Welcome to Level Best Books

Our Mission

Level Best Books is committed to publishing quality crime fiction.

Our focus is to elevate the voices of new as well as seasoned crime writing voices to a wide audience of readers.

We aim to partner with our authors in creating the best reading experiences possible that will entertain and inspire as many readers as possible. 

Level Best Books is a traditional, royalty-paying publisher with world-wide distribution and in-house marketing support. 

Our Imprints

Level Best Books publishes contemporary and historical crime fiction and Young Adult Fiction. Our Level Best Historia imprint focuses on historical mysteries (pre-1970). Our Level Elevate imprint features works for younger readers, ranging from children's to young adult fiction. Level Short publishes exceptional collections of short stories. Level Zest is dedicated to cookbooks and other culinary-inspired works.  Level Tru, our newest imprint focuses on True Crime.

Our Team

Level Best Books is owned and operated by Shawn Reilly Simmons. Shawn has been active in the mystery writing community for over twenty-five years as an editor, author, convention organizer, graphic designer, and publisher. 

LBB employs a wonderful staff including a Marketing and Operations Manager, a Production Editor, a Bookeeper, an Attorney, and an In-House Agent focused on selling subrights. 

Level Best Books is a female owned and operated publishing house. 

​Level Best Books is represented by Cindy Bullard, owner and senior agent of Birch Literary Agency, for sub rights and other rights enquiries. 

Our History

Founded in 2003, Level Best Books is the publisher of crime fiction novels and short story anthologies, including The Best New England Crime Stories, the Writers' Police Academy, and New York/Tri-State Chapter of Sisters in Crime anthologies. Well-regarded by readers and reviewers, stories published by Level Best have won the Agatha, Anthony, Macavity, Derringer and Robert L. Fish Award for Best First Short Story presented at the Edgar® banquet. Level Best short stories have also been recognized as Best and Distinguished Mystery Stories by the editors of the Best American Mystery Stories series. 

Level Best Books publishes quality and award winning contemporary and historical mystery, thriller, and crime fiction novels as well as select non-fiction titles.

Our Associations
We are Proud Members/Vendors/Sponsors of these Fine Organizations