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IMPRINT OF THE YEAR
OVERVIEW
4TH ESTATE HarperCollins’ imprint doubled TCM sales in 2020, despite its reliance on bookshops leaving it particularly exposed in lockdowns. Hilary Mantel’s The Mirror and the Light had a lot to do with that, but non- fiction hits from the likes of Craig Brown and the backlist showed its strength in depth.
BOOKOUTURE Hachette’s digital-led imprint came into its own during lockdowns, getting content to readers when many others could not. Powerful marketing helped 10 books to post six- figure sales; print-on-demand and audio revenue climbed too, and it launched a new non- fiction list, Thread.
GOLLANCZ Orion’s list has been a consist- ent performer for years, but its science fiction and fantasy flourished as a diver- sion in stressful times. Ben Aaronovitch was a star as sales rose by more than 50%, spread evenly across print, digital, audio and export, and the list made strides on diversity too.
TINDER PRESS Headline’s imprint focused its energy on two big releases. Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet won the Women’s Prize and Waterstones Book of the Year (and 300,000 sales), while Jeanine Cummins’ American Dirt was one of the most discussed books of 2020, and also sold strongly for the list.
VIKING Penguin General’s list, the winner here in 2018, had the top two Christmas books through Richard Osman and Barack Obama. Jane Corry, Elif Shafak (left) and the late John le Carré gave it further fiction bestseller spots, and it had a slew of popular history non- fiction hits as well.
TRAPEZE Trapeze had a record year for Orion, growing sales by well over 50%. Noel Fitzpatrick, Candice Carty-Williams (right) and the Ordnance Survey all hit six figures, and it moved Adam Kay’s Dear NHS anthol- ogy from the drawing board to bookshelves in barely three months.
YELLOW KITE Hodder & Stoughton’s Yellow Kite has joined Bluebird in the new wave of distinctive life- style imprints. Cookbooks from the Deliciously Ella (right) and TwoChubbyCubs brands, and a handful of life-transformation titles, helped to double turno- ver, and it is building a power- ful backlist.
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DIALOGUE Little, Brown’s imprint could not have been more relevant or urgent in 2020. Brit Bennett’s novel The Vanishing Half was the standout performer, with sales now well into six figures through the TCM, and it published many more important voices that would otherwise have gone unheard.
HQ Providing a second shortlisting for HarperCollins, HQ notched up 13 Sunday Times bestsellers in just its fourth year. Success came from both established brands like Adele Parks (left) and Sarah Morgan and new names including Caroline Hirons, and it made the high- profile poaching of Joe Wicks.
BLUEBIRD Pound for pound, Bluebird must be the most powerful new imprint in British publish- ing in years. The Pinch of Nom brand gave Pan Macmillan its three biggest-selling titles of the year, and Joe Wicks’ books were as reinvigorated as the families he got exercising throughout lockdown.
THE LATE JOHN LE CARRÉ SHONE FOR VIKING WITH SOLID SALES OF HIS NOVELS LAST YEAR
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