Pellerin Books will focus on popular fiction by traditionally published and self-published authors. The co-founders told The Bookseller, in what I find to be a remarkable statement, “At Pellerin, we don’t compete for debut writers, and we don’t waste resources on splashy but ineffective campaigns. Instead, we champion authors who are already on their publishing journey and are as committed to their craft as we are to ours.” Pellerin’s contracts offer a guaranteed marketing investment, and all authors signed so far have multi-book deals, often including backlist titles.
This launch only underlines the increasing popularity of the business model described in this week’s article about traditional deals for self-pub authors, in which publishers work with proven talent and do far more to market and support authors who are already on an upward trajectory. Authors increasingly have to earn such support.
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.
