St. Martin's Press and the alternative newspaper LA Weekly have joined forces to create the imprint LA Weekly Books, to debut in spring 2000. Eight to 10 titles are expected to be released annually and will include narrative nonfiction, service guides, fiction and pop culture in both hardcover and trade paper, covering arts, politics, entertainment and food.

St. Martin's Press executive editor Elizabeth Beier will head the new imprint. The first title will be It All Came True by Michael Fessier Jr., a memoir based on his December 1997 LA Weekly cover story, "My Father, the Writer: Or, Hollywood Is Forever."

LA Weekly publisher Michael Sigman said that the publication is looking forward to "utilizing our editorial and marketing expertise to create a series of books that spotlights Southern California's distinctive culture."