Amazon’s Imprints
Want to learn more about Amazon Publishing? Alloy Entertainment joins 14 other imprints for every genre under the sun.
According to their website, Amazon Publishing is “…the full-service publishing arm of Amazon. Our mission is to invent new and better ways to connect authors and readers. We publish in print, e-book, audio, and deluxe formats, as well as Kindle Serials and Kindle Singles. From international best sellers, debut fiction, and books for kids of all ages to heart-pounding romances, high-velocity thrillers, and stunning science fiction, Amazon Publishing brings outstanding books to a global audience.”
Click here to see all 14 imprints.
Alloy Entertainment
Alloy Entertainment (the company, not the imprint) has more than 75 bestselling titles to its name. Check out their books and authors here. Interested in publishing with Alloy? Know that they traditionally work as a book packager, creating ideas internally and hiring or working with writers on those brainchild books. However, in addition to the new Amazon Publishing Alloy Entertainment imprint, Alloy also hosts what they call The Collaborative, which “looks to acquire up to twelve partial or complete manuscripts per year with an emphasis on women’s fiction, young adult, middle grade, and chapter books. We’re excited about fresh, new voices, and strong, unique concepts.”
Want to know more? Check out their submission guidelines.
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Feature
New Imprint for Amazon, New Opportunity for Authors
Amazon and Alloy Entertainment Team Up for Digital-First Imprint
On July 29 of this year, a new player entered the bookselling game: Alloy Entertainment. Amazon and Alloy Entertainment (a TV-producing and book-packaging division Time Warner) have teamed up to create a digital-first imprint for YA, new adult, and commercial fiction. These books are right up Alloy’s alley—they are the folks who brought you books like The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and TV shows like Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars.
Amazon already has several imprints under its belt, ranging from 47North (sci-fi, horror, and fantasy) to Waterfall Press (Christian works of fiction and nonfiction). Like most of the big publishers, Amazon Publishing boasts a team of more than 20 highly selective editors, has a dedicated PR and marketing group, and does not accept any unsolicited submissions. Distribution is “Powered by Amazon”—global distribution and targeted marketing to Amazon customers.
The Alloy Entertainment imprint launched with three titles: Imitation by Heather Hildenbrand, Every Ugly Word by Aimee L. Salter, and Rebel Wing by Tracy Banghart. All three are young adult titles and new releases of previously self-published books. Now, launching YA titles seems like a no-brainer: the category (while growing oversaturated) is still hot, hot, hot, and the crossover from tweens to retirees is impressive. But even more impressive is the fact that all three of these authors went the self-publishing route the first time around—and gained some attention that way.
Thousands of authors start out in self-publishing, whether because they wanted to or because they couldn’t match up with a traditional house. It seems that more people than ever are writing books these days, and while we have a lot of readers, our bookshelves and Kindles and time are quite finite in terms of space. But standing out from the crowd in self-publishing can mean more than just pulling in readers. It could land you a traditional publishing deal whether you’re on the crazy-successful side like John Locke and Amanda Hocking or if you’re just starting out.
And digi-first imprints can be a good place to break in, despite recent attention to digital book growth slowing. In the past few years, dozens have sprung up, even among the biggest houses. Random House has Hydra, Loveswept, Flirt, and Alibi; HaperCollins has Avon Impulse and Witness; Hachette has groups like Forever Yours; Simon and Schuster has Pocket Star, among others; the list goes on. Of course, as with any publisher, prospective authors will want to do their research. The Guardian did a great article on digi imprints, “Digital-only imprints in the ebook era: inclusive or exploitative?”, saying, “New digital options from the big publishers offer opportunities and limitations. It's just a case of reading the small print.”
With Alloy Entertainment now in the space, there’s another opportunity for a star self-publisher to make it big. Although no information has been released about yearly publishing plans, there are rumors that the imprint will also add print runs to its books. Keep on eye on this new player, and see how they play the ebook game.
*I do feel like I need to add a giant asterisk to the end of this article, citing of course the war of Amazon vs. Hachette (and Amazon vs. a lot of other folks). For all the great parts about Amazon, there are some not-so-great parts that any author or publisher should be wary of.
(And for those of you who have been living under a rock, check out Forbes’ “The Real Story Behind The Amazon v Hachette Fight” or Bustle’s “Amazon vs. Hachette: Everything You Need to Know about this Feud” where you can read up. And when in doubt, just head to your local indie bookstore and avoid the drama.)
Jillian Bergsma Manning is a contributing editor for Independent Publisher. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in English. She welcomes any questions or comments on her articles at jbergsma (at) bookpublishing.com. Follow her at @LillianJaine.