Studio DreamWorks Animation is starting their own DreamWorks Press line of print and ebooks later this year, “likely to launch in time for the 2014 holiday season.” They will be issuing titles based on their forthcoming movies as well as their existing stable of characters where they have reclaimed those rights — from Shrek to properties acquired as part of Classic Media in 2012 including Rocky & Bullwinkle and Lassie. The imprint will be run by head of global publishing Emma Whittard, onetime director of global licensed books for Disney Publishing), and Perseus’s PGW will distribute the new company. Whittard is “supported by Dreamworks […]
New Imprints
Corporate: Little Brown UK Buys Constable & Robinson; Simon & Schuster Launches Business Book Site
Little Brown UK has purchased Constable & Robinson, which will continue to operate as its own entity under managing director Pete Duncan, who will report to David Shelley. Nova Jayne Robinson indicates to the Bookseller that the conversations began some time last year, before the death of previous chairman Nick Robinson in September. “Nick and I shared the view that we could not imagine a better home.” C&R had been a member of the UK’s Independent Alliance, and they have been the UK distributor for Skyhorse as well as New Harbinger and New Holland. Simon & Schuster has launched 250 Words, […]
People: Kirshbaum to Join Waxman Leavell, and More
Larry Kirshbaum will join the Waxman Leavell Literary Agency as a senior agent starting February 24, the WSJ reported. Scott Waxman says, “He’ll be an independent agent building his own list like every agent does. I’ve always admired Larry and our team is extremely fortunate to have him as a colleague.” Kirshbaum was an agent for his own firm, LJK Literary Management, between 2005 and mid-2011. (His former colleagues at that agency reconstituted as the Einstein Thompson Agency when Kirshbaum joined Amazon Publishing in 2011.) Macmillan vp, director of international sales Judith Sisko will retire after this year’s London Book […]
Amazon’s Brilliance Publishing Adds Christian Imprint
Michigan-based Amazon Publishing unit Brilliance is launching their second book imprint, Waterfall Press, a Christian line specializing in faith-based non-fiction and fiction. (Not be confused with Penguin Random House’s Christian line WaterBrook.) Just over a year ago, Brilliance started the inspirational line Grand Harbor Press. Tammy Faxel will lead editorial for the new imprint. With “30 years of experience in the Christian publishing industry” she has worked previously at Tyndale House and Oasis Audio. A number of the launch titles are being published in collaboration with Christianity Today.
S&S Adds New Sci-Fi/Fantasy Adult Trade Imprint, Simon451
Having recently launched a science fiction & fantasy imprint out of its children’s division, Simon & Schuster will now do the same through their adult trade imprint, starting in October 2014. The new imprint, Simon451 (a reference to Ray Bradbury’s iconic novel, published by S&S) is devoted to “publishing literary and commercial speculative fiction across categories such as science fiction, fantasy, dystopian, apocalyptic and the supernatural.” Simon451 will focus primarily on digital-first editions and ebook originals but also experiment with publishing serialized novels and original short stories, while reissuing classic backlist titles in digital format. Titles on the Simon451 launch list […]
Amazon Delivers Another Imprint, For Short Fiction
It’s not as imaginative as an octocopter, but Amazon Publishing announced another new brand on Wednesday. StoryFront is the name for their expanding line of short fiction, sold for between 99 cents and $1.99. The imprint also houses Day One, their weekly digital magazine of short fiction and poetry — and part of StoryFront’s list sells the works that have appeared in Day One a la carte. (The journal sells for $1.59 a month.) The current collection of StoryFront stories were acquired and edited by Courtney Dodson, Carmen Johnson, Gabriella Page-Fort, and Jodi Warshaw, and going forward all Amazon Publishing editors can contribute to the “curated” […]