Anchor Books will begin publishing hardcovers, complementing the Vintage/Anchor paperback program and launching with six to eight titles in spring 2022. The list will focus primarily on psychological suspense, mystery, and commercial fiction, as well as popular nonfiction. Edward Kastenmeier, previously v-p and executive editor, Vintage/Anchor, will lead the program in his new role as editorial director. Editors Anna Kaufman and Caitlin Landuyt will work closely with Kastenmeier on the Anchor hardcover list.
A 30-year veteran of Vintage/Anchor, Kastenmeier has edited and published books by Alexander McCall Smith, James Ellroy, Jo Nesbø, Robert Harris, and Lars Kepler, among others, and he has overseen the Vintage Crime/Black Lizard publishing program. He said, "This new hardcover line will bring popular fiction and nonfiction to a wide audience, applying the visionary publishing we're already known for to a hardcover market. I'm excited to expand into this new space."
The first list of titles includes three debut novels: Brendan Slocumb's The Violin Conspiracy, "a high-stakes tale that follows a classical musician on an increasingly desperate search for a missing Stradivarius"; Amy McCulloch's Breathless, "a wildly suspenseful thriller set against the back drop of commercial mountain climbing"; and Taylor Hahn's The Lifestyle, "a sexy romantic comedy about a Manhattanite who will resort to anything to save her marriage."
Suzanne Herz, publisher of Vintage Books and Anchor Books and executive v-p of Doubleday, said, "In addition to this exciting new initiative, our primary role at Vintage/Anchor remains unchanged, serving as the paperback publisher for the Knopf Doubleday Group. Our stand-alone paperback program delivers editorial, publicity, marketing, and operational excellence. And equally important in the current marketplace, we have heightened our focus on backlist and delivering new audiences, which affords our books the enduring shelf life they deserve."