Nearly a decade after Harlequin introduced the Harlequin Teen imprint in August 2009, broadening its presence in the young adult market, the press is poised to relaunch the imprint under a new name, Inkyard Press.
Starting in January 2019, all Harlequin YA titles will be published under Inkyard. The list will include The Evil Queen, first in a fantasy trilogy by bestselling author Gina Showalter. Her novel Intertwined was one of the books on the original Harlequin Teen list. Other Inkyard titles include 29 Dates, a romantic contemporary novel by Melissa de la Cruz, and The Voice in My Head by Dana L. Davis, about a teen girl who convinces her family, including her terminally ill twin sister, to go on a road trip. Inkyard will continue to publish a wide range of books, from contemporary and mainstream novels to genre fiction.
The rebrand is intended to give Harlequin’s YA list a fresh feel. “The name Inkyard is original and evocative: ink, the very foundation of the written word, and yard, an open space to explore,” says Margaret Marbury, v-p of editorial at Harlequin. “Together they represent a strong, creative community of established and emerging voices bringing unforgettable stories to our ever-expanding readership.”
“Our mission to publish books that resonate remains at the heart of the imprint,” adds Natashya Wilson, editorial director of Harlequin Teen, who will lead Inkyard. “We will continue to publish bestselling, award-winning, critically acclaimed novels for readers of young adult fiction.”
Over the past year, Harlequin Teen has increased its annual title count to 30, which is where it will stay as it transitions to Inkyard. Other books on the 2019 list include Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings’s sequel to Zenith, titled Nexus; Elizabeth Keenan’s Rebel Girls, a feminist sister story chronicling the abortion issue as it played out in the 1990s; and Adi Alsaid’s Brief Chronicle of Another Stupid Heartbreak, an exploration of love.
