Princess Imprint Gives Hay House Bestseller

Hay House, which has created a number of imprints for well-known personalities, has scored a bestseller with a book published under its Princess Books imprint, After Life by TV psychic John Edward. After Life has spent five weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. The Carlsbad, Calif.–based self-help publisher established Princess Books last year when it signed a deal to publish Edward, using a tactic that's becoming a regular part of its strategy. Princess publishes only books by Edward.

Hay House, which publishes about 40 books a year, also has an imprint dedicated to books by talk show host Montel Williams called Mountain Movers Press and influential African-American radio personality Tavis Smiley has an imprint, Smiley Books. Williams, Smiley and Edward all have large, avid followings. By giving them their own imprints, the publishing company is better able to tap into that fan base. "The audience can relate to Smiley Books," explained Hay House publicity director Jacqui Clark. "I don't know if they would relate to Hay House."

Hay House also uses the tactic as a lure for big names. "It's appealing when you offer it to a celebrity," said Clark. "It makes them feel like they have their own publishing company." As part of the arrangement with Edward, Hay House and Edward have formed a publishing partnership in which the company splits the profits with the author in exchange for editorial and distribution services, rather than a traditional advance-against-royalties deal.

After Life, which came out last month, is Edward's first new title published under the Princess Books name. In September 2002, Princess published an updated version of Edward's 2001 bestseller, Crossing Over. Next up for Princess: Edward's second novel, Final Beginnings: The Tunnel, set for publication in September 2004.