New Publishers and Agents in 2024

The following is a roundup of new publishers and agents announced in 2024.

New traditional publishing imprints (Big Five)

Remember that Big Five houses typically require an agent if you want your project to be considered.

Simon & Schuster

• Primero Sueño Press. Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, is launching Primero Sueño Press. It will publish Latinx/Latine/Hispanic authors in English and Spanish, both fiction and nonfiction. Learn more.
• Simon Acumen. Simon Acumen will publish books that help readers navigate the “dynamic world of work.” A press release notes that authors will include “thought leaders, innovators, academics, journalists, and professionally curious people who blend theory and practice to provide fresh insights.”
• Lemonada Books. As part of a continuing trend of publishers and podcast companies partnering up, Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster) is launching Lemonada Books to publish books based on podcasts coming out of Lemonada Media. The first two titles will be based on David Duchovny’s Fail Better and Stephanie Wittels Wach’s Last Day. Learn more.

Penguin Random House

• Delacorte Romance. Delacorte, a division of Penguin Random House, is launching an imprint dedicated to contemporary love stories for teenagers. The first list will debut this summer with five titles. The executive editor tells Publishers Weekly, “We noticed that the romance category was really having a moment. It just felt like the timing was right.” Learn more.
• Crash Course Books. This line, headed up by John Green, launches with John Green’s book, Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection, to be published on March 18. Learn more.
• Evermore. Penguin Random House UK is launching Evermore next year; it will publish romance for the “younger voracious romance reader.” The imprint expects to feature debuts, established authors, and self-published authors. Learn more in The Bookseller (sub may be required).

Macmillan

• New adult imprint at St. Martin’s Press division. Saturday Books will specialize in new-adult titles for 18- to 30-year-old readers. The first titles will release in fall 2025, with 10–12 planned per year; authors include Kristen Ciccarelli, Betty Cayouette, Talia Hibbert, Isabel Ibañez, Julia Jones, Kim Liggett, and more. The imprint is described as “commercial and voice-driven fiction with a special focus on fantasy, speculative fiction, romance and genre-adjacent fiction.” Learn more.
• 23rd Street Books. 23rd Street Books will “deliver graphic novels that span styles and genres, from the hilarious to the serious, from the escapist to the realist, from high-octane fiction in every genre to groundbreaking nonfiction—with a trademark commitment to aesthetics and editorial excellence.” The first titles will launch in 2025. Learn more.
• Pine & Cedar Books. Flatiron Books, a division of Macmillan, will launch Pine & Cedar Books next year. The imprint will be devoted to “compulsively readable, story-driven novels,” which begs the question of what other types of novels Macmillan might be acquiring. Learn more.
• Fablelistik Editions, a public domain imprint. Fablelistik Editions is a new imprint that, in collaboration with authors and artists, “creates bespoke renditions of contemporary and classic stories.” The first release is three different illustrated editions of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Learn more.

Hachette

• Run for It. Orbit (a division of Hachette) has launched Run for It, a horror imprint that will publish current Orbit horror authors as well as new ones, starting in 2025. An executive says in a release, “We’ve been steadily increasing the number of horror titles we publish each year, and with so many exciting things happening in the horror genre over recent years it seemed the perfect time to launch a dedicated imprint.” Learn more.
• New conservative imprints. The two new imprints are Basic Venture, for business and economics titles, and Basic Liberty, for conservative titles. Basic Liberty will be led by Thomas Spence, the former president and publisher of Regnery, a conservative publisher; Spence is also a current adviser to the Heritage Foundation, which is behind Project 2025.

HarperCollins

• Harper Influence. Harper Influence is a new, general nonfiction imprint that will begin releasing titles this fall. A press release underlines the very general part: “Whether in the fields of entertainment, science, medicine, nature, music, lifestyle, spirituality, cooking, design, or news-driven narratives, the defining theme of the list will be cultural impact and relevance.” The imprint name seems to strongly imply what sort of authors they seek. Learn more.
• Expansion of HarperAlley. Established in 2020, the HarperCollins imprint HarperAlley, which publishes comics and graphic novels for the children’s market, will also start publishing for adults. HarperAlley publishes about 50 titles per year. Earlier this month, Macmillan announced a similar move: It launched 23rd Street Books, a new imprint for adult graphic novels, to accompany its imprint for children’s graphic novels.
• Harper Pop. Harper Pop will focus on licensed publications, popular culture, and trend-driven publishing for adults and children. Licensed properties include Dungeon & Dragons, Elf on a Shelf, My Little Pony, The Simpsons, and more. Learn more.
• Monument Books. The imprint will publish three nonfiction books each year with select fiction and classics. Learn more (sub may be required).

New imprints beyond the Big Five

Fiction only

• Soho Press launches horror imprint. Hell’s Hundred will join the publisher’s existing imprints of Soho Crime, Soho Press, and Soho Teen. Its first two titles are E.K. Sathue’s youthjuice and Stuart Neville’s Blood Like Mine, to be published this summer. Learn more.
• New UK romance imprint: Serendipity. Publisher Legend Times is launching a new digital-first romance imprint, Serendipity. It will publish cozy as well as steamy and “spicy” romances. The plan from the start is to interact with readers primarily on Instagram and TikTok. Learn more.
• New romance imprint at Zando. Zando, a traditional publisher launched in 2020, has established a new imprint called Slowburn to publish books targeted at the BookTok audience. The plan is to publish two to three titles per year to start. Learn more.
• New manga imprint. Kana is a new imprint from Abrams ComicArts, focusing on adult-oriented manga translated into English from Japanese and French. Learn more.
• Another imprint devoted to re-issues. LA-based publisher Unnamed Press has launched Smith & Taylor Classics, devoted to publishing trade paperback editions of lesser-known public-domain novels by familiar authors. Learn more.
• Sourcebooks operates new Cosmo Reads imprint. In collaboration with Cosmopolitan magazine and Hearst Books, Sourcebooks plans to launch Cosmo Reads in summer 2025, with four to six titles a year. Sourcebooks editors will acquire titles in partnership with the Cosmo editor in chief; promotion will be shared between Sourcebooks and Cosmopolitan. Learn more.

Fiction and nonfiction

• New imprint at Levine Querido: Re-Lit. Re-Lit will re-issue out-of-print works from creators from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. The first title: Virginia Hamilton’s collection of essays, speeches, and published conversations, Liberation Literature. Learn more.

Nonfiction only

• UK publisher Canelo broadens its nonfiction program. Founded in 2015 as a fiction publisher, Canelo launched its first nonfiction imprint, Canelo History, in 2021. Now it’s announced an expansion of its nonfiction program into popular culture and popular science. Learn more.
• New imprint: Airwave Books. Airwave podcast network and BenBella Books are launching Airwave Books, which will feature nonfiction books by Airwave’s creators. Categories include history, business, science, wellness, and investigative journalism. Learn more.
• Headline Press. Headline Publishing Group in the UK is launching Headline Press, a nonfiction imprint with a focus on politics, current affairs, history, personal development, popular science, and memoir. Headline is a division of Big Five publisher Hachette. Learn more.
• DK launches new imprint in UK. DK Red will focus on lifestyle publishing and narrative nonfiction and is part of DK’s recently renamed adult division, DK Living. The first titles include Asma Khan’s Flavor, neuroscientist Rachel Barr’s How to Make Your Brain Your Best Friend, and Julius Fiedler’s Naturally Vegan. Learn more.
• New imprint at Mango Publishing. Mango, a Florida-based independent publisher known for nonfiction, is launching an imprint called Books Save Lives. Every season, it will release at least one book intended to change lives. The first title: Reasons to Live by Juliana Jane Bruno.
• Amber Lotus. Earlier this year, Andrews McMeel acquired Amber Lotus Publishing, a publisher of inspirational calendars. Now, Andrews McMeel has announced it will publish inspirational books under the brand. Learn more.
• Mubi Editions. Next year, the streaming service Mubi is launching Mubi Editions, a publishing arm dedicated to cinema and the arts. The first title will be Read Frame Type Film, an “illustrated title living at the intersection of film, visual history, and design,” by curator Enrico Camporesi, design historian Catherine de Smet, and designer Philippe Millot in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Learn more.
• Important Flowers. Sophia Coppola has partnered with UK publisher Mack to launch Important Flowers, a photo book imprint. The first book will feature photos taken on the set of Coppola’s first film, The Virgin Suicides; the second title will be a visual history of the Chanel fashion house. Learn more.
• Bonnier Books UK imprint: LEAP. LEAP will publish across nonfiction categories, including memoir, psychology, parenting, cookery, soft business, activism, parenting, health, self-help, spirituality, and inspirational gift books. Learn more.

Children’s and YA

• Paw Prints expands into middle grade. Paw Prints Publishing, the children’s book imprint launched by Baker & Taylor in 2022, will expand into the middle-grade market this fall. The first title will be Raj Tawney’s All Mixed Up, the story of a friendship between a young multi-ethnic American boy and a Pakistani immigrant in the wake of 9/11.
• Abrams Fanfare. US independent publisher Abrams is launching a new graphic novel imprint for early, middle grade, and YA readers. Abrams’s current roster of graphic novels—a backlist of 200 titles—will be incorporated into the imprint.
• Sourcebooks’ Stonefruit Studio. Sourcebooks has launched Stonefruit Studio, a new imprint for children’s books—all ages and formats, fiction and nonfiction. The imprint is helmed by two editors from HarperCollins, Ben Rosenthal and Mabel Hsu. Rosenthal was editorial director and Hsu was executive editor of the Katherine Tegen Books imprint at HarperCollins Children’s Books. The imprint plans to publish 16–24 titles a year. Learn more.
• Planet Possible Books. Disney will designate three to four children’s books annually as Disney Planet Possible titles; Disney Hyperion will start selling the first Planet Possible titles in February 2025, starting with four picture books. The program’s criteria include “high-quality storytelling by a diverse slate of authors and illustrators” and stories that center on environmentalism, conservation, or stewardship. Learn more.
• OverDrive launches Heights Press, a children’s publishing imprint. Heights Press will debut with Hickory Hollow, a six-book series for middle-grade readers, along with a series of video shorts. Each story centers on a child resident of Hickory Hollow. The initial titles are available now, exclusively for public libraries and schools and worldwide for readers using the Libby, Sora, and Kanopy Kids apps and platforms. Each book in Hickory Hollow will be available initially in ebook format in five languages—English, Chinese, German, Vietnamese, and Korean. The first title is available at no cost to all OverDrive schools and libraries and for readers on Libby and Sora, with the remaining books available for purchase in the OverDrive Marketplace.
• Post Wave Children’s Books enters the US market. The publisher, a subsidiary of Post Wave Publishing China, has been operating in the UK since 2023. Learn more.

New publishers

• Gungnir, a science fiction and fantasy publisher. Comics pros Jim Krueger and Steve Orlando have launched a science fiction and fantasy publisher, Gungnir. They plan to publish four to eight titles a year, with a mix of novels, graphic novels, and art books.
• Brydon Books (UK). Brydon Books is a new children’s publishing company based in the UK, launched by author Alli Brydon and her husband, Edward Brydon. Brydon will publish interactive picture books, activity books, novelty books, and nonfiction for children ages three to 12. The Kickstarter campaign will support the publication of the first Brydon Books series, Draw This Book.
• Bard Books. Bard Books will launch with two titles by the infamous editor Gordon Lish: To Have Written a Book and Annals and Indices. It plans to publish two to four books a year.
• Australian romance author launches publishing house. Indie author TL Swan, who publishes the Miles High Club romance series, is launching a romance-focused publishing house, Keeperton, with plans to expand into other genres. Print distribution will be handled by Simon & Schuster. A press release notes that Keeperton will “offer established digital-first authors a means to distribute their works into bookstores worldwide with favorable term lengths while also allowing them to maintain their digital rights.” Keeperton’s first frontlist title is Swan’s new novel, The Bonus, releasing in August 2024. Other indie authors publishing with Keeperton will be announced at a later date. Keeperton has hired a former author manager from Amazon KDP to be head of acquisitions and strategy. In a statement, Swan said, “Our ultimate goal is to equip our authors with the resources and support they need to achieve their publishing goals, reach bestseller lists, and beyond.” Learn more.
• New publishing company established by self-pub authors. Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti, the authors of the bestselling Zodiac Academy series, have established Dark Ink Publishing in the UK. The first title: the final book in the Zodiac Academy series, with a print run of 80,000 copies. Dark Ink will re-release the previous eight titles starting this summer. Simon & Schuster will distribute Dark Ink in the US. Learn more.
• JVL Media. Viola Davis and her husband, Julius Tennon, have announced the creation of a new publisher, JVL Media, in partnership with Davis’s co-publisher on her memoir, Lavaille Lavette. It will publish adult, young adult, and children’s titles. Read the press release.
• PAVE. Media company PAVE Studios is launching a book publishing venture, PAVE Publishing House, focused on producing books by podcast creators. A press release says, “PAVE Publishing House is putting storytellers at the forefront with our innovative business model because we understand that when creators succeed, everyone succeeds. By meeting creators’ audiences where they are, we’re reimagining distribution and capitalizing on the massive podcast audience where monetization is limited to drive more revenue back to creators.” Innovative business model is sometimes code for author pays expenses of publication, but the press release and website don’t offer any details on the business model. PAVE is partnered with Simon & Schuster for distribution.
• Panick Entertainment. Panick Entertainment, founded by people in the entertainment and comics industry, will focus on publishing comics and graphic novels that can be turned into films, TV, games, and other media. Learn more.
• Horned Lark Press, Canadian publisher of short science fiction and fantasy. Horned Lark Press will publish shorter works of fantasy and science fiction with a focus on novellas. It seeks books that are “anti-monarchist, post-capitalist, decolonized, and anti-authoritarian in general.” They will open to submissions in 2025.
• 831 Stories. The founders, Erica Cerulo and Claire Mazur, don’t describe 831 Stories as a publisher. Rather, it’s “an entertainment company with books at the foundation.” The company plans to publish six books in its first year and 12 in the second year. The founders have been influencers ever since they launched the ecommerce site Of a Kind; they also have a podcast, A Thing or Two. Learn more at Vanity Fair (how appropriate for a not-publisher). The company will be distributed by Simon & Schuster and use Authors Equity for production (first time we’ve heard of Authors Equity being used in this manner, something to keep an eye on).
• Compass Rose. Compass Rose is a new publisher that seeks to work closely with independent bookstores to acquire, publish, and market books. The founders are Robert Mrazek and Steve Israel, former US politicians turned novelists, and former American Booksellers Association CEO Oren Teicher. The publisher has outside investors that will allow it to run with no revenue for a year and no profit until the third year. Compass Rose will publish one book per month, both fiction and nonfiction, and they have formed an advisory board of 11 booksellers who will offer editorial input and promotion ideas. Moreover, the publisher will outright pay stipends to booksellers “to recognize the vital role they play in their communities and the collective literary world.” It sounds like a great way to help ensure independent bookstores stock, market, and promote your books. (Don’t forget publishers can no longer pay Barnes & Noble for display.)
• Two Shores Press. Two Shores Press focuses on South Asian literature and is founded by Aananth Daksnamurthy, a graduate of NYU’s Center for Publishing. While the press will start with literary fiction, it expects to expand into children’s books. Learn more.
• Under the BQE. The Brooklyn-based publisher has a unique acquisitions model: Authors of each year’s list will acquire the titles to be published by the press in the following year. Learn more.
• 8080 Books. Microsoft has launched 8080 Books, an imprint for “original research, ideas, and insights at the intersection of science, technology, and business.” Learn more.

New literary agencies and agents

New agencies

• Nagle Agency. The former publisher of HarperCollins Ireland, Conor Nagle, has launched an eponymous literary agency based in Dublin. Nagle will be open to fiction, nonfiction, and children’s work. Learn more about the Nagle Agency.
• SteelWorks Literary. Lori Steel has founded SteelWorks Literary; she was previously at Red Fox Literary. She will continue to represent authors and illustrators for children’s/YA.
• Greenstone Literary Agency. Greenstone Literary Agency will specialize in commercial fiction and certain categories of nonfiction. The two founding agents, Tanera Simons and Laura Heathfield, were previously at Darley Anderson.
• Wave Literary. Literary agent Rachel Neumann has founded Wave Literary; most recently she was the CEO and senior literary agent at Idea Architects. The agency will focus primarily on narrative nonfiction, with select fiction and children’s projects.
• Lexington Literary. Previously at United Agents, Kat Aitken and Seren Adams have founded Lexington Literary, a London-based agency that will represent literary and upmarket fiction, narrative nonfiction, and general nonfiction.
• Heirloom Literary & Media. Agent Elena Giovinazzo and author Jason Reynolds have launched Heirloom Literary, a new literary agency for writers of all genres and ages. They are closed to queries but taking client or industry referrals.
• Noyan Literary. Georgia Bodnar has launched Noyan Literary; she was formerly at UTA and Viking. The agency will represent both fiction and nonfiction writers. Learn more.
• Hesperides Literary. The founding agents are Jennifer Pien and Connor Smith. Pien seeks literary and upmarket women’s fiction, science fiction and fantasy, and a range of nonfiction. Smith seeks science fiction and fantasy, horror, YA, and a range of nonfiction (but not memoir). They are based in Palo Alto, California. Learn more.
• Rosecliff Literary. Founder Jessica Berg seeks a range of adult fiction and nonfiction. Learn more.

New agents

• Howland Literary. Gabriela Laracuente Sánchez joined Howland in January as an assistant agent. She’s seeking literary and upmarket adult fiction as well as cookbooks of Latin-American and Caribbean cuisine. Learn more.
• Andrea Brown Literary. Sally M. Kim has joined Andrea Brown as an associate agent. She was previously children’s marketing director at Chronicle. Sally represents children’s book authors, illustrators, and author-illustrators. She is drawn to stories with a distinct voice, unexpected wit, aggressive pacing, and punchy and/or emotionally resonant endings. When it comes to illustration, she gravitates to versatile artists using traditional mediums and those with a unique take on color, texture, perspective, and thoughtful details. Learn more.
• Storm Literary. Jenna Satterthwaite has joined as associate agent, opening to submissions on Feb. 16. She’s open to adult fiction in many genres as well as to adult nonfiction and children’s books. Learn more. Also, Sheila Fernley, a children’s book author who first interned at Belcastro Literary Agency, has joined Storm. As a Mexican-American and special education teacher, Sheila is interested in supporting underrepresented voices; she is primarily interested in picture books (fiction and nonfiction), middle-grade novels, and YA fiction. Learn more.
• Wolfson Literary. Molly Ketcheson accepts commercial fiction, upmarket fiction, romance, young adult, fantasy, and select literary fiction. Learn more.
• Gardner Literary. Author Candice Marie Benbow has joined Gardner Literary as an agent, with a focus on nonfiction. She has written for Essence, Glamour, Religion News Service, Vice, and many other outlets. The agency website says, “Benbow situates her work at the intersection of faith, feminism, and culture, and amplifying underrepresented voices within publishing is her deepest motivation. Moving forward, she plans to focus her efforts on representing authors of nonfiction, with particular interest in pop culture, memoir, leadership, and Christian living, including Bible studies and devotionals.” Learn more.
• LCS Literary Services. Kimberly Latrice Jones has joined as associate agent at LCS, focusing on nonfiction and picture books. Jones is also a YA author and filmmaker. Learn more.
• Laura Dail. Jennifer Udden has joined as a literary agent. Most recently, she worked as a freelance editor and was previously an agent at New Leaf Literary & Media. Learn more.
• Regal Hoffmann. A native New Yorker, Priscilla Posada is a literary translator and is pursuing an MFA in writing and literature from Bennington College. She is interested in literary fiction, lyrical nonfiction, anthropology, anything with an international bent, alternative medicine, and all things related to a spiritual practice. Learn more.
• WordServe. Emma Fulenwider has joined as literary agent with a focus on adult nonfiction books in the general and Christian markets. Her bio states that she “likes working with thought leaders called to contribute their respectful insights into the problems we’re facing, and the ones we’re avoiding. She’s looking for adult nonfiction books that are nerdy, helpful, and true.” Learn more.
• Azantian. Thais Carreira Afonso interned at Writers House before joining Azantian. She intends to represent marginalized authors, especially those born and raised in the Global South. She works out of Rio de Janeiro. Learn more. Mark O’Brien has also joined as an associate agent. He has worked in publishing for nine years as both an agent and editor; most recently he was at NetGalley. He is open to fiction, nonfiction, and children’s work. Learn more.
• Mad Woman Literary. Alex Brown represents adult, YA, and children’s fiction authors. She is a Locus Award finalist who used to work on the CW show Supernatural. Learn more.
• KT Literary. Kait Feldmann has joined KT Literary as an agent. Previously she worked at Scholastic and HarperCollins. She represents illustrators and author-illustrators who are primarily interested in working on picture books and graphic novels.
• The Rights Factory. Julia Kim has joined as an agent; she was previously an editor at Dundurn Press. She’s looking for all types of adult fiction and nonfiction. Learn more.
• ArtHouse Literary. Hailey Stephens accepts both fiction and nonfiction as well as select middle-grade works. She is especially interested in uplifting diverse artists from rural communities that may be overlooked. Learn more.
• DeFiore & Company. John Meils is now an agent at DeFiore; he was previously an editor at Workman and Union Square.
• East/West Literary Agency. Author and illustrator Jim Averbeck has joined East/West as a literary agent representing children’s authors and illustrators. Learn more.
• The Blair Partnership (UK). Ed Wood has joined as a fiction agent and director of fiction development at The Blair Partnership. He previously worked at Little, Brown (Hachette UK).
• Embolden Media Group. Embolden added five new agents: Deidra Riggs, Rebeka von Lintel, Kathy Green, Joylanda Jamison, and Mytecia Myles. Learn more.
• Kaplan Stahler Literary Agency. This is an LA-based TV literary agency; Jillian Davis has joined to start their book department. Learn more.

Jane Friedman

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.