Podcaster/”book influencer” and author Zibby Owens is launching Zibby Books. Starting in January 2023, the line will publish 12 books a year, monthly, focused on accessible (“book club”) fiction and memoir, with distribution by Two Rivers. Former longtime publisher of Vintage/Anchor Anne Messitte is consulting publisher, and Catapult editor and co-founder of Black Balloon Leigh Newman is co-founder. Jaunique Sealey is vp of strategy & book club, and Maya Shanbhag Lang is vp of editorial & strategy. Aside from Messitte, the executive team are all authors. Zibby Books promises incentive programs to promote its books and support the community that does […]
New Imprints
Imprints: Rucci to Start Eponymous Line at Scribner
Simon & Schuster editor-in-chief Marysue Rucci will move over to Scribner on September 7, where she will lead a new Marysue Rucci Books imprint as vp, publisher and editor-in-chief. Her first books under the new imprint will be on the Summer 2022 list. Scribner publisher Nan Graham writes, “Her facility and flair as an editor of bestselling suspense, literary fiction, and memoir will complement and build upon areas of publishing in which Scribner has historically excelled. Marysue’s appointment also marks her return to the house where she worked as an editorial assistant and was crucial in Scribner’s acquisition of New […]
Acquisitions: PRH Buys 20 20 Editora, Forms New Division In Portugal
Penguin Random House has acquired the 20|20 Editora group in Portugal and will bring together all of its imprints there in a new entity, Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial Portugal. 20|20 founder Manuel de Freitas holds a 15 stake in the new company and serves as general director, reporting to Patxi Beascoa, with editorial continuing to be run by Clara Capitão. PRH ceo Markus Dohle says in the statement, “It is a privilege to expand the scope and strength of our editorial programs in Portugal, bringing together the catalogs of Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial and 20|20 Editora. Together, we […]
Imprints: RBmedia Rebrands Business Titles
RBmedia will publish their business audiobooks under the new brand, Ascent Audio. The line is the successor to their Gildan Media brand (which they acquired in 2017). All of their business titles produced in partnership with other publishers will be issued under the Ascent Audio name, with the recently acquired McGraw Hill Professional business titles publishing under a joint McGraw Hill-Ascent brand.
Partnerships: Welbeck Expands into Australia with Booktopia
Welbeck Publishing Group has created a standalone subsidiary to publish titles directly into the Australia/New Zealand market, in partnership with online retailer Booktopia, which has a 25 percent stake in the new Sydney-based business in exchange for a $3 million (AU) investment. Booktopia will distribute Welbeck’s 4,500 title backlist in ANZ and will form an ANZ publishing program that aims to publish 50 titles per year in fiction, narrative nonfiction, children’s, and illustrated/gift books. Welbeck’s Mark Smith will relocate to Australia for a few months in early 2022 to help set up the business and recruit staff. Marcus Leaver will […]
Imprints
Author Rebekah Borucki and author, book coach and former editor Kristen McGuiness have announced their new company Row House Books. Launching in January 2022, they plan six titles in the first year, 12 in year two, and 20 in year three, distributed by Simon & Schuster. They promise a “not only equitable but reparative processes around who gets published and how” with “a mission to support diverse communities” that includes the same terms for all of their authors: A $40,000 advance against a 40 percent profit share. Their financing has come “solely through small-money donations and investments from their online […]