C&T Publishing may be best known for its quilting, sewing, and crafting books, but the independent, family-owned company has been quietly expanding into the fiction market in recent years. And now, C&T is taking major steps to boldly bolster its fiction list by adding new and backlist titles from cozy mystery writer Ann Hazelwood.
“Cozy mysteries are perfect for our audience, and a great way to unwind and relax after a day of productively crafting,” says Amy Barrett-Daffin, publisher at C&T. “They can sit down, grab a cup of tea, and fall into a delightful tale.”
The fact that Hazelwood is herself a former quilt shop owner, an American Quilter’s Society certified appraiser, an in-demand lecturer on quilts, and former president of the National Quilt Museum helps her easily fit into the landscape of C&T Publishing. “Her fans are part of our ever-expanding tribe,” says Barrett-Daffin.
The company’s first foray into fiction came in 2017 after the discovery of indie author Carol Dean Jones’s A Quilting Cozy series, which features 10 books. C&T bought the rights to publish them and has since published two new titles in the series. A Quilting Cozy has sold well, and readers have embraced the publisher’s fiction category.
The addition of 18 cozies by Hazelwood—with another two coming later this year—will give C&T’s customers plenty to read. The list includes three complete series—Colebridge Community, East Perry County, and Wine Country Quilt—as well as Quilters of the Door, which published in September 2020. C&T will publish Hazelwood’s forthcoming Door to Door Quilts and The Tannenbaum Christmas Quilt as C&T originals later this year.
C&T acquired the author’s backlist from the American Quilter’s Society, the largest quilting membership organization in the world. “We were approached by the current publisher, who was divesting its publishing assets, and we were thrilled to have an opportunity to acquire her books,” Barrett-Daffin says. “Ann Hazelwood has a terrific following.”
So far, the venture has proved a smashing success. Since launching Hazelwood’s collection, the company has seen a boost in sales, and it expects the momentum to continue. “Our audience is loving her books,” Barrett-Daffin says. “Many of them were already fans, and based on early numbers we are growing her fan base in leaps and bounds.”
And readers can expect C&T’s offerings to continue to grow. Hazelwood does a free online book club with readers, for example, and C&T offers in-depth crafting courses at Creative Spark Online Learning, which has been a new revenue stream. “In reviewing our Google Analytics,” Barrett-Daffin says, “we see that our base has many interests, and we are excited to provide them with rich, engaging content.”
In 2020, C&T successfully stepped into the cosplay market and is going to publish more in that arena. “As we continue to grow and expand our offerings,” Barrett-Daffin says, “we will seek out content and products that we think will resonate with our current readers and attract new ones.”
