A new publisher spreads its wings

Over at authorlink, Claiborne Hancock outlines his mission for his new publishing venture, Pegasus Books, which he began last month after several years acquiring titles for Carroll & Graf:

In early September, Hancock opened a small office on Wall Street in New York, and will launch his first titles for Pegasus Books in spring 2006. His plan was to publish 12 books the first year, 8 in the first spring list, but he has already spotted 20 titles he wants to bring to bookshelves. His main focus will be on crime, mystery, history, biography, pop culture, and serious nonfiction. “I don’t want Pegasus to be pigeon-holed into this category or that,” he cautioned. “I will publish what catches my eye, which means I have to fall for a book on the first page. The language has to attract me.” One unlikely example is the soon-to-be-published chick lit novel, READER, I MARRIED HIM, by Michelle Roberts, originally released by Little Brown in England. This will be the first American edition.

“Were you attracted by Roberts’s writing style or her big name?” we bluntly asked.

“Certainly it is easier to publish established authors, or those who are on the rise. However, I would be open to publishing a debut novel—most definitely.”

But the reason Hancock believes his new press will succeed is who he recruited to back him up:

For all his emphasis upon literary quality, however, Claiborne Hancock has an unmistakably shrewd sense of business. He wrote a prospectus which detailed the net profits of several of his acquisitions at Avalon and presented it to Wachovia Securities, the non-bank affiliate of Wachovia Corporation, one of the largest financial institutions in America. Pegasus Books won the substantial financial backing it needed.

Considering my tastes, I’m pleased that Pegasus will be publishing Martyn Waites, one of the best-kept secrets in crime fiction in the UK, as well as Charlie Stella. The list promises to be fairly eclectic, and it should be interesting to see what ends up being the final launch season list.

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