In November 2014, Kristin Cast, the younger writer in the mother-daughter duo behind the bestselling House of Night young adult titles, signed with Diversion Books for a five-book paranormal romance series titled the Escaped. It was a major acquisition for Diversion Books, which was launched in 2010 by literary agent Scott Waxman as the e-book arm of his agency, but it has now spun off into a publisher in its own right. Cast’s addition to the roster comes at a time of expansion for Diversion, one in which the publisher is continually integrating more traditional publishing practices into its once strictly digital platform.
Cast’s series will follow Alek, who hails from the underworld of Tartarus, as he heads to Earth to save Eva, who is being hunted by a serial killer. The first book in the series, Amber Smoke, went on sale June 9, and the second book, Scarlet Rain, is slated for a December 8 publication.
When asked why she opted for a less traditional publishing route, Cast said that she and her agent, Meredith Bernstein (who has her own agency), were “intrigued by the freedom and new possibilities Diversion Books offered.” Cast continued, “I also know from experience that publisher enthusiasm is huge for the success of a series, and my Diversion family couldn’t be more excited about the Escaped.”
Though it began in the digital realm, these days Diversion is best described as an “innovative publisher with a focus on digital,” said Mary Cummings, v-p and editorial director. In November 2014, the publisher signed with Ingram Publisher Services for U.S. sales and distribution representation, including print-on-demand capabilities, but Cummings said Diversion still strategizes a publication plan for each individual title. “We look at what makes the most sense for any given title and author, and really consider books on a case-by-case basis,” she added. “Our marketing and publicity focus is primarily digital, and we like to maintain that nimbleness that accompanies the digital space.”
For Cast’s series, Diversion will use traditional offset printing plus short print runs and use POD as a backup. “Diversion has had an evolving print program, with multiple channels set up to handle different kinds of projects,” Cummings said, adding that since last November’s IPS deal, the publisher’s frontlist has been represented through a more traditional sales approach.
Diversion has grown exponentially in both its staff and catalogue since December 2012, according to Cummings. In its first year and a half, the Diversion staff consisted of CEO and founder Waxman, one full-time employee, and a freelance network. The house currently has nine full-time employees and a number of part-time and freelance employees. In 2014, Diversion put out roughly 500 titles, largely composed of backlist reissues, and roughly 10% of those titles were published in print. For its frontlist titles, over 90% of Diversion titles have print editions. Notable books last year included It’s Just a F***ing Date, by Greg Behrendt (author of He’s Just Not That into You) and Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt; The Lathe of Heaven, by Ursula K. Le Guin; and Exponential Organizations, by Salim Ismail. Last week, Diversion signed bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn to a four-book deal. Under the agreement, Diversion will do the next three books in her Otherworld series, which to date has been published by traditional houses. Diversion will also publish the first book in her new paranormal romantic suspense series, Lily Bound. Souljacker will be published next spring or summer. All Galenorn titles will be released simultaneously in print and digital.
While its deal with Ingram pulls Diversion into a more traditional area of publishing, it does continue to develop its digital initiatives. In November, it launched EverAfter, an e-bookstore app dedicated to romance titles from across publishers, including Kensington, Ellora’s Cave, and Samhain. Cummings said that Diversion is currently working on an expansion of the EverAfter program.
“We’re always looking for ways to grow and continue to do things differently, looking at opportunities with fresh eyes rather than the ‘this is the way we’ve always done things’ mentality,” Cummings said.
