As most of you know, Crystal Lake Publishing started as a tiny little press back in 2012. It was little more than a Facebook page and a self-made copy and paste website. I (Joe Mynhardt) edited and proofed everything myself, did the interior layout (luckily, I didn’t try the artwork myself), and worked as a teacher by day and publisher/editor by night. And it’s through social media that I slowly gained traction, made friends, and interacted with colleagues. Slowly opened doors and met some amazing people. I’ve shared so many personal stories with so many of you. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support.
Over the years Crystal Lake Publishing has continued to grow and break boundaries, year in and year out. Astonishing even myself. But I always kept a thumb on it and did my best to maintain quality and control. We had lots of ups and downs, but mostly ups. Since my dad passed away in April of last year, things have only improved (I’ve got a guardian angel now). I’ve added new staff over the years, outsourced some things, and over time made more and more industry contacts. Which is why I can announce that…
Crystal Lake Publishing will now only be a small part of a much bigger machine called Crystal Lake Entertainment
Logo designed by Ben Baldwin. Over the next few weeks, I’ll update our social media platforms, newsletter, website, Patreon, etc.
Crystal Lake Entertainment is mainly an IP (Intellectual Property) company, with several divisions falling under it:
-Crystal Lake Publishing. I’ve handed Crystal Lake Publishing over to Jaco Nieuwoudt, who I’ve been grooming for this position for over two years. Jaco will be the Managing Director at Crystal Lake Publishing (making sure every department is working toward my vision for Crystal Lake), as well as the publisher now running Crystal Lake Publishing.
-Crystal Lake: Torrid Waters is a hardcore/pulp imprint run by Kenneth W. Cain. Stay tuned for an open submission window which we’ll announce over the next few days.
-Crystal Lake Comics will be run by James Aquilone, and we’ve got some huge announcements coming soon. Working with some big IPs.
-Crystal Lake Audio is run by Naching T. Kassa, where we’re now handling our own audiobooks. Don’t be surprised if we launch an author podcast in the next year or two.
-Crystal Lake Academy will launch soon on our Patreon page, with a more permanent platform coming next year, run by Amanda Worthington. We’ve always been super passionate about helping authors, and this will be where we launch all our author-centered, on writing projects. This will include video classes, one-on-one sessions, downloadable content, books, and annual online workshops (like we’ve done over the last two years).
-Then we of course also have our merch department, which will also grow considerably and soon include limited edition collectible boxsets.
Plans for the next few years include:
-Crystal Lake Kids (3 to 10 years), which I’ll start myself.
-Crystal Lake Games (card and board games, or pitching our IPs to game studios), which I’ll also get off the ground. With the new staff members, I’ll be able to put some time into new ventures and research.
-Crystal Lake Legacy (can’t share anything here yet, but will soon)
Crystal Lake Entertainment, which I’ll run (while overseeing everything else and starting even more ventures) will also be able to represent translation and film rights. We’ve got a full-time agent and I’ll also rely on my own contacts from over the years. So if we take on an IP, we’ll be able to run with it. What we can’t do ourselves, we’ll represent to reputable third parties. We’ll get things done! We’re already in talks with certain authors/editors/filmmakers/comic book creators about their IPs and looking at some amazing public domain IPs to work with.
I’d also like to introduce you to two new staff members:
A. F. Stewart – Media Manager (including author interviews and video content)
Amanda Worthington – Director of Crystal Lake Academy & Outreach Manager (also in charge of reviews and our team of editors & proofreaders)
You all probably know Naching T. Kassa, of course, who started as an intern a few years ago. She’s now our Talent Relations Manager and helps train the new staff members.
That’s it for now. Thanks again for all the support over the years. You’ve made this an incredible journey, and I can’t wait to show you more.