Down & Out Books

What Down & Out Books does

Down & Out Books is an independent publishing press founded in 2011 and based in Lutz, Florida, that specializes in dark, noir, transgressive, and existential crime fiction. The company serves two constituencies: writers of novel-length crime fiction (50,000+ words) who seek a traditional publishing home for work mainstream publishers reject as too dark or morally ambiguous, and readers of gritty, voice-driven crime fiction. The company operates a curated author roster of 14+ writers, including Chris Orlet, J.J. Hensley, Nathan Singer, Jen Conley, Richard Hood, Geoff Hyatt, Peter Stipe, Patrick Shawn Bagley, Greg F. Gifune, Jack Getze, Les Roberts, Brandon Daily, and publisher Joe Ricker himself. Its value proposition centers on editorial vision, professional editing, cover design, and distribution for authors willing to write into the 'shadows of morality.'

The company runs on a WordPress-based technology stack (using the Accelerate Pro theme) that hosts the publishing catalog, author pages, merchandise storefront, submissions portal, and staff information. The digital infrastructure is intentionally lean: a single owned website serves as the storefront, marketing platform, and submissions intake channel. No third-party retail, wholesale, or marketplace distribution channels are identified, and the technology footprint shows no AI, API, SDK, or proprietary platform features.

Down & Out Books makes money through one-time purchases of physical and digital books sold directly to consumers via its e-commerce website, supplemented by merchandise sales. Authors do not pay submission or production fees; instead, the press invests in editing, cover design, and distribution and recoups through sales. The business is privately held, founder-led by Publisher Joe Ricker, with no external funding, parent company, or disclosed revenue. Staffing consists of five named individuals covering Publisher, Director of Operations, Senior Editor, Acquisitions Manager, and Creative Director roles. Customer acquisition relies on genre community engagement, author referrals, and niche social channels (Instagram and Reddit under @silent_realms).

Name

Down & Out Books

Legal name

Down & Out Books

Website

https://downandoutbooks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Down & Out Books is an independent, founder-led publishing press founded in 2011 that publishes dark, noir, and transgressive crime fiction novels directly to consumers via its own website, serving authors whose work is rejected by mainstream publishers and readers of gritty genre fiction.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Book Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Retailers and News Dealers (4592)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Genre & Category Publishing (Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Sci‑Fi/Fantasy, etc.) (MPAJAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Author Website, Storefront & Direct-to-Reader Commerce (D2C Sales) (MPAJAJAE), Editorial & Production Services (Copyediting, Proofreading, Formatting, Typesetting) (MPAJAJAG), Cover Design, Illustration & Book Interior Design Services (MPAJAJAH)

Keywords

• Independent book publishing
• Crime fiction publishing
• Noir novels
• Manuscript submissions
• Book sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Lutz

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Revenue generated through direct sales of physical and digital books to consumers via the company's e-commerce website. Authors pay nothing; the press invests in editing, cover design, and distribution.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Down & Out Books is an independent publishing house that publishes crime fiction novels and short story collections in print and digital formats, specializing in dark, noir, and transgressive fiction. The press acquires manuscripts through an open submissions process targeting novel-length works (50,000+ words) from authors writing raw, morally complex crime fiction that mainstream publishers reject, then sells the resulting books directly to consumers through its e-commerce website.

Product overview

Down & Out Books is an independent publishing house focused exclusively on dark crime fiction, noir, and transgressive fiction. The core offering is the publishing catalog featuring novels and short story collections from curated authors including Chris Orlet, J.J. Hensley, Nathan Singer, Jen Conley, Richard Hood, Geoff Hyatt, Peter Stipe, Patrick Shawn Bagley, Greg F. Gifune, Jack Getze, Les Roberts, Brandon Daily, and publisher Joe Ricker. The company operates a submissions service accepting novel-length crime fiction manuscripts (50,000+ words) and also offers merchandise (merch). The press is led by Publisher Joe Ricker, with staff including Director of Operations Michelle Gouveia, Senior Editor Nate Perry, Acquisitions Manager Dustin Pawlikowski, and Creative Director Zach Terry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Down & Out Books Publishing Catalog Independent publishing catalog featuring crime fiction novels and short story collections from curated authors including Chris Orlet, J.J. Hensley, Nathan Singer, Jen Conley, Richard Hood, Geoff Hyatt, Peter Stipe, Patrick Shawn Bagley, and others, sold in print and digital formats directly to readers.
• Manuscript Submissions Service Open submission window for novel-length crime fiction manuscripts (50,000+ words) from authors seeking traditional publishing with an independent press; requires first 10,000 words, one-page synopsis, and author bio, with a typical 6-12 week response time.
• Branded Merchandise Down & Out Books branded merchandise sold directly to consumers through the company's e-commerce website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6-12 weeks typical submission response time

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Soho Press: Soho Press is an independent publisher with a strong crime/noir list (including its Soho Crime imprint), comparable to Down & Out Books in publishing independent crime fiction for adult readers. Both presses balance editorial curation with direct reader engagement.
• Akashic Books: Akashic Books is an independent publisher known for its noir anthology series ('Noir' city anthologies) and literary crime catalog. Directly comparable to Down & Out Books in genre specialization, indie-press operations, and curated author list.
• Mysterious Press: Mysterious Press is a long-running independent crime fiction imprint publishing thrillers, noir, and mysteries. It overlaps with Down & Out Books in genre focus (crime/noir), independent-press identity, and target author/reader pool.
• Melville House: Melville House is an independent publisher with a varied literary catalog that includes crime fiction, comparable to Down & Out Books in independent-press operations and curated approach. Less genre-pure than Down & Out but with overlapping readership and editorial sensibility.
• Hard Case Crime: Hard Case Crime is a crime fiction imprint specializing in pulp-style noir and mystery novels, directly comparable to Down & Out Books in genre focus, editorial sensibility, and target readership. Both presses curate gritty, voice-driven crime fiction that mainstream houses avoid.
• Polis Books: Polis Books is an independent publisher with a strong focus on crime, thriller, and noir fiction, comparable to Down & Out Books in genre specialization and editorial identity. Both presses target adult readers seeking literary and genre crime fiction.
• Bitter Lemon Press: Bitter Lemon Press is an independent publisher specializing in translated crime fiction and noir. It overlaps with Down & Out Books in genre focus (crime/noir), independent-press operations, and adult fiction readership, with a slight twist toward translated titles.

Broad incumbents

• Titan Books: Titan Books is a larger independent publisher with a significant crime and thriller fiction list (including Titan Crime). It overlaps with Down & Out Books in genre but operates at much broader scale with greater distribution and marketing budgets.

Emerging players

• Ghoulish Books: Ghoulish Books is a smaller independent publisher focused on horror, noir, and transgressive fiction. It is comparable to Down & Out Books in editorial identity (dark, transgressive aesthetic) but at an earlier stage of catalog development and brand recognition.

Regional players

• No Exit Press: No Exit Press is a UK-based independent publisher specializing in crime fiction, thrillers, and noir. It is comparable to Down & Out Books in genre focus and indie-press identity but operates primarily in the UK/Ireland rather than North America.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/downandoutbooks
• Facebookfacebook.com/downandoutbooks
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/down-and-out-books

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Down & Out Books