Introducing HTF Publishing, a new hybrid imprint that promises to give authors the same high-quality publishing experience as its parent imprint.
About HTF Publishing
Founded in 2023 as an imprint of History Through Fiction, HTF Publishing is hybrid publisher of compelling, high-quality historical novels. Following in the tradition of History Through Fiction, HTF Publishing seeks to provide readers with engaging historical narratives that are rooted in detailed and accurate historical research. As a hybrid imprint, we want to work with authors who are serious about their craft and aspire to share imaginative, important, and well-researched historical narratives with the world.
Novels published by HTF Published are featured right alongside our traditionally published novels! Because of that, we carefully evaluate all submissions and only offer contracts to authors whose manuscripts demonstrate exceptional writing and thorough research. Our pride lies in the combination of style and substance that our novels possess. To ensure the utmost quality and success, each of our novels undergoes an extensive 12-16 month publishing process.
Ready to work with HTF Publishing?
Hi, I’m Colin Mustful
I’m a historian at heart. But over the years I’ve discovered the power of storytelling. An engaging, well-researched historical novel can not only teach readers about the past, it can bring history to life!
In 2013, my first novel, Thy Eternal Summer, was published by a Vanity Press. At the time, I didn’t understand the publishing process and I didn’t know how to utilize the craft elements of fiction. My novel didn’t sell, and my financial investment in the Vanity Press was never returned to me. But that experience motivated me to learn about the publishing process and about the science of storytelling. In 2017, I returned to school for an MFA in creative writing. Then, in 2019, I combined my passion for history and my knowledge of storytelling to create History Through Fiction, an independent traditional press specializing in historical fiction. Now, using all that I’ve learned and experienced, I’ve created HTF Publishing, a hybrid press that allows me share more important, valuable, and engaging historical narratives—your historical narrative.
About HTF Publishing
Founded in 2023 as an imprint of History Through Fiction, HTF Publishing is hybrid publisher of compelling, high-quality historical novels. Following in the tradition of History Through Fiction, HTF Publishing seeks to provide readers with engaging historical narratives that are rooted in detailed and accurate historical research. As a hybrid press, we want to work with authors who are serious about their craft and aspire to share imaginative, important, and well-researched, historical narratives with the world.
Mission
To meet the needs of authors and readers alike by providing a professional publishing experience while creating high-quality, engaging historical narratives.
Vision
To collaborate with authors who are serious about their craft in order publish great stories that meet industry standards, are competitive in the traditional marketplace, and provide readers with a consistent product that entertains, educates, and motivates them to seek out new and broader perspectives on the past.
Values
At HTF Publishing we value our commitment to authors and readers alike. We believe in collaborating with authors through a transparent, guided process that ensures that our authors are confident in themselves, their stories, and the publishing process. We represent authors who are committed to conveying the historical elements of their stories directly to their readers. Our stories are professionally edited, well-crafted historical narratives that meet the standards set my large traditional publishing houses. We value the proliferation of history, historical fiction, writing, and reading in a manner that is educational, entertaining, and promotes dialogue about the past and its relevance for us today. We support independent authors, book sellers, and publishers. We value diversity in storytelling and we seek to illuminate underrepresented voices and respect marginalized communities and cultures.
Meet the Team
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Colin Mustful
PUBLISHER
Colin Mustful is the founder and editor of History Through Fiction, an independent press that publishes compelling historical novels that are based on real events and people. In 2023, he launched HTF Publishing, a hybrid press, with the goal of assisting authors in bringing important and valuable historical narratives into the world.
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Robin Henry
MANAGING EDITOR
Robin Henry is an Author Accelerator Certified Book Coach and holds an MLS (Library Science) and MA in Humanities. She is a librarian, adjunct professor of Humanities, independent scholar, and book coach who is also a definite fan of the Oxford comma. As a hot beverage enthusiast and total history nerd, she can’t wait to read your story!
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Melissa Makarewicz
VIRTUAL ASSISTANT
Melissa Makarewicz is the owner and founder of The Literary Assistant. Her business specializes in providing social media and newsletter marketing services to authors. She also operates a Patreon community where she offers additional support and resources to fellow writers, including those who sign with HTF Publishing. When not working, Melissa enjoys spending time with her family. She has a passion for history and loves helping authors succeed and achieve their goals.
More Reasons to Join HTF Publishing
Royalty Tracking through Author Nexus
Powered by TitleVerso
At HTF Publishing, we provide you with Author Nexus, a user-friendly platform that lets you monitor your book sales and royalties conveniently. Whether on your desktop or mobile phone, Author Nexus gives you real-time updates on sales across all formats and distribution channels. This is a fantastic perk not commonly found with other publishers.
Partnerships with Trusted Brands
When you sign a contract with HTF Publishing, you unlock exclusive deals with reputable brands. These partners provide top-notch services in marketing, author branding, social media, and writing. As HTF Publishing transforms your manuscript into a top-tier novel, our partners are ready to help you realize all your publishing goals.
Shimmr.ai
Shimmr is an automated advertising platform that uses AI to create, deploy, and optimize book ads. We just upload your novel, and Shimmr handles the rest. With AI, Shimmr identifies and targets your market, using its constantly updated algorithm to ensure the highest click-through rate and drive sales.
If you want to use Shimmr to advertise your novel, you'll pay 70% of the advertising fees, and we'll cover the remaining 30%. This means we only profit from the ads if you do, showing our confidence in Shimmr's effectiveness.
Costs:
First four months (onboarding period): $420
Month-to-month (cancel anytime): $105
Plus, we'll be available for monthly Zoom meetings to share your analytics, help track your sales, and assess your ad's effectiveness.
Clover & Bee Communications
Clover and Bee, LLC is a boutique consulting agency that provides strategic communications and creative original content for innovative companies and emerging startups, specializing in faith-based media.
As an HTF author, Clover & Bee offers 20% off the following services
– Author Websites
– Custom branding
– Full-scale or DIY marketing
– Publicity and media pitching
– Social media management
– BookTok influencer outreach & promotion
Maps by Annika Wooton
Many novels benefit from having a map or two at the front. Maps help readers understand the setting, especially in historical novels where nations, territories, and cities change over time. If you'd like a map in your novel, we have a trusted designer, Annika Wooton, who would be happy to create one for you!
If you're interested, we'll send you a design brief and handle all communication with the designer. Each design includes two free revisions to ensure you get exactly what you want. Here's the cost breakdown:
$250 for one regional map
$300 for one detailed city map
$400 for two regional maps
$450 for two detailed city maps
$425 for one regional map and one detailed city map
$300 for each additional map
Free for the first and second revisions
$75 for each revision beyond the first two
Book Awards Program
Book awards are a great way for authors to gain recognition for their hard work. They also add prestige to both the author and the publisher. However, not all book awards are the same. Some are so prestigious that hybrid and small press novels can't enter, while others are so predatory that they give almost every applicant a medal.
We want to help you navigate these award opportunities while keeping costs in check. As per your contract, we will submit your book to up to three awards of your choice. You will need to reimburse the submission fees. We will handle all submission requirements, including packaging and shipping the necessary paperbacks. Just let us know which three awards you choose, and we'll send you an invoice and take care of the rest.
You can also submit to as many additional awards as you like. We're here to help you decide which ones are worth the financial risk and which are not.