About

Mission

Brick Mantel Books publishes innovative works of literary excellence by new and established writers. We value literature as an art, and we publish literary fiction and thought-provoking poetry that leave a lasting impression. We want to help readers gain a stronger sense of the world and humanity through literature.

What We Publish

We seek literary fiction that is character-driven, engaging, provocative, lyrical, and artistic, as well as experimental, out-of-the-ordinary work that fits our mission. We also publish contemporary, innovative poetry that pushes boundaries. In short, we publish work we have a deep connection to.

A literary magazine is planned, but right now we accept full-length novels (preferably between 60,000 and 130,000 words) and poetry books (between 40 and 80 poems suggested).

Our Books

Our standard agreements include trade paperback and eBooks, and distribution is through Ingram and Baker & Taylor.

We require our authors to be involved in promotion. Having an established platform (a website and in-person/social media contacts) is a great start. We want to give authors every chance to prove their ability to reach their audience. We are open to out-of-the-box marketing to help little- or unknown authors with promotion, allowing us the flexibility to publish authors with quality work we believe in.

Overview

Brick Mantel Books, an imprint of Pen & Publish, was established in 2015 to promote literary fiction and poetry. Pen & Publish and its imprints were founded in Bloomington, Indiana, and we are now in the process of establishing a St. Louis office as well.

Pen & Publish, Inc. has published work by and for schools and nonprofit organizations since 2005. Its other imprints include Open Books Press, which publishes general adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction for adults, and Transformation Media Books, which focuses on work in the body/mind/spirit genres.

Staff

Jennifer Geist

Jennifer Geist, Owner & Publisher

With a decade of experience in editing, book compositing, photography, graphic and web design, marketing, writing, and more, Jennifer Geist is able to see any book from acquisitions to publication and beyond. She received her bachelor’s degree in creative writing with a focus in small press publishing through Southeast Missouri State University. She has worked with numerous small presses and her stories and photos are published in a variety of literary magazines. In addition to heading Pen & Publish, Open Books Press, and Transformation Media Books, she added a literary fiction and poetry imprint in 2015: Brick Mantel Books. She can be reached via LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or email.


You can also read interviews with Jennifer Geist: Sapling's interview and Michael Dellert's interview.