Avon Adds Yet Another Imprint
Diane Patrick -- 8/3/98
"All kinds of entertainment" will be the theme of Spike, Avon's new imprint, which will launch in February 1999. Avon v-p and publisher Lou Aronica will head the imprint, together with director of creative services and senior editor Tom Dupree. "It's about how movies, TV, music, sports, multimedia and more are created and sent to us," Aronica said. The imprint will publish fiction and nonfiction titles in all formats, and Aronica promised that the nonfiction topics will get an "up-close look, not simply skimming the surface." The first month's list includes Stardust by Neil Gaiman; Moon: The Life and Death of a Rock Legend by Tony Fletcher; Openly Bob by Bob Smith; and Walk This Way: The Autobiography of Aerosmith by Aerosmith with Stephen Davis. Later releases will include The Passionate Eye: The Collected Writing of Suzanne Vega by Suzanne Vega; The List Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore; Keepin' It Real: A Turbulent Season at the Crossroads with the NBA by Larry Platt; and Hitchcock's Notebooks: An Authorized and Illustrated Look Inside the Creative Mind of Alfred Hitchcock by Dan Auiler. Twelve to 15 titles are planned per season. Although each title will be marketed independently, there will be a Spike tabloid publication for consumers, a website and national print advertising in Entertainment Weekly. "Spike is not about quick-sale 'merch' or pasted-up fan photo albums," said Tom Dupree. "Our goal is to publish books that have great front-of-store appeal, but will eventually settle into solid backlist performers. The quality of the writing is key." Back To News---> |
