Hi Everyone, What are some reputable publishers of human interest stories? In particular, one related to youth crime in Hong Kong and Mixed Martial Arts training. Here's the background info: I've been training with a guy at my Mixed Martial Arts gym for a few months and today I just found out there's a lot more to his history than he had let on. I asked about an oddly-shaped scar on his forearm and he told me it was the result of a two-on-one knife fight. Apparently, as part of the Nepalese minority in Hong Kong, he was involved in a heavy amount of street violence as a youth. He seemed pretty eager to share his story, so I asked him more about it and he told me about his violent, drunken youth and how that all changed when he started training MMA about a year ago (he's now sober and hasn't fought once outside the gym). He recounted the numerous stabbings that had led to prison time and the encounters and dynamics inside Hong Kong prisons. It was pretty fascinating stuff (not to mention a hell of an inspiring story), with a lot of cultural and socio-economic revelations, the "hidden" side of Hong Kong that most people aren't aware of. He's not a pro fighter or anything (he's only been training for a year), but he's dedicated and has serious potential to go somewhere in the sport. Now assuming that he's on board with the idea and is open to sharing his experiences, where would be a good place to submit this kind of story? Thanks! mc2147
A martial arts magazine in serial form? Hong Kong is probably the most middle class, least street crimey place I have ever been to though so I must say I am a bit sceptical. But a good story well told and all that...
If the OP's still around - there's no agent or publisher specifically geared towards "Hong Kong crime" I imagine. But very likely there will be agents and publishers interested in China/Hong Kong and unusual memoirs/biographies from a different culture. As for reputable publishers of human interest stories - why don't you go to your local bookstore and browse that section and see who their publishers are? However, you will likely need an agent first. Firstly you need to be good enough to actually write a book. Secondly, you'd need to write a proposal and I believe a book outline or some sort? Something that details what the chapters will be about. Non-fiction works differently to fiction and most of us on this forum work with fiction. It'll be worth you doing a bit more research on this, as it's not always required that non-fiction manuscripts must be completed before you start looking for an agent. You may also want to look into how copyrights and ownership etc work, since it would be that guy's story but I assume you will be his ghostwriter? @Nightstar99 - I believe Hong Kong has one of the largest poor-rich divides in the world, so I wouldn't be surprised by the street crime. There's also strong racial segregation and prejudices. Hong Kong is a busy city and I imagine at night it might be quite different to during the day.
