Sourcebooks has inked a deal with Ebony Magazine Publishing to create a list of Ebony-branded adult books. Sourcebooks said four to eight books a year will be released under the partnership, which will feature a mix of fiction and nonfiction titles. The first books books in the list will be released this fall.
“This collaboration will celebrate the broad spectrum of Black voices through powerful fiction and nonfiction stories with authors who represent and speak to the full spectrum of our culture,” Lavaille Lavette, president and publisher of Ebony Magazine Publishing, said in a statement. Lavette will oversee the project along with Walt Jones Jr., Ebony senior v-p for marketing and partnerships; Dr. Elinor Jackson, Ebony senior v-p/editorial director; and Voltaire R. Jackson, Ebony director of strategic development and communications. Todd Stocke, senior v-p and editorial director, will be the point person for Sourcebooks.
According to Sourcebooks, the list will feature titles that originate from both Sourcebooks and Ebony. The first nonfiction title in the deal is Black Hollywood: Reimagining Iconic Movie Moments by photographer Carell Augustus. Set for release in October, Black Hollywood features dozens of prominent Black actors and artists.
The first novel to be published under the deal will be book one in the Martyr Maker crime thriller series, which is set for release in November. The series is written by actor, director, producer, and author Eriq La Salle, and follows two New York detectives and an FBI agent as they investigate slayings by a serial killer. La Salle self-published the first two books (Laws of Depravity and Laws of Wrath); and the third title in the series, Laws of Annihilation, will be new.
Calendars will also be included in the publishing program, starting with the 2023 This Day in Black History wall and boxed calendars, publishing in August 2022.
All titles will be released with the Ebony Magazine Publishing logo on the jacket or cover. Sourcebooks said it is working with Ebony to create a range or marketing campaigns, including special author events, community events, social media, virtual events and corporate tie-ins.
"We are thrilled to be partnering with Ebony to showcase the extraordinary work of Black authors and celebrate Black stories,” Dominique Raccah, Sourcebooks publisher and CEO, said in a statement.
