Sunday, March 15, 2009

HarperCollins to Launch 'It Books' Imprint in September 2009

HarperCollins Publishers, one of the largest English-language publishers in the world, today announced the launch of It Books, a new popular culture imprint dedicated to entertainment, music, fashion, design, and sports.

The first books in the new imprint will be published in September 2009. Among the projects on the inaugural list are books by burlesque artist Dita Von Teese, style guru Amanda Brooks, bestselling author Neil Strauss, and comedians Paul Provenza and Aaron Karo; Charlie Cross's illustrated history of Led Zeppelin; the legendary Larry "Bozo" Harmon's posthumous autobiography; and the first authorized Twitter book. Future authors will include actress Molly Ringwald and bestselling recording artists Debbie Harry, Johnny Rotten, Toni Braxton, and the mythical metal band Spinal Tap.

It Books will be directed by Carrie Kania, Senior Vice President and Publisher. The editorial team for the imprint will be lead by Mauro DiPreta, Vice President/Associate Publisher, and Cal Morgan, Vice President/Editorial Director. Ms. Kania and Mr. Morgan are currently the Publisher and Editorial Director of Harper Perennial respectively, and will retain those roles.

"It Books will be a new way for us to reach readers like us--people with an endless appetite for pop culture, who live for music and film and art and fashion and the Internet," said Carrie Kania. "An It book should be fun. It should be interesting. It should be cool. It should look great. Working with Cal and Mauro, we're going to have the chance to publish some great books and market them in new and interesting ways. I'm really excited about this opportunity."