As the publishing industry continues to grapple with its lack of diverse books and authors, Köehler Books Publishing has stepped up to fill the gap for emerging Latino authors.
Köehler is a midsize hybrid publishing company based in Virginia with a roster of A-list and emerging authors and a keen eye for distinct voices. It is well known for high-quality, collaborative work between authors and their editors. Now the imprint is extending its quality services to the Spanish community in both traditional and hybrid publishing styles. As publisher John Köehler says, “It is my great honor to extend our helping hands to Latino authors and help them on their journey.”
The imprint has already published five Spanish-language books along with almost 800 English-language books since its inception in 2010. Köehler hopes to provide the same great publishing experience for Latino authors as they have done for English-language authors.
PW spoke with the publishers at Köehler Books to learn more about the motivation behind their vision and some of the titles they are working on for this year. “We are delighted to work with our Spanish-language friends through collaboration, love, and hard work, with the ultimate aim of selling a lot of books,” Köehler says.
There appears to be a lack of quality publishing options for new Latino authors. It’s difficult to get a traditional deal, and many authors would prefer to avoid self-publishing. Hybrid publishing with Köehler Books Español gives them the chance they need for success by teaching them the ropes of publishing and helping them become professional authors.
Despite the expansion into the Spanish market, Köehler’s logo remains the same. In fact, a lot of the books they are working on are ones they have published in the past in English. However, the imprint is now accepting Spanish-language submissions in most genres from emerging authors. They hope to publish 10 Spanish-language books in 2021.
The publisher says the biggest hurdle facing aspiring Latino authors is the same facing new English-language authors, or emerging authors of any language: the opportunity to collaborate on a team, and to excel and compete as an author. It is extremely difficult to get a traditional book deal for a first book. Köehler’s Emerging Authors Program, combined with its hybrid publishing deal, provides quality authors a training ground through an author incubator that teaches them how to write better, how to market their work, and generally how to become professional authors.
“Our mission is to pull them up to the next level of quality,” Köehler says.
Traditional and hybrid authors are treated exactly the same in terms of the creative development and collaboration. Once the book is published, readers cannot tell which publishing model was used, and quite frankly, it doesn’t make a difference to them. Readers want a quality book that they can enjoy. Unlike self-publishing, the hybrid copublishing program emphasizes quality, with only a minority of submissions considered for publication.
“Bottom line, we are a publisher for quality authors,” Köehler says. “The experienced pros with books under their belts know what to do and how to do it. The newbies do not. They need help, training and coaching. Like any other creative or business endeavor, quality will rise to the top, for many are called, while few are chosen.”
This year, readers can be excited about books coming out from Köehler Books Español. Stay tuned.
