Red Wheel Strikes Deal with Ravenous Romance to Do P-books of E-books

Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly, 3/10/2010 10:09:27 AM

Red Wheel/Weiser, best known as a publisher of nonfiction titles, is entering the fiction market through an agreement with e-book publisher Ravenous Romance. Under the deal, Red Wheel has licensed world English rights to 12 Ravenous paranormal romance e-books that the company will publish under its new Red Silk Editions imprint. Red Wheel will launch the line in June and plans to release two $12.95 trade paperbacks per month. 

Bonni Hamilton, director of marketing for Red Wheel, said the deal gives the company a quick way to establish a presence in the still-expanding romance market. The paranormal segment, she added, "fits well with our track record publishing occult and esoteric titles." The Red Silk imprint is being overseen by Red Wheel's California office head by publisher Jan Johnson. The titles for the program are being chosen in conjunction with Ravenous and will feature the bestselling titles. Since the books have already been selling as e-books, "it's like our consumer research has already been done," said Red Wheel president Michael Kerber. 

Ravenous will help promote the titles through its various online communities and Hamilton said at some point the two might experiment with offering e-book and print book bundles. Kerber said Red Wheel could expand the agreement depending on how the imprint does. "Ravenous has no shortage of titles," he said. Reaction from Barnes & Noble and Borders has been very positive, Kerber added. Red Wheel will also sell the books into foreign markets and hopes to licensing foreign-language rights. 

"We see this partnership as an enormous opportunity to expand our reach," said Holly Schmidt, president of Ravenous which she cofounded in 2008.