Sourcebooks is partnering with online writing site Wattpad, to edit and publish selection YA stories in both print and ebook editions under their YA imprint Sourcebooks Fire. The partnership is an element of Wattpad’s recent fan funding experiment, where writers can enlist fans to support their publication. Among other things, the “fan funding” component will help drive pre-orders for the books. The Wattpad versions of the published stories will remain available on the site. Sourcebooks ceo Dominique Raccah says, “This partnership is all about helping connect talented authors with readers.” Wattpad ceo Alan Lau adds, “It’s a natural fit, as both Wattpad and Sourcebooks believe in finding innovative models that evolve the digital publishing landscape.”
Additionally, Sourcebooks will sponsor Wattpad’s 2013 Watty Awards, which may also help top Wattpad writers find their way to traditional book distribution, and many Sourcebooks authors will put original stories on Wattpad to drive their social media and marketing.
Lau is just one of the timely and relevant ceo’s presenting at our Publishers Launch Frankfurt event, co-presented by The Frankfurt Academy, on October 8. Other speakers in the news: Jonathan Nowell of Nielsen Book (which just acquired portions of Bowker); Russ Grandinetti of Amazon and Otis Chandler of Goodreads (now getting integrated into the Kindle platform); Charlie Redmayne, who has just taken over as ceo of Harper UK after running Pottermore; and a close-up look at the digital transition in Germany (which Random House just confirmed in their results as the next big territory to gain real digital momentum. Join us there ( and use the code PL13PartnerMC20 for a 20 percent discount).
In other new publishing lines, Los Angeles agency APA is joining the ranks of agents helping their clients epublish directly. Their in-house unit is called Beverly Drive Press, and will be under the direction of Steve Fisher. They are working with Perseus’s Argo Navis. Initial authors include actor Paul Haddad, screenwriter Jake Wade Wall, and screenwriter Sean Hood.
Hollywood Reporter
In personnel news, Lizzy Mason will join Bloomsbury Children’s Books as associate publicity director on September 23. Previously she was publicity manager at Disney-Hyperion.