After four years of publishing books for and about Hispanics, HarperCollins's Rayo imprint will expand its staff and publishing program. From 12 titles a year when it launched in 2000, the Latino-focused imprint will now publish approximately 75 books annually, including more spiritual, self-help and general reference titles as well as bilingual children's books. René Alegria, who has been promoted to publisher and editorial director, will continue to lead the imprint.
"Rayo started as a niche publishing program, but has quickly become much more mainstream," said Brian Murray, HarperCollins's group president. To date, the imprint has published more than 100 titles, including the works of such acclaimed authors as Victor Villaseñor, Luis Rodriguez and Ilan Stavans, as well as recent bestsellers by salsa legend Celia Cruz and Univision anchor Jorge Ramos. Rayo also owns the U.S. rights to the Spanish-language editions of Isabel Allende's and Paulo Coelho's novels.
"With Rayo, we have been able to impact how Hispanics in America are perceived, both as a literary community and as a fully integrated portion within American society," said Alegria. "Our goal in this next phase is to take Rayo to the next level by adding a greater depth and expertise to our team."
As part of Rayo's expansion, Alegria has promoted Andrea Montejo to editor; she has served as Rayo's editorial assistant since 2001. Joining HC September 20 as a new Rayo editor will be Clara La Rosa. La Rosa is a translator and journalist who has worked for Latina, POZ magazine and SoloElla.com. Also starting at Rayo September 20 is Raymond García, who has been named to the new position of associate publisher, reporting to Alegria. García joins HC from REG/strategic innovations, a branding and design company, where he served as president. Montejo and La Rosa will report to García.
A final addition to the Rayo team is Michelle Dominguez, who was named in August as senior publicist. Dominguez joined HC from the Spanish-language media conglomerate Univision.
