Simon & Schuster has thrown its weight behind Simon Maverick, a new audio-first imprint featuring content from self-published authors. Jason Pinter, former publisher of Polis Books, quietly joined S&S on November 4 to become the imprint’s VP and editorial director.

In a statement, S&S described Simon Maverick as “the first-ever audio imprint launched by a Big Five publisher dedicated to shining a light on works from talented, diverse, and emerging independent authors.” The imprint aims to publish more than 50 titles in 2025, and has so far acquired around 35 titles. Moving forward, it anticipates publishing 50–100 audiobooks annually, mostly audio originals alongside projects that originate in print.

“We are looking for existing books that have already found a readership, that are not in audio yet, and we’re also looking to establish relationships with authors,” whether published or unpublished, Pinter told PW. He estimated that the launch list is a 50/50 mix of audio-first work and titles that appeared in print, and he expects that ratio to shift toward all-new audio content as the imprint progresses.

Simon Maverick’s initial releases, many acquired in multibook deals, include Lauren Palphreyman’s romantasy The Wolf King, Jessica Cage’s monster fantasy I Accidentally Summoned a Demon Boyfriend, Noelle West Ihli’s thriller Such Quiet Girls, and Brady Hunsaker’s Scandinavian-inspired fantasy The Depths of Vanalf. (All four are available as Kindle ebooks.)

“We are looking to build a substantial audio division" that will “grow fast and grow aggressively,” Pinter said. “We think there’s a huge opportunity here to work with great independent authors and find emerging authors,” some of whom “could become real drivers at S&S and in other formats too.”

Although the focus is for now on high-quality audio, Simon Maverick leaves open the possibility of audio originals appearing in other formats. “We have already talked with multiple divisions within S&S about the possibility of doing house projects, where they would do print and digital and we would do audio," Pinter said, "[and] we also are looking at the possibility of doing print under our own banner.”

Chris Lynch, president and publisher at Simon & Schuster Audio, expects Simon Maverick to capitalize on robust audio sales and enthusiastic audiences for self-published creators. “Our in-house titles are great, and we’re growing our in-house list as well,” Lynch said. That said, Simon Maverick will be focused on identifying lone wolves who deserve a following or in many cases already have brand identities.

“When I say independent authors, it’s more self-published authors,” agreed Pinter. “They tend to refer to themselves as independent authors or indie authors” and are “building brands and engaging with readers directly, outside of the traditional publishing sphere.”

“We’re not necessarily waiting for agents to submit titles,” Lynch added. “We’re trying to go out and find who’s moving in the independent world, in the Kindle store, who’s getting traction on all these other platforms where the indie author community is gathering.” He noted that Pinter is the right person to lead the imprint because he is “immersed in that community” of indie authors.

Indeed, Pinter bridges corporate and indie publishing. Before founding Polis and its diversity-focused crime imprint, Agora Books, Pinter worked at Three Rivers Press, Grove Atlantic, St. Martin’s Press, and Warner Books. He also writes crime fiction and thrillers under his own name and a pseudonym, A.L. Brody. When he decided to close Polis in early 2024, he successfully rehomed or reverted rights on 171 backlist titles.

S&S president, publisher, and CEO Jonathan Karp recommended Pinter to Lynch for the role. Karp recognized Pinter “as an incredibly enterprising and imaginative person” with a knack for cultivating authors who choose nontraditional publishing paths.

“I think that self-published authors are a fertile opportunity for Simon & Schuster, in the same way that mass market publishing used to be,” Karp said. “Mass market publishing has given way, I think, to independent publishing. And we want to be a part of that.”

Karp intends S&S to stake a claim on audio territory too, and he sees Simon Maverick as a way to make inroads. Spotify is “not the reason” for developing the audio-first imprint, he said, “but it’s a good example of why the opportunities for audio are greater than before,” among other companies including OverDrive, Apple, and Audible.

Pinter believes that working with S&S on audio could be a boon for indie authors. “Obviously, there are other third-party audiobook publishers” to approach for a project, he said, but audio can be an “enormous financial laydown without a guarantee of a return” for authors. “Simon & Schuster Audio already does over 500 audiobooks a year, and we have the infrastructure in place to make things happen quickly” in terms of financing, narration, production, and distribution, he added. “Having been on the independent side myself, I know the questions authors are going to ask, and I know how to assuage any concerns.”

For Karp, 2025 is the moment for innovation that combines audio and self-published authors. “So much success has to do with timing, and this does seem like the right time,” he said. He compared audio-first publishing to digital-first brands, noting Hachette UK’s imprint Bookouture along with some past S&S endeavors. “We were there 10 years ago, with Pocket Star, which was a digital-only imprint,” Karp said. “We were also there with Simon451, which was a digital-only science fiction and fantasy imprint.” Pocket Star and Simon451 folded because “they were just not at the right time. Our hope and our expectation is that the third time’s the charm.”