Hachette divisions in the US and UK–Grand Central and Little Brown UK–are forming a transatlantic venture to publish crime, suspense and thrillers in translation. They will be part of the Grand Central line in the US, and in the UK will comprise a new imprint, Trapdoor. The partners intend to publish up to six books a year.
Mitch Hoffman will run the effect from the US, and Sphere associate publisher Dan Mallory will oversee the UK side. The first announced title is Swedish authors Hjorth & Rosenfeldt’s DARK SECRETS, already sold in 16 territories, the first in a series featuring a psychological profiler.
Hoffman says in the announcement, “With our highly selective, focused list, we’ll be able to bring the best of commercial fiction from all over the world to English-language readers at home and abroad.”
Hachette also runs the Mulholland Books mystery and crime imprint in both the US (where it is part of Little, Brown) and the UK (where it is part of Hodder & Stoughton).
In other imprint news, Council Oak Books will move its Tulsa-based trade publishing operations to the San Francisco area under the management of newly minted ceo and publisher James Connolly, previously publisher for the University Games of San Francisco. Print sales and distribution for Council Oak will be handled by PGW while Constellation will provide ebook distribution. The company will continue publishing operations under the current name and ownership.
In distribution news, starting in January 2012, IPG will distribute all titles from Huron Street Books, KettleDrummer Books, Lake Claremont Press, Microcosm Publishing, Origin Press, Shift Books and Streamline Press through their general trade distribution program.
Their Trafalgar Square division will begin distributing for Cutting Edge Press, Murdoch Books and Moonlight Publishing. And IPG’s Spanish distribution arm will service Cabaret Voltaire.