Marcher Lord Press

Marcher Lord Press http://www.MarcherLordPress.com is a new publisher of Christian fiction founded by Jeff Gerke.  Gerke, a publishing pro and a writer himself, also runs Where the Map Ends  http://wherethemapends.com, a site to help writers, especially Christian writers of speculative fiction.

Marcher Lord Press will published Christian fantasy and science fiction.  The first books roll off the presses in October 2008 -- just around the corner, really.

The three books (http://www.marcherlordpress.com/MLP_Books.htm) which are coming out in October have good cover art.  They sound like they will appeal to secular readers as well as religious readers -- a case when interesting writing transcends readership.  I hope they're good -- for all our sakes.  Many times, Christian fiction disappoints me.  I hope MLP will help raise the bar.  (I also they retain strong Christian elements.  I do believe both are possible.)

This publishing company is something of an experiment.  It will make use of print-on-demand technology, to keep down wasteful print runs, and make profits more quickly than traditional publishing, with lower initial costs, etc.   Jeff also wants to reach readers who may not often be reached by this genre, through internet marketing, word of mouth, etc.  

I, for one, am interested to see how this experiment will work out.  I sent a query to Jeff, too.  But whether they decide to publish me or not, I wish them the best of luck with this venture.  I believe it's something worth doing, and I hope it takes off in a huge way.  (This is a niche genre that, I suspect, is not nearly as "niche" as current thought dictates.)

~Alice M. Roelke~