Sourcebooks Launches Romance Fiction Line
By Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 8/16/2007 7:41:00 AM
Naperville, Il., publisher Sourcebooks is getting into the romance fiction game. The house, best known for its baby naming guides and college guides, currently publishes some fiction, but did not have a dedicated romance imprint until now. The house’s Casablanca line—which has successfully published Jane Austen sequels and romance-related nonfiction—will now encompass all genres of romance fiction, including paranormal, time travel, contemporary, romantic suspense, historical, erotic and Regency.
According to RWA, romance fiction generated $1.2 billion in sales in 2004. Almost half of all paperback fiction sold is romance. Editorial manager Deb Werksman said Casablanca’s program will differ from those of the major romance publishing houses. "We’re not going to be doing 50—or even 12—books a month. I’m looking for books that actually transcend a genre in some way." Werksman’s goal is to launch new authors and "pick up authors who are looking for a new direction in their career."
Sourcebooks's new line launches this fall with three titles: the time travel romance Hundreds of Years to Reform a Rake by Laurie Brown, and two Regency romances, No Regrets by Michèle Ann Young and Cotillion by Georgette Heyer, an English historical romance writer widely credited with creating the Regency genre (she died in 1974). The spring 2008 list includes a contemporary romance featuring a Navy SEAL hero as well as six other titles. The imprint will eventually publish 15 to 20 titles per season, in a mixture of mass market and trade paperback formats.
