Looking to capitalize on the name recognition of Rolling Stone, Us and Men's Journal, magazine publisher Wenner Media has formed Wenner Books and named former St. Martin's editor-in-chief Bob Wallace to head the new unit. For the last year and a half, Wallace has been editor of Men's Journal; previously, he was with Rolling Stone for 15 years.
Wallace plans to release Wenner Books' first list of five to six titles by next holiday season. Wallace said he plans to increase the list "rationally, based on how we're doing," adding that he would eventually like to publish 25 to 28 books per year. The magazines will provide the imprint with a variety of content, Wallace said, ranging from narrative nonfiction books to photography and titles on celebrities. In addition, Wallace said, Wenner Media owns the rights "to quite a few titles," and he is reviewing the list to determine what books are appropriate to form an instant backlist for the imprint.
To launch Wenner Books, Wallace is using in-house talent from the magazines as well as freelancers. Wallace has also begun looking for a distributor. "The phone's been ringing off the hook," he said.
