With the growing popularity of online, self-published and print-on-demand books, nearly anyone can become an author. Such was not the case in years past when publishing houses selected and produced books that would appeal to a wide segment of the general public.

Tiffin was home to Robert Lee Martin, a prolific writer of detective novels. Published by Dodd, Mead, some of the 22 books became national best sellers. Martin died in 1976, but his murder mysteries have retained their popularity among readers of that genre. Tiffin-Seneca Public Library is to honor the 100th  birthday of Robert Lee Martin Oct. 16 with an open house, display and program.

An avid fan, Jim Felton of Tiffin, has done extensive research on Martin and has written a profile of the author for the Spring 2008 edition of the Columbian Alumni newsletter. Born in Chula, Va., Martin grew up in Tiffin with brothers Joseph and Marion and a sister, Shirley. Felton writes their father operated a grocery store on the north end of Tiffin. At Columbian High School, Robert played football, wrote for the Tiffinian and did cartoons and cover art for the student newspaper.

Although Robert wanted to become a teacher, his parents were not able to help pay for college. After graduation in 1927, Robert lived at the YMCA, worked as a teller at First National Bank and started writing stories for detective magazines in the 1930s. In 1934, Martin became a stock clerk at Sterling Grinding Wheel, where he eventually became personnel manager. In 1942, he married Alverta Mae Smith and had three children.

Lee Martin, Jill Martin Dryfuse, and Barb Martin Feasel - and their spouses Anne, Charles and Dennis, respectively, recently got together to reminisce about their father's literary habits and to discuss plans for the Oct. 16 celebration. Lee Martin said family members have been pulling out photos, clippings and other memorabilia for a Power Point presentation and display for the open house and program. The author had kept catalogs, folders and notebooks of correspondence with his publishers and various experts he contacted.

"We found two letters, one from the author, John MacDonald ... and one from J. Edgar Hoover. He was in charge of the FBI at the time," Jill Dryfuse said. "My dad wrote to ask him for some information that would help him write. Here's a letter from a Hollywood detective. His name was Dan Francis. They used to write back and forth."

Robert Martin published his first story in 1936 and continued writing for magazines for nearly 20 years. When the pulp fiction market deteriorated, his editors made a suggestion.

"They encouraged him to write some novels," Charles Dryfuse said. "They said, 'Use the short stories that you did and expand on them.' He called that 'literary incest.'"

But the technique was very successful. The main characters of the short fiction became the central figures in the novels. Dodd, Mead published Martin's books as part of a series called "Red Badge Detective Novels." Alverta helped with correspondence and the editing process. Jill said she typed some of the the revisions.

"There was a period when his publishing firm said he should spice up his writing. ... They told him to change his name," Charles said. "Jill used to type the stories, and he said, 'You can type it, but don't read it.'"

"Whenever I wrote to him, he would critique my letters," Jill said, laughing.

Eight of Martin's more "hardboiled" stories were published under the name Lee Roberts. Felton said Robert Martin's most successful book was "Little Sister," which went through six U.S. printings. Alverta and all the children had books dedicated to them. The Martin siblings remember their father's relentless regimen of working at the factory by day and writing by night.

"He would get home at 5:15 every day, change his clothes and go up to his study," Barb Feasel said. "He would write for two to four hours, depending on what kind of day he had at ITT. We never ate supper with him. ... We were usually eating when he came home. Then my mom would wait and eat with him when he was done working."

On the weekends, their dad would write during the day and spend evenings with the family. He cranked out all the stories, with carbon copies, on a manual typewriter. Lee Martin said his father had a mentor, Bill Cox, another author friend who critiqued Martin's writing.

Although Robert Martin usually had a basic formula or framework in mind, he didn't always follow it. In a 1956 interview with The (Toledo) Blade, Martin said, "I get the general situation in mind and then let the story tell itself. Sometimes it works out differently than I planned."

Lee Martin said hid father's novels averaged 60,000 words and were divided into chapters that typically ran 9-12 pages. "New Books Spring 1961" lists three novels by Martin. Other years, he wrote two books. Lee said he often would listen for the sound of the typewriter.

"I can remember crawling up the steps to peek around the corner when I didn't hear the typewriter. He'd be standing there with his legs crossed, his hands on his hips, staring out into space. He was thinking. He was working out the plots," Lee said.

Silence sometimes indicated his dad was poring over one of his research books on guns, poisons and other topics. In Martin's search for story ideas, the author wrote to detectives, read news articles and drew on his own experiences in his places of work.

Robert's brother, Marion Martin, was a doctor, as was a good friend, William Funderberg, a local surgeon and gun collector. The Martin siblings said their dad often consulted the two physicians. Barb Feasel said her dad made sure the details in his books were 100 percent accurate. Charles remembered an experiment his father-in-law conducted.

"He was doing research one time about putting a body in an oven. So he had some beef on the bones and everything and put it in to see what the results would be. I don't remember what the story was about, but he wanted to actually know," Charles said. Most of Martin's story settings are places in northern Ohio. Some are urban, while others are small town or industrial.

The siblings said their father used real places as backdrops but changed the names. For example, Harvest City was actually Port Clinton. Another mentions Riverview Hotel. Barb said her dad had talked about writing "Diary of a Motel Man," with input from Don Egbert, then-owner of the Riverview Inn.

Real people often served as models for Martin's characters. Many of Martin's books are written in first person from the persona of detective Jim Bennett of Cleveland. Nearly all of the novels include a physician and the detective's faithful secretary, Sandy.

Lee Martin said one story was inspired by a mausoleum break-in at Greenlawn Cemetery in Tiffin. Barb Feasel said she remembers a story about a courthouse clock. Whatever the topic, Barb was amazed by her father's craft.

"I would wonder how he could connect this guy with another person way back in chapter two," Barb said. "When he was around the house, he never had a notebook, never wrote down notes."

"In school, they tell you to make an outline. ... He didn't do that. He got an idea and started typing. He just did it from his head and let the story tell itself," Charles Dryfuse added.

Among Robert's belongings was the manuscript for his last novel, "A Time for Evil." The book was completed but never published. After futile attempts to scan the document, the author's granddaughter, Deborah Martin Roszman, said she is retyping the manuscript. Another grandson, Rudi Feasel, has contacted Mystery Writers of America Inc., for their assistance in getting the novel published.

"It's about 200 pages. Actually, it's really cool to go through and see his handwriting on there. It's really a neat process. I've read his books before, and they've always told me how he researched everything, and he really did," Roszman said.

Now the marketing manager at the library, Roszman is doing much of the publicity for the 100th birthday party for her grandfather.