Independent US publisher Sourcebooks, which is 45% owned by Penguin Random House (PRH), is launching a women’s voices imprint at the end of March 2021. It will begin in some style by taking the entire print backlist of multi-million bestseller EL James, author of the Fifty Shades series, from PRH will retain audio and large print rights.
Sourcebooks founder and publisher Dominique Raccah said the new imprint will “expand what publishing can be for women authors”. It will take a collaborative approach to each deal. Sourcebooks is looking for women authors from not just traditional publishing but self-published authors who are looking for a publishing partner.
James said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the Sourcebooks family. It feels like I’m coming home – returning to my indie roots, and working with an innovative, dynamic and hugely successful publisher who’s always up for new ventures.”
Raccah has been thinking about creating a new publishing model for entrepreneurial women for some time, and this chimed with similar discussions that had been happening within PRH. Sourcebooks’ senior director of publicity and brand marketing Pam Jaffee is closely involved in the launch and said that the new imprint – as yet unnamed – will be looking for women authors of a wide variety of adult fiction and from a variety of viewpoints.
Raccah and Jaffee underline the importance of digital marketing and the new imprint will offer authors access to all the publisher’s data to promote a writer’s books. Jaffee added: “We’re developing a team approach to publishing.”