Crime novelist turns publisher as book industry enters a new chapter

AN award-winning city crime writer has launched a new e-book publisher.

Allan Guthrie, the acclaimed author of Two-Way Split, will run Blasted Heath, alongside social media expert Kyle MacRae.

The publisher, which will be the first in Scotland to sell only digital novels, hopes to cash in on the increasing popularity of e-readers, such as Amazon’s Kindle and the iPad.

It intends to put 30 new novels on the market in the next year.

It also hopes to find innovative ways to sell books as the industry faces up to one of its greatest-ever challenges in the form of digital media.

Amongst the writers already signed up are well-known crime author Ray Banks and Capital journalist Brian Pendreigh.

Readers can also purchase a ‘boxed set’ of Blasted Heath’s first five novels for £12.99, which come loaded on to a branded USB stick.

Guthrie turned to digital publishing when his novella Bye Bye Baby outsold his entire print back-catalogue as an e-book in just four months.