Here are the latest new initiatives from traditional publishers.
- The US division of Bonnier Publishing has launched IglooBooks, a mass market imprint that specializes in “value-driven” adult and children’s books, published in 36 languages and sold in 58 countries. Acquired by Bonnier in 2014, IglooBooks joins Bonnier’s existing US imprints: Little Bee Books, Sizzle Press, Weldon Owen, and Blue Streak Books. They plan to produce 150 titles in the first year that will focus specifically on the US and Canadian markets.
- Abrams Press is a new narrative nonfiction imprint from Abrams that will publish books on popular culture, film, art, design, general-interest science, nature, food, and more. The debut title this May will be Michael Ruhlman’s Grocery: The Buying & Selling of Food in America, a blend of reportage, personal history, and social commentary. Learn more in Shelf Awareness.
- Move over, coloring books: Quarto Group has launched Scratch & Create. The new activity books for adults incorporate metallic ink layered over drawings; with a stylus, users scratch away the coating, uncovering full-color finished artwork—or their own designs. The series will debut in August 2017 with four titles, followed by four more in December. It will be published in the US by Quarto’s Rockport Publishers imprint. A selection of books for the children’s market will also be released separately. Read more in Shelf Awareness.
- Harlequin announced the launch of Harlequin DARE, a romance series “featuring strong, independent women” in “highly explicit encounters.” New titles will release in January 2018, with four titles per month. Both print and ebook formats will be released in the UK and Australia, digital-only in North America. Learn more.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
