New Publishers and Agents in 2022

The following is a roundup of new publishers and agents announced in 2022. Each was mentioned in a 2022 issue of The Hot Sheet at the time of the announcement.

New traditional publishing imprints (Big Five)

Remember that Big Five houses typically require an agent if you want your project to be considered; they don’t accept unsolicited submissions.

Simon & Schuster

  • MTV Books returns. The re-launched imprint, housed under Simon & Schuster, will focus on page-to-screen adaptations and build on MTV series and personalities. Learn more.
  • Simon & Schuster Canada launches Scribner Canada. The imprint will be dedicated to publishing the best literary fiction and nonfiction from Canada and around the world. The first titles will be Iain Reid’s novel We Spread and nonfiction title The Long Road Home by Debra Thompson. Learn more.

Penguin Random House

  • Thesis will publish “urgent idea-driven nonfiction by thought leaders, journalists, and experts with a strong point of view,” starting in spring 2023 with Struggle Sessions by Nellie Bowles. The imprint will be housed under PRH’s Portfolio. “For some time now we have been drawn to books that don’t fit on a business or political imprint, such as John McWhorter’s Woke Racism or Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying’s A Hunter-Gatherer’s Guide to the 21st Century,” said Portfolio’s editor-in-chief, Niki Papadopoulos. “We’ve discovered an audience hungry for ideas that don’t fall into ideologically neat buckets and which challenge the status quo on both sides of the political aisle.”
  • Knopf Canada launches Alchemy publishing program. Alchemy is led by poet and novelist Dionne Brand and will publish two to three fiction and nonfiction titles per year. Its mandate: to “create books that remake what is literary; books that reimagine genre; books that reposition our thinking about how we know what we know.” The imprint will “decenter colonial modes of literature and thought” and also tackle our “precipitous climate catastrophe.” Learn more.
  • Random House establishes imprint dedicated to licensed book publishing. In the children’s market alone, one in three books sold in the US features a licensed character, and such books have been growing in market share. (See this NPD Books chart.) So it’s not surprising to see Random House launching Random House Worlds, an imprint dedicated entirely to licensed book publishing, featuring properties such as Star Wars, Minecraft, and Garfield. Read the press release.
  • Penguin Random House launches Sugar23 Books. The new imprint is a collaboration with Sugar23, a media platform founded by an Academy Award–winning producer and manager. It will publish both fiction and nonfiction and be supported by Sugar23’s in-house production and branding teams. Sugar23 already had a partnership with HMH Books & Media (now part of HarperCollins); all newly acquired books from Sugar23 will be published with Penguin Random House going forward. Learn more.
  • Transworld launches new imprint. Transworld, a division of Penguin Random House UK, has established Torva, devoted to publishing hardcover nonfiction “that will change the future.” The publisher, Susanna Wadeson, said, “Torva will be the home for expert voices who reimagine the status quo, authors who will tackle big ideas head on, from geopolitics to science, business to personal development.” Learn more.
  • Penguin Young Readers has established Rocky Pond Books, an imprint for fiction and nonfiction with a focus on mental health and social-emotional learning. The first titles will release in spring 2023. Learn more. Also, Penguin Young Readers has partnered with Unanimous Publishing to create a picture book and graphic novel publishing program featuring diverse voices and focusing on family, sports, and faith-based subjects. It is partly led by NBA champion Stephen Curry, who will publish a picture book, I Have a Superpower, this fall. Learn more.
  • Random House launches a children’s nonfiction imprint. Bright Matter Books, operating under Random House Children’s Books, will publish educational nonfiction, including reference, study guides, workbooks, and activity books, for ages three and up. Editors will focus on titles that play to marketplace trends; they will also gather input from parents, educators, and librarians. Learn more.
  • Here comes Seuss Studios. Random House Children’s Books, in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, is launching a line of original early reader books by emerging authors and illustrators inspired by unpublished Dr. Seuss illustrations. President and CEO of Dr. Seuss Enterprises Susan Brandt said in a release: “Seuss Studios is a new, exciting step in the continued evolution and growth of Dr. Seuss Enterprises, and one that will help us ensure that Dr. Seuss’s images live on in the best possible way—and in new ways—for future readers. We look forward to putting the spotlight on a new generation of talent who we know will bring their unique voices and style to the page, while also drawing inspiration from the creativity and imagination of Dr. Seuss.” Learn more.

Hachette

  • Little, Brown launches a graphic novel imprint for young readers. Little, Brown Ink will be a graphic novel imprint at Hachette publishing about 20 titles a year, both fiction and nonfiction, ranging from early readers to middle grade to young adult. Existing Little, Brown graphic novels for children and YA readers will now fall under the imprint. Learn more.
  • New imprint from Disney-Hyperion. Freedom Fire is a new middle-grade imprint that will feature stories written by Black creators about Black resilience and Black joy. The first titles will release in spring 2024. The imprint is headed up by Kwame Mbalia, bestselling author of the Tristan Strong trilogy. Learn more.
  • ESPN’s Andscape Launches Imprint with Disney. ESPN media network Andscape—its Black media platform—is launching a book imprint, Andscape Books, with Disney Publishing Worldwide. The imprint will publish narrative nonfiction and memoir in addition to children’s and YA titles, and its books will feature themes of race, culture, and identity as they intersect with popular culture, social issues, fashion, sports, health, and the arts. Learn more.

HarperCollins

  • New children’s imprint: Allida Books. HarperCollins Children’s and Clarion Books have launched Allida Books, named for a “Korean word that means to inform, announce, or make known.” Its mission: to encourage marginalized writers and artists to explore the stories they are most passionate about and to craft narratives that defy expectations. Learn more.
  • Harper Select, a division of HarperCollins Focus, will publish memoir and narrative nonfiction. Publisher Matt Baugher said, “My vision is to hand-select an exclusive number of projects each year that are uniquely positioned to capture the interest of the reader through amazing experiences and the people who’ve lived them.” Read the press release.
  • Thomas Nelson launches Magnolia Publications. Thomas Nelson, a division of HarperCollins, has launched Magnolia Publications, a new imprint from Chip and Joanna Gaines. Magnolia will be housed under the W Publishing Group. Chip Gains said in a statement, “Jo and I have been changed for the better by people’s stories. These past few years, we’ve had the opportunity to introduce some of these inspiring people to the world, and we’re convinced that there are far more stories out there that need to be told. That’s our hope for Magnolia Publications—that it would be a source of storytelling where people walk away encouraged and inspired.” Learn more.
  • Harvest: a new lifestyle imprint from HarperCollins. Harvest, which will be housed under the William Morrow group at HarperCollins, will focus on publishing nonfiction books in the food, health, and wellness space. Titles that were once published under Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (acquired by HarperCollins last year) will move to Harvest. Learn more.

Beyond the Big Five

Fiction only

  • Entangled Publishing launches new adult fiction imprint. Red Tower Books will be a new adult commercial-fiction imprint focused on romantic fantasy and science fiction genres. It will champion feminist and empowered perspectives in the fantasy and science fiction space while folding in romance—what Entangled is best known for. The first release will arrive in May 2023: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, an epic fantasy set at a brutal and elite war college for dragon riders. Learn more about Entangled.
  • New crime imprint: Datura. UK publisher Angry Robot Books is launching Datura Books, a crime fiction imprint. The first titles will release next year, starting with Death of a Dancing Queen by Kimberly G. Giarratano. Learn more.
  • New manga imprint in the UK. Manga is one of the fastest growing book categories in the Anglophone market, and UK-based Titan Comics is establishing a new manga imprint, Titan Manga. The acquisitions editor told Publishers Weekly, “Titan Manga will be looking to publish series that we love and know that fans have been waiting for. It’s very much a case of quality control, first and foremost. The market has grown exponentially, but our approach is still very much the same as it is for comics: We carefully identify fantastic titles that we know have a passionate community.”
  • UK’s Canelo launches a US-based imprint. Canelo, which publishes paperbacks and ebooks, will begin publishing fiction, including thrillers, romance, and historical fiction, in the US market. They plan to release 17 titles during their first year. US-based ReaderLink and its publishing arm, Printers Row Publishing Group, will partner on publishing and distribution. Learn more.
  • Soft Skull Press partners with Kimbilio. Established in 2012, Kimbilio is “a community of writers and scholars committed to developing, empowering, and sustaining fiction writers from the African diaspora and their stories.” Soft Skull Press will acquire up to two books a year from Kimbilio fellows and faculty members over the next three years. Learn more.
  • Zando launches imprint with Sarah Jessica Parker. Established in 2020, Zando has announced a new partnership with Sarah Jessica Parker to launch SJP Lit, which “will publish sweeping, expansive, thought-provoking, and big-hearted literary and commercial works that are inclusive of international and underrepresented voices, leveraging her far-reaching celebrity to connect both emerging and established authors with new and eager readers.” Zando has also partnered with other high-profile figures, such as Gillian Flynn and Lena Waithe, to acquire and publish books. Like them, Parker will be involved in the publishing process and support the titles through interviews, events, and social media. Zando CEO Molly Stern—who worked with Parker on another imprint while at Penguin Random House—said of the arrangement, “Sarah Jessica is an essential part of Zando’s DNA, and I’m so proud to be able to build and publish with her again.” Learn more.
  • Mindy Kaling launches Mindy’s Book Studio. Mindy’s Book Studio will be housed under Amazon Publishing and Amazon Studios. Starting in late 2022, the imprint “will publish books across genres, from fresh romantic comedies and poignant coming-of-age stories to make readers laugh—and cringe—to suspenseful dramas with unforgettable female protagonists.” Published work will be adapted for streaming on Amazon Prime by Amazon Studios, with Kaling holding first-producer option. Through the imprint, Kaling will also publish her debut novel in 2023 and a new essay collection in 2024. Learn more.

Fiction and nonfiction

  • Independent bookstore establishes Golden Notebook Press. The Golden Notebook bookstore in Woodstock, New York, is launching Golden Notebook Press. The imprint’s debut title, Abigail Thomas’s memoir Still Life at 80: The Next Interesting Thing is scheduled for publication in January 2023. Learn more.
  • New imprint: Regalo Press. Regalo Press is a new imprint at Post Hill Press (distributed by Simon & Schuster) that will publish a broad list of fiction and nonfiction. Heading up the initiative is Gretchen Young, who spent 10 years at Grand Central (Hachette). Regalo will donate a portion beyond the author’s advance to a charity of the author’s choice at the acquisition stage. Learn more at Publishers Weekly (subscription required).
  • A new gift imprint: Kaddo. UK-based Quarto Publishing is launching a new gift book imprint in 2023 called Kaddo. It will combine “merchandised backlist” from Quarto alongside “fun, new, original content” for the adult and children’s markets. Learn more (subscription may be required).
  • Zando launches Crooked Media Reads imprint. Zando, established in 2020 and known for its big-name partnerships, has announced yet another: a partnership with Crooked Media, a liberal media company founded by former officials in the Obama administration. The imprint will publish fiction and nonfiction, starting with Lydia Kiesling’s sophomore novel Mobility, “a domestic coming-of-age novel set against a geopolitical backdrop about class, power, politics, and desire told through the life of one young woman.” Crooked Media will be heavily involved in the publishing process and support marketing efforts. Learn more.
  • Zando launches Sweet July Books with Ayesha Curry. Author and restaurateur Ayesha Curry is Zando’s latest high-profile publishing partner and will acquire fiction and nonfiction for Sweet July. Books will focus on “family, female empowerment, faith, and food” as well as underrepresented voices. The press release says Curry will “spotlight writers seeking to revitalize the self-help genre through the inclusive lens of womanhood and motherhood, as well as inspiring fiction for children and adults.” Learn more.
  • Bonnier Books UK is launching Twelve Point Audio, an imprint focused on audio originals and podcasts. It will produce eight to 10 projects a year, accept submissions from agents for audio-only projects, and develop audio partnerships with brands. Read the press release.
  • Sourcebooks partners with Ebony on new imprint. Sourcebooks has announced an Ebony Magazine Publishing imprint that will focus on Black authors and celebrate Black stories, with four to eight titles planned per year. The initial titles: Black Hollywood: Reimagining Iconic Movie Moments by photographer Carell Augustus and fiction from actor, producer, director, and author Eriq La Salle, with his originally self-published Martyr Maker series. Learn more.

Nonfiction only

  • New imprint from Tyndale. Tyndale Elevate will focus on apologetics: arguments and justifications for Christian beliefs. The first title will be How to Talk about Jesus without Looking Like an Idiot: A Panic-Free Guide to Having Natural Conversations about Your Faith by Andy Bannister, due out in August 2023. Learn more.
  • Schiffer launches a craft imprint. Schiffer Publishing has launched Schiffer Craft. With a backlist of about 1,000 titles and 25 new titles per season, the imprint will publish books on ceramics, fiber and textiles, floral design, glass art, woodworking, metalcraft, jewelry, leather, painting, and more. Learn more.
  • Two new imprints at Trinity University Press. Based in San Antonio, Trinity University Press has launched Tinta Books and Terra Firma, both nonfiction imprints. Tinta Books will focus on Mexico and Mexican-American life; Terra Firma will explore the relationship between humans and their physical environment. Learn more.
  • New lifestyle imprint at UK’s Bloomsbury. Tonic is a new nonfiction imprint that provides readers with “a toolkit to navigate everyday life.” The first lead title is Cariad Lloyd’s You Are Not Alone, a book about navigating grief; the book was inspired by the author’s podcast, Griefcast. Learn more.
  • Forefront launches Frederick Douglass imprint. The imprint is a partnership with Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives and will focus on publishing nonfiction work by Black and Brown authors. Forefront is a paid-for publishing firm with distribution through Simon & Schuster. Learn more.
  • Conservative publisher Post Hill Press launches Twin Flame. Twin Flame is a nonfiction imprint focused on “spirituality, tantra, relationships, and sexuality” that will publish up to two dozen books per year. Learn more in Publishers Weekly (subscription required).
  • The Atlantic and Zando partner on a new imprint. Atlantic Editions is a new imprint that will publish up to a dozen nonfiction paperback titles per year. According to the press release, each book “will feature long-form journalism by Atlantic writers, each devoted to a single topic, and will draw from contemporary articles or classic storytelling from the magazine’s rich archive.” Learn more.
  • New Christian publishing imprint. Esther Press is a new imprint under David C Cook that will focus on Bible studies, women’s stories, leadership books, devotionals, and video teachings. The imprint is named after the Old Testament’s Queen Esther. Learn more.
  • Swift Press, an independent publisher based in London, has launched Forum, an imprint that will focus on books that question contemporary orthodoxies. First titles include Woke Racism by John McWhorter and Reopening Muslim Minds by Mustafa Akyol. The press recently picked up Kate Clanchy’s Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me after criticism of the book caused Macmillan to part ways with Clanchy.
  • Edinburgh University Press partners on new nonfiction imprint. EUP, which is known for its focus on Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, has partnered with the Gibb Memorial Trust on a new scholarly imprint. Founded in 1902 in memory of scholar Elias John Wilkinson Gibb, the Gibb Memorial Trust promotes the study and advancement of Gibb’s areas of interest: literature, philosophy, religion, and history of the Turks, Persians, and Arabs. Books will be published under the joint imprint of GMT and EUP; the first publications will appear later this year. Learn more.
  • University of Wales Press launches trade imprint. The new imprint, Calon, draws its name from the Welsh word for heart. It will focus on nonfiction writing on Welsh life and culture. Among the first titles are Welsh Food Stories by food historian Carwyn Graves; Return to My Trees by Matthew Yeomans “maps a path through the ancient and modern forests of Wales to explore how people can reconnect with nature.” Learn more.

Children’s and YA

  • Loyola Press launches new imprint for children, parents, and educators. 4U2B Books & Media is a new imprint that will publish children’s books as well as select titles for adults. The first titles release this month. President and publisher Joellyn Cicciarelli said, “With 4U2B Books & Media, we’re looking to entertain, educate, and nurture families by helping children develop self-awareness, social-emotional skills, responsible decision-making, and thriving relationships.”
  • Book distributor Baker & Taylor launches a publishing imprint. B&T’s Paw Prints Publishing will publish books for children ages three to eight. The first titles of 15 planned for 2022 will release this summer, with each available in English and Spanish across formats. Baker & Taylor CEO Amandeep S. Kochar told Publishers Weekly that with Paw Prints, B&T “returns to its roots” as a publisher. Learn more.

Comics and graphic novels

  • Frank Miller launches his own publishing company. Frank Miller Presents will publish comics by Miller (a legend in this space, for those unaware) and also work with a range of other talent. Launch titles include a new Sin City comic and a return to Ronin. Learn more.

New publishers

  • New UK publisher: Bedford Square. Former Hodder & Stoughton CEO Jamie Hodder-Williams and former John Murray sales and strategy director Laura Fletcher have launched Bedford Square Publishers. They will publish 30 titles, both fiction and nonfiction, in their first year. The publisher will offer an “adaptable” publishing model, which may include profit sharing as well as traditional advance and royalty payments. Additionally, Bedford Square has acquired independent crime fiction publisher No Exit Press. Learn more at the publisher website.
  • New digital publisher of adult commercial fiction. The founder of Bookouture, a UK-based digital publisher that was acquired by Hachette UK, has launched Storm Publishing. The company will publish adult commercial fiction in ebook, audio, and print-on-demand paperback. Storm will pay 50 percent of net receipts on both ebook and audio formats—no advances. Their standard contract term is 10 years. Learn more.
  • A new Canadian publisher focused on women, RE:books. Toronto writer Rebecca Eckler wants to make reading “less snobby” and already has an email newsletter with 35,000 subscribers. Her company will launch with seven titles, then new books will be published as Eckler likes. Learn more.
  • Startup Parea wants to shake up the publishing industry. Parea seeks to publish books by new authors and help them find an audience by targeting influencers. The founder, Amy Snook, has worked at other consumer (makeup and alcohol) companies, where she used social media to find and create communities for the brands. Jane is quoted in this piece as a skeptic about the revolutionary qualities of Parea’s business plan.
  • New publisher: Black Odyssey Media. A film and media studio, Black Odyssey LLC has launched a new publishing venture dedicated to books focused on the Black experience. Black Odyssey Media will focus on novelizations and works that can be adapted for film or TV. Distribution will be through Kensington. Learn more.
  • Television network AMC launches a publishing division. AMC Networks Publishing will release fan-friendly, genre-forward specialty books, comics, and original graphic novels. Learn more.
  • New UK publisher: John Hudson Publishing. John Hudson, formerly head of publishing at Historic England, has set up his own publishing company focused on the history of place: settlements, buildings, and landscapes. Learn more at the publisher website.

New literary agencies and agents

New agencies

  • New literary agency: True Literary. After 12 years with Idea Architects, Lara Love Hardin is launching True Literary Agency. She will continue to work on nonfiction and expand into literary fiction; she will also represent short-form writing with the potential for TV or film adaptation. Submissions are open.
  • New literary agency: Arc. Myrsini Stephanides has launched a new literary agency, Arc Literary Management. Previously, Stephanides was with the Carol Mann Agency for 12 years. Joining Stephanides at Arc: Maile Beal, Iris Blasi, and Agnes Carlowicz, all previously at Mann. The press release says, “Particularly in light of industry-wide burnout and struggles with life-work balance, we aim for a holistic approach to publishing that focuses not just on the projects, but also on the people behind them.”
  • Raven Quill Literary Agency merges with Tobias Literary Agency. Raven Quill clients will move with their agents and be represented by Tobias going forward.
  • New Literary Agency Alert: Portobello Literary (UK). Caro Clarke, formerly Canongate’s senior rights manager, has launched Portobello Literary Edinburgh representing commercial, genre, and literary fiction, as well as nonfiction including nature writing, narrative nonfiction, pop science, and cookbooks.
  • New agency: Next Level Lit. J.L. Stermer, previously of New Leaf Literary, started Next Level Lit in late 2021. She is seeking a wide range of fiction and nonfiction, YA, and adult. Learn more.
  • Kathleen Ortiz launches KO Media Management. Ortiz was formerly an agent at New Leaf Literary & Media. Her new firm offers full-service literary and media representation and helps leverage licensing opportunities. She is not open to submissions.

New agents

  • New agent alert at Westwood Creative Artists. Based in Vancouver, Sara Harowitz has joined as a literary agent. She seeks narrative nonfiction, essays, and memoir. She was previously an editor and journalist. Learn more.
  • New agent at ASH Literary. ASH Literary is a children’s- and YA-focused agency established in 2020. Saffron Dodd joined the agency in 2022 and will become an associate agent in 2023; learn more. Submissions are open.
  • New agents at Blue Ridge Literary Agency. Carol Woien and Leslie Truex have joined as junior agents. Carol seeks inspirational romance, romantic comedy, romantic suspense, sweet romance, women’s fiction, cozy mystery, and mystery/suspense. Leslie seeks contemporary romance, romantic comedy, romantic suspense and mystery, new adult romance, YA romance, and various types of nonfiction. Learn more.
  • New agent at Arc Literary. Kate Davids has joined Arc Literary as an agent. She was previously at Simon & Schuster’s Gallery Books. Kate is looking for practical nonfiction, particularly cooking, personal finance, business, pets/animals, gardening, mental health, and new age. She also enjoys history books that delve into interesting subcultures, like anime or tabletop RPGs. In fiction, Kate seeks science fiction and fantasy with great action and world-building that leverages real world cultures or histories. For children’s books, Kate is looking for titles that can help both parents and their children explore the world together. This includes bilingual books and books about travel and multi-culturalism. Learn more.
  • New agents at Martin Literary Management. Rick Lewis has joined, specializing in adult and YA speculative fiction, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, and magical realism. He was previously editor in chief at Uproar Books. Kristen Terrette has also joined and will represent middle grade, YA, female-driven crime thrillers, faith-based books, and picture books with an author/illustrator. Both will open to queries on Oct. 10.
  • New agents at Red Fox Literary. Sarah Stephens and Eve Adler have joined as agents at Red Fox Literary. Stephens was a children’s author and editor at Houghton Mifflin and Chronicle Kids. Adler was an executive editor at Union Square Kids.
  • New agent at Jenny Brown Associates (UK). Lisa Highton will represent both fiction and narrative nonfiction. She was formerly publisher at the Hachette UK imprint Two Roads. Learn more at the Jenny Brown Associates website.
  • New agent at United Talent Agency. Georgia Bodnar has joined UTA as a literary agent based in New York. She was most recently senior editor at Viking. Learn more.
  • New agent at WTA Media. Jenaye Merida, formerly a publicist at B&H Publishing, has joined WTA Media as publishing manager and literary agent. WTA Media focuses on faith-based film marketing and financing as well as literary representation.
  • New agent at UK’s The Rights Factory. Tim Moore was most recently an editor at Cookt. He is interested in nonfiction with a clear platform and fiction with a distinctive voice. Learn more.
  • New agent at UK’s Blair Partnership. Rachel Petty has joined Blair Partnership as an agent heading up the children’s and young adult list. (The agency’s most well-known client: J.K. Rowling.) For the past 14 years, Petty was editorial director at Macmillan UK Children’s. Learn more about the agency.
  • New agent alert. Angeline Rodriguez, who resigned from Orbit (Hachette) with other editors in March (see our earlier item), has joined William Morris Endeavor as an agent. She focuses on high-concept genre fiction.

If you want to learn about such announcements every 2 weeks, consider a subscription to The Hot Sheet.