LITERARY SECRETS
Make some room on your book shelf: we’ve uncovered the new way to get your recommended reads
If you usually judge your next book by its cover, well, don’t. Now try judging it by its imprint instead. What’s an imprint, we hear you cry? Turns out, they’re umbrella departments within large publishing houses that specialise in specific genres – and they’re the way to get your recommended reads. Here’s our pick of the latest launches.
Fleet Who’s behind it?
Little, Brown
What’s their speciality?
Literary fiction and non-fiction – it’s headed up by Ursula Doyle, who discovered The Lovely Bones. Expect beautiful prose.
Their biggest hit?
Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, loved by Oprah and Obama – it’s a tale of escape from slavery in the Deep South.
What’s next? A paperback of Saints For All Occasions by J Courtney Sullivan – two sisters travel from Ireland to America.
Raven Books Who’s behind it? Bloomsbury What’s their speciality?
Crime, thrillers and suspense. So those books that have you reading them on escalators/in the toilet at work/when your best friend’s having a breakdown, simply because you need to find out what happens.
Their biggest hit?
Laura Purcell’s The Silent Companions – a ghost story about Ella who discovers a locked room, holding a 200-year-old diary and a wooden figure that looks just like her.
What’s next? Eerie thriller This Is How It Ends by Eva Dolan. A building of tenants is evicted by developers, and all that remains are two women... and a body hidden in a lift shaft.
Pop Press Who’s behind it? Ebury What’s their speciality?
Those novelty books that successfully tempt you at the till when you’re buying that critics’ favourite. Three months later, you’ve read it cover to cover, while the Elena Ferrante remains gathering dust.
Their biggest hit?
Pride And Prejudice & Emojis. Because the heart-eye emoji was surely created just for Mr Darcy, yes?
What’s next? Fancy Frenchies – French bulldogs in costumes. Pretty much what it says on the tin.
Spring Who’s behind it? Orion What’s their speciality?
Health and wellness. Which basically means anything that makes you feel like this book will change everything.
Their biggest hit?
They love a celebrity-backed title, and have published books by Fearne Cotton and Davina McCall. Want life advice from smiley television women? This is the place.
What’s next? Emotional Resilience by Dr Harry Barry. More than just a rhyming name, he’s a GP turned best-selling author. In this tome, he offers ways to safeguard our mental health.
Dialogue Who’s behind it? Little, Brown What’s their speciality?
Publishing houses aren’t exactly known for their diversity – and Dialogue wants to change that. They source talent from a wide range of UK communities.
Their biggest hit?
Having just been launched, it’s too early to tell, but our money is on immigrant story The Leavers by Lisa Ko – it’s already been shortlisted for a major award in the US.
What’s next? One More Chance by Lucy Ayrton. Prisoner Dani is haunted by memories of the child she abandoned as a baby, when new cellmate Martha offers a way she could see her... at a cost.