Employees of Hachette Book Group wrote a letter to management protesting the publisher’s new conservative imprint Basic Liberty and the hiring of former Heritage Foundation fellow Thomas Spence. (The letter was posted on the Instagram account xoxopublishinggg.) The employees write: “As employees of HBG, we stand together in firm disapprobation of The Heritage Foundation, Project 2025, and any conservative movement of thought that strips away sacred rights and the humanity of people. We disavow David Shelley’s unsympathetic and insensitive remarks, and maintain that the dignity, rights, and freedoms of all people should be upheld by everyone, especially those in positions […]
New Imprints
Basic Books Launches Two New Imprints
At the Basic Books Group, publisher Lara Heimert has been promoted from svp to president and is launching two new imprints, Basic Venture, a business and economics imprint, and Basic Liberty, which will publish conservative books. Both will publish their first lists in summer 2025. Basic Venture will be led by editorial director Colleen Lawrie and executive editor Emily Taber , who move over from Public Affairs, building on that line’s “two decades…of business publishing.” (A new editorial director will be hired for Public Affairs.) In addition to publishing “leading experts” they will focus on “helping individuals and organizations who […]
PRH Launches Christian Publishing Group
Penguin Random House has launched the Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group, through which it “aims to significantly expand readership, strengthen connections with audiences, and deepen its range of books and content offerings for the Christian readership.” The new standalone entity comprises Waterbrook, Multnomah, Image, and Forum, the imprints that were housed in the Crown Publishing Group until it was disbanded in 2018, when they were moved over to the Random House Publishing Group. Campbell Wharton, who has been deputy publisher for the lines, takes over as svp, publisher of the new group. He will report to cfo Manuel Sansigre. Longtime […]
Forthcoming: Maria Shriver’s I AM MARIA, John Green’s EVERYTHING IS TUBERCULOSIS
On April 1, Maria Shriver‘s The Open Field imprint will publish her own book, I AM MARIA: My Poems and Reflections on Healing, Heartbreak, and Hope. According to a release, the book “combines Shriver’s hard-earned wisdom with her own deeply personal poetry and reminds readers there is strength, love, and hope on the other side of our hardest days.” Penguin Life, Viking, and Penguin Books president and publisher Brian Tart said, “Maria Shriver has written a book that will inspire readers everywhere to look beyond others’ expectations and labels to find their true selves. After years of searching, she accomplished […]
Imprints: OverDrive Launches Heights Press
OverDrive has launched a new imprint called Heights Press, “inspired by the vibrant creativity and community spirit of Cleveland Heights, Ohio.” Its first titles are the Hickory Hollow books, a six-book series for middle-grade readers. Each book in the series will be initially available in ebook format, with digital audio versions to follow, available exclusively for public libraries and schools. At launch the books will be published in English, Chinese, German, Vietnamese, and Korean. “Our goal is to provide all educators and librarians with fresh, original content that entertains while fostering a love for reading and exploration,” said OverDrive vp, […]
8th Note Press Partners With Zando On Print Editions
ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, announced a partnership between its digital-only imprint 8th Note Press and Zando to expand into print books. Zando “will debut its titles for the first time in print to a worldwide audience.” The two companies plan to release 10 to 15 romance, romantasy, and YA titles a year in print, beginning in early 2025, with a focus on millennial and Gen Z readers. Under the partnership, some titles will be completely new and others will be print versions of existing e-books. 8th Note’s head of editorial Jacob Bronstein told the NYT, “Physical books […]