By
David Nemeth
After a few weeks thinking about Otto Penzler, I believe there are a few ways writers can act to show that Penzler's behavior will not be tolerated anymore.
- Writers should no longer use The Mysterious Bookshop on their book tours.
- We should ask Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Mariner Books to remove Penzler as the series editor of the "Best American Mystery Short Stories" annual.
Two simple things. And if Houghton Mifflin Harcourt won't remove Penzler then if they want to publish your story in 2019, decline their request and tell them why.
If you're not a writer what can you do? No longer shop at The Mysterious Bookshop and stop buying the "Best American Mystery Short Stories" annual until Penzler is removed as series editor.
* * *
How did I get to here? A couple of weeks ago I saw a post by author Kellye Garrett and she said, "Once again the crime fiction industry proves we have such a long way to go to truly be an inclusive space..." I had no idea what was going on. More reading later and I found this, "Otto Penzler, Pegasus Books Team to Launch Suspense Imprint" (
Publishers Weekly).
Otto Penzler, noted founder of the mystery and crime house Penzler Publishing, is teaming with Pegasus Books to launch Scarlet, a joint publishing venture specializing in psychological suspense aimed at female readers.
How dumb is Pegasus Books? How dumb is their publicist? There's much wrong with this, but let's talk about what a dumb idea it is to have a man to team up with a publisher with the intent of "specializing in psychological suspense aimed at female readers" in the throws of #metoo and female empowerment. Does Pegasus Books know how to read a room?
But with Penzler, there's more.
After the Mystery Writers of America (MWA) rescinded their award to Linda Fairstein, Penzler wrote a
letter to the MWA. If you can't take a moment to read the letter yourself, I'll give you a few quotes.
Regrettably, I have only recently become aware of this disgusting turn of events. I was not in New York and had no cell phone service when you cowardly and reprehensibly snatched the Edgar Award from Ms. Fairstein, evidently cowed by racially charged and utterly misinformed letters from Attica Locke and Steph Cha.
This is a thing we white people do when confronted by people of color, white people hint at (or blurt it out) that the people of color are the ones being racist. It's our thing. Watch a few hours of Fox News and you'll see I'm right. The letter goes on with phrases like "stupefying ignorance", "noxious article", and "a cowardly stance". He also went on to defend Fairstein and the convictions of the Central Park Five. He finished his letter stating that the MWA "are no longer welcome in my bookshop." Nothing like digging in when you're on the wrong side of history.
But with Penzler, there's more.
Back in 1991, The Chicago Sun-Times wrote
an article about Sisters in Crime, which was founded in 1986 by Sara Paretsky, author of the V.I. Warshawski series. This quote from Penzler shows that the infamous MWA letter of 2018 is not a one-off. It shows how the man thinks.
And then there is The Mysterious Press` Otto Penzler, long a major figure in mystery writing and long a critic of Sisters in Crime, a stance, he admits, for which he has been pilloried. Of course, the Sisters would point out, he is also a male.
''It`s a negative, flawed concept,'' says Penzler. ''It`s an organization that espouses non-sexism but is sexist. They loathe the old boys network in publishing, but they`ve become one. It`s a divisive organization. Some of its members are strident and achingly boring on the subject of sexism.
''But they are very effective. They are political, well-organized and effective at getting their agenda publicized. And they have become the very thing they say they are fighting.''
Attica Locke, Kellye Garrett, and Steph Cha are telling us something is wrong. We've been ignoring them and going on with our lives. This has got to stop. We can move forward to a world where men like this no longer have sway over careers and lives. All it takes a little effort such as:
- Writers should no longer use The Mysterious Bookshop on their book tour.
- We should ask Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Mariner Books to remove Penzler as the series editor of the "Best American Mystery Short Stories" annual.
