Books are the seed.
The story is the asset.
Hard Shiver operates as a modern IP house. The book is the seed of the work; the multi-medium expression is the larger business. Every title we acquire is read for its IP density at greenlight — and the authors we publish share in the upside across all expressions. The current pipeline includes 38 titles in active development across six mediums.
Current slate.
Where the story lives.
Every title in the pipeline is evaluated against six mediums. Most live in three or four. None lives in fewer than two.
The published novel.
The seed. The work that defines the IP. Six to eight titles per year, designed and printed with the care the catalog requires.
Audiobook + audio drama.
Two paths: a single-narrator audiobook (every Hard Shiver title gets one), and a full-cast audio drama production for the work that earns it.
The 6–8 episode limited.
The current sweet spot for serious literary IP. Six to eight episodes. Co-developed with our screen partners; the author is on the writing room from day one.
The single feature.
For the work whose hook compresses well into ninety minutes. Co-development with indie studios in the A24 / Neon / Mubi tier.
The interactive treatment.
For the rare title that hosts player agency — horror, speculative, cult-genre. Co-development with a small number of game studios.
The theater adaptation.
For the work whose voice and conceptual frame translate to performance. Off-Broadway and equivalent international venues.
Authors share in the IP value across every medium.
Traditional publishing pays authors on book royalties only — typically 10% of cover, holding back rights for years. Hard Shiver pays authors as IP partners. The book royalty is in line with industry. The IP equity is the larger compensation. When the story wins, the author wins across every medium it lives in.
Have a manuscript?
The Hook Score is the first read — five minutes in your browser. If the pitch clears the threshold, the submission desk is the next door.