Another publisher is cutting back. Harlequin Trade Publishing announced yesterday that it is closing the Inkyard Press imprint and moving its titles to HarperCollins Children's Books, which it called "a difficult, strategic decision."
Harlequin cited "current market conditions" that have posed "a variety of challenges for the business, which has been acutely felt in the YA/Middle grade space with a shifting retail landscape, reduced distribution, and higher production costs in a price-sensitive segment. Inkyard titles will benefit from the synergies and streamlined processes as part of a larger children's division." The Inkyard Press publishing team will leave the company, effective August 1.
Inkyard Press, the Harlequin YA imprint that focused on commercial fiction, launched a middle-grade publishing program last year.