HarperCollins is launching another new imprint, Harper Influence, that will join a long list of ‘Harper’-named imprints across the globe. Harper Influence will publish a range of nonfiction “spanning popular culture, from general lifestyle and entertainment to stories of survival and inspiration,” the company said. It added: “Whether in the fields of entertainment, science, medicine, nature, music, lifestyle, spirituality, cooking, design, or news-driven narratives, the defining theme of the list will be cultural impact and relevance.”
Harper Influence aims to publish some 15 books annually, with its first titles set to appear this autumn. The list will be headed by senior vice-president Lisa Sharkey, who has been with HarperCollins for 17 years, will head the imprint as publisher.
The new imprint joins HarperVia, HarperOne, Harper Wave, HarperVoyager, Harperalley, Harper Muse and Harper Horizon, among others.
Interestingly the history of twentieth century publishing is partly the story of men — almost always men — founding houses in their name. Jonathan Cape, Victor Gollancz, Andre Deutsch, William Heinemann, Michael Joseph, Alfred Knopf, [Richard] Simon & [Max Lincoln] Schuster, [George] Weidenfeld & [Nigel] Nicolson…it’s a long list, and goes all the way to [Charles Coffin] Little and [James] Brown in 1837 and the UK’s John Murray in 1768.
Today, there is a move away from the personal, the names over the door – Andre Deutsch, Jonathan Cape etc – to something that reflects the more collegiate approach in which publishers now operate. So now you no longer have the editor/publisher who goes out to lunch, buys a book and tells everyone to sell it — ala Farar, Straus & Giroux. Now you might have publishers set up by people from other disciplines — sales, marketing, rights — and decisions are taken together.”
Brand is arguably the name of the game now, with HarperCollins keen to champion the name Harper on the global stage.