Editorial
The work that decides whether a manuscript is ready to be a book.
- Manuscript evaluation and developmental editing
- Copyediting and proofreading
TopTier Publishing carries a book from manuscript to shelf — editorial craft, design, distribution, and a legacy program for stories that deserve to outlast their author.
The house
TopTier Publishing is an independent press founded by author and educator Darrell Gartrell, whose own trilogy — spanning South-Central Los Angeles, Osaka, and three continents — is carried under the imprint alongside a growing list of acquired and represented titles.
We stay small on purpose. Every manuscript that comes through TopTier gets the same full treatment a major house would give its lead title: developmental editing, professional design, real distribution, and marketing built for that book specifically — never a template.
Where we see a story with a second life in it — on stage, on screen, or in translation — we pursue the rights to carry it there.
Four disciplines, one manuscript at a time — from first read to launch day.
The work that decides whether a manuscript is ready to be a book.
Turning an edited manuscript into a physical and digital object worth holding.
Getting the finished book in front of readers, and readers to the book.
For the story that only exists if someone helps put it into words.
The trilogy that opened the house, told across three continents.
Three continents. One life.
10th Anniversary Edition. From a shoebox apartment in Osaka to a national chain of language schools — ambition, race, and survival in one of the world's most insular cultures.
Visit 21yearsofwisdom.com →
Book II — 2027
The next chapter in the trilogy, continuing the journey abroad. Details and excerpts ahead of the 2027 release.
Visit nativestrangerbook.com →
Book III — 2027
The closing volume of the trilogy. Details and excerpts ahead of the 2027 release.
Visit paperwallsbook.com →Rights & Acquisitions
TopTier pursues publishing and adaptation rights to select books — fiction, memoir, nonfiction from authors and estates, and through affiliate networks worldwide. If you hold rights to a manuscript or catalog we believe belongs with an independent house, we'd like to hear from you.
Propose a titleAuthor Legacy Program
Our legacy program pairs memoir coaching and ghostwriting with the same editorial and production standard as our trade titles — for founders, executives, and families who want their story preserved properly, not just written down.
Ask about the legacy programWhether you're submitting a manuscript, proposing a title for acquisition, or exploring the legacy program, tell us a little about the project and we'll follow up personally.
New and unagented authors — send a short synopsis and sample chapters.
publish@toptierpub.comAuthors, agents, and estates proposing or owning titles.
publish@toptierpub.comLegacy program, workshops, speaking, or anything else.
publish@toptierpub.com