint focused on titles with a strong sense of voice and place that push the boundaries of the genre while still playing with readers' favorite tropes.

“Datura is founded on what sets Angry Robot apart—direct connection with our readers,” said publisher Eleanor Teasdale. “As avid readers in this genre, our team all believe that we can offer something special by using our experience with Angry Robot to choose the titles we would be so excited to pick up in a bookshop.”

We’re so excited to share this news with you and hoping you can help us spread the word on the official launch day! While full details are embargoed through September 7th, I would be happy to share a full press release and logo with you beforehand and answer any questions you may have in the meantime—just let me know what’s helpful.

But wait, you say to yourself, searching your memory for details, hasn’t Angry Robot already tried an imprint of this nature before? Yes, in fact it has. Back in 2012 it declared its intention to launch Exhibit A, a new line of police procedurals, mysteries, and thrillers that “aim[ed] to bring readers an exhilarating world of drama, suspense and … yes … fear!” The Web site Crime Fiction Lover reported that Exhibit A titles would be released in both paperback and e-book formats, and that Emlyn Rees—an author of crime novels as well as comedies—had been recruited as the imprint’s commissioning editor.

By late 2013, Exhibit A was turning out works by Daniel O’Shea (Penance), Charles Lambert (The View from the Tower), Karen Sandler (Clean Burn), Bartholomew Daniels (A Death Owed God), and others. However, only months later news came that Exhibit A—together with Angry Robot’s young-adult imprint, Strange Chemistry—was being shuttered, leaving several authors with cancelled contracts. The official word was that “due mainly to market saturation” those imprints had “been unable to carve out their own niches.”

So yes, I had a question: Why do Angry Robot executives think they can succeed with Datura when they already failed with Exhibit A?

It took a while, but I finally received the following official response: “Exhibit A had a wonderful team, but definitely fell prey to a bad time in publishing. Bryon Quertermous, who had worked previously with Exhibit A, joins the brand-new Datura team with a new approach that is smaller and more focused on voice, while also gaining a larger reach with the [distribution] support of Penguin Random House.”

Quertermous, you may recall, is the Michigan author of such crime novels as Murder Boy (2015) and Trigger Switch (2018). He also collaborated with Stuart Woods on 2021’s Jackpot. Quertermous tells me in an e-note that “my official title is U.S. Consulting Editor and my role is mostly a consulting one, offering insights into the U.S. crime fiction market.” He had served as acquiring editor at Exhibit A. When asked what lessons Angry Robot might have learned from the demise of that earlier imprint, Quertermous responds: “I know questions of Exhibit A’s failure will come up, but I know all of us would rather focus on making Datura a success than talking about Exhibit A’s failure … I just know the need for a press like this that mixes the attention and insight of a small press with the distribution power of Penguin Random House is just as powerful as it was a decade ago.”

Half a dozen new titles are already expected from Datura over the next year. We’ll see whether its achievements can eclipse the collapse of Exhibit A. If not, it won’t be only robots that are left angry.

ONE LAST THING: Because I am curious about these sorts of things, I inquired as to the source of the Datura Books name. The following comes from publisher Eleanor Teasdale:

“Datura was chosen after a ton of thoughts and ideas thrown together, but it actually came from our sister publisher—Watkins! Fiona [Robertson, publisher at Watkins and Nourish] suggested it as it’s a British, poisonous night-blooming flower and we just all really liked it—it felt good to pay tribute to our base in the UK!”