S&S Bets Big on H.M. Wolfe’s Crossover Romance
Sarah McCabe, executive editor at Scarlett Press, and Jason Pinter, VP and editorial director of Simon Maverick, won North American rights at auction to H.M. Wolfe’s The Heart duology, comprising the novels Daggermouth and Python, from Angie Ojeda Hazen of Lunar Literary Agency, as part of a seven-figure deal alongside Bramble UK. The acquisition includes print, e-book, and audio rights.
Daggermouth, the first title in the duology which Wolf originally self-published in December 2025, is slated for September 2026. Python is scheduled to publish in 2027. The publisher described Daggermouth as a dystopian sci-fi romance “blending the revolutionary urgency of The Handmaid’s Tale with the enemies-to-lovers intensity of These Violent Delights and the political stratification of The Hunger Games.”
Simon & Schuster launched new adult imprint Scarlett Press in October 2025, with a focus on “romance-forward” titles in all genres. It is part of a growing number of imprints at Big Five publishers focused on the new adult categories.
