Weldon Owen, a division of Bonnier Publishing USA, will launch a new gift book imprint, Blue Streak Books, this spring, with former Running Press v-p and publisher Chris Navratil at the helm as associate publisher.
"I’m thrilled to work with the creative team at Weldon Owen," Navratil in a statement, citing WO's "innovative lifestyle titles and outstanding reputation in the global marketplace."
Blue Streak will focus on publishing books on popular culture, entertainment, and style, and will release approximately 25 illustrated titles for the global market annually. The list includes branded and licensed books such as TV tie-ins with Ink Master and RuPaul’s Drag Race.
"There's a real opportunity right now for a well-produced publishing program of ground-breaking, trend-driven, and quick-to-market books," Weldon Owen president and publisher Roger Shaw said in a statement. "Blue Streak Books provides a perfect complement to Weldon Owen's existing list and is destined to be a significant growth vehicle for us." Weldon Owen parent company Bonnier Publishing USA has aspirations to build a major publishing presence in the U.S.
The imprint's inaugural book, Grandmother’s Journal: Memories and Keepsakes for My Grandchild, an illustrated gift book, will be published on April 4. All Blue Streak books will be distributed, as are all Weldon Owen titles, by Simon & Schuster in the North American market.
