Meet Lee Matthew Goldberg | Author/Screenwriter/Publisher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Lee Matthew Goldberg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lee Matthew, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I recently started a small indie publishing company called Fringe Press. My goal is to find books on the fringe that bleed between genres. My novel The Ancestor had been hard to place with a larger publisher because it was a thriller, but also historical and sci-fi with a dash of horror. The Big 5 publishers passed on it because they didn’t know how to market it. I wanted to create a company that isn’t constrained by a marketing department, but focused on putting out good books. Then I partnered with Pipeline Media, who have been in the business for 20+ years in Hollywood and pass along the winners of their screenplay competitions through a pipeline to producers, managers, etc. It’s very difficult for an indie book author to get their book optioned, and I wanted to find a way to bridge the gap between the publishing world and Hollywood better. If you’re interested in submitting your work, you can find us at FringePublishers.com

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a novelist first and foremost. I’ve written 14 books. My first, SLOW DOWN came out in 2015. I write mostly thrillers, but also have a sci-fi novel and a Young Adult series called RUNAWAY TRAIN. I’ve adapted a good amount of my books into screenplays and currently have a few people attached to my pilots and scripts from actors, directors, and producers. My writing often features psychologically complex characters and narratives that explore the darker side of human nature. I’m known for fast-paced plotting, sharp dialogue, and unexpected twists.

Writing as a career is never easy. You have to be a hustler. Often, rejection happens every day, so you have to be able to shrug it off. It took me years to find an agent and sell my first book. I’ve had many people attached to my books in Hollywood that fell through. But I love to write, and I’m dedicated to getting my books out there. One of my favorite things about publishing is the community I’ve met along the way, especially the crime/mystery/thriller folks. We all work to lift each other up, and when this career starts to get to you, I know I have hundreds of friends in the community to rely on and vent.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m a born and bred New Yorker, and I know it pretty well. My favorite spot in the city is Central Park, where I’ve written all my books. There’s a specific tree that perfectly contours to my back, so a trip to NYC must include a visit to the labyrinth trails of the park. I’m a huge Yankees fan, so we’ll hit Yankee Stadium for a game too. Along with a play on Broadway. For food, some musts are John’s Pizza on Bleecker, Katz Deli on the LES, the Oyster Bar in Grand Central, and Sushi Yasuda in my neighborhood, Murray Hill. We can also take a ferry down to the Seaport to do some touristy things and then walk through the village to Hudson River Park while stopping at Cones. If there’s time for a concert at night, let’s hit MSG or Bowery Ballroom for a smaller show with a nightcap at Death & Co.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I always want to give a shout-out to my high school English teacher John Byrne. I was lucky to have him twice and to take a novel-writing class my senior year. I knew I wanted to be an author, but couldn’t quite see it as a future. In the class, the only assignment was to work on a novel. I wrote a horror book that was a mix of Fear of Loathing in Las Vegas and the Omen. At the end of the semester, Mr. Byrne told me to take the summer to finish the novel and send him chapters. He didn’t ask anyone in the class to do this. Over the summer, I’d send him my book and he’d give me strong critiques. It was the first time a mentor had taken my work seriously and let me know that I had talent. I’m forever grateful I had a teacher like Mr. Byrne, who nurtured me to follow my passion, eventually as a career.

Years later, for the release of my second novel THE MENTOR, we got to do a discussion at my old alma mater in front of an audience.

Website: http://www.leematthewgoldberg.com

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