Penguin Random House is launching Inklore, a global pop-comics imprint dedicated to publishing the best in manga, manhua, manhwa, webcomics adaptations, and light novels. The imprint will focus on "the most popular, fan-driven tropes in visual storytelling, with a focus on digital-to-print licensed publishing in the romance, fantasy, science fiction, horror, and slice-of-life genres."
Inklore will be led in the U.S. by Keith Clayton, v-p & deputy publisher, Random House Worlds. Rebecca "Tay" Taylor is the editorial director. In the U.K., the program will be led by Ben Brusey, publishing director at Century, with Kate McHale, senior commissioning editor at Del Rey UK, leading editorial. The two teams are acquiring books for both domestic and global publication distribution. They will also work closely with colleagues in Penguin Random House North Asia, with the goal of bringing the voices of international creators and storytellers to a global audience.
The new imprint's first project, to be published in early 2024, is My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999, a gamer rom-com manga series by Mashiro, originally published in Japanese by ComicSmart.
Other titles in the works are:
Under the Oak Tree, a fantasy romance novel by KIM Suji, originally published in Korean by RIDI Corporation. The novel has been adapted into a webcomic, adapted and illustrated by Seomal, namu, and P. The webcomic is currently being published both in Korean and English by RIDI and Manta (Summer 2024).
The Heavens, an adult fantasy space opera original graphic novel series written by Lev Grossman (The Magicians) and Lilah Sturges (Girl Haven) (2027).
Northern Lights, a YA fantasy graphic novel series by Malin Falch, originally published in Norwegian by Egmont (2024).
Cherry Blossoms After Winter, a childhood-friends-to-lovers BL manhwa by Bamwoo, originally published in Korean (early 2024).
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The Razorbill Books imprint is being merged into Putnam Books for Young Readers. As explained by Jennifer Klonsky, president and publisher of Putnam Books for Young Readers/Razorbill Books/Dial Books for Young Readers, and Casey McIntyre, v-p and publisher, Razorbill Books, the Razorbill imprint was founded as "a cutting edge teen fiction list" but has over the years "evolved into a broad general interest children's list that aligns perfectly with the mission of Putnam, and so it makes sense to merge these two lists and their terrific editorial teams under the Putnam shingle to create a truly powerhouse imprint bringing to market books for all readers."
As a result, Razorbill creators, including Danielle Valentine, Jessica Goodman, Ginny Myers Sain, J. Elle, Diana Urban, and Sabaa Tahir, will all move to the Putnam list, with the last Razorbill standalone list publishing in Spring 2024.
Among personnel changes, McIntyre has been named v-p, editor-at-large, Putnam Books for Young Readers, and reports to Klonsky, who said, "Casey and I have worked together since 2018 and she has been a trusted and dedicated partner; we are so lucky to have her very cool eye bringing talented creators to the Putnam list. Casey's new role and the Razorbill team's move to Putnam is effective immediately."
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Amber Lotus Publishing, which publishes calendars that showcase wisdom text and inspirational quotes paired with work by artists and photographers, is becoming an imprint of Andrews McMeel Publishing, the largest calendar publisher.
The first line of calendars will debut in the 2025 calendar season. They will include the works of Thich Nhat Hanh, Eckart Tolle, Pema Chödrön, and Ram Dass, as well as artists Katie Daisy, Geninne D Zlatkis, Endre Penovác, Meera Lee Patel, and photographers Kevin Horan and Tony Stromberg.
Andrews McMeel president and publisher Kirsty Melville said, "The Amber Lotus team, under the leadership of Leslie Gignilliat-Day and Lawson Day, have created a special and unique portfolio of work that illuminates the sacred in everyday life. Their work complements the Andrews McMeel calendar line wonderfully, and we're honored that they have chosen us to continue their mission of sharing the extraordinary work of so many talented teachers and artists."
Leslie Gignilliat-Day said, "When Lawson and I purchased Amber Lotus more than 20 years ago, we were drawn to the authentic mission of the company. We have considered ourselves stewards of this company and its creative process. We're grateful Kirsty shares this vision and are confident in her ability to usher in a new chapter and shepherd our unique voice in the calendar market. Andrews McMeel also shares our environmentally friendly forward stance. We are delighted that our wall calendars will have zero plastic starting from 2025. Andrews McMeel is committed to eliminating single-use shrink wrap to reduce plastic pollution."