New Digital Publishing Imprint Bookouture Specializing in Women’s Fiction

Bookouture is a new digital publishing imprint launched by ex-Harlequin UK Marketing Controller Oliver Rhodes. Specializing in entertaining women’s fiction, Bookouture will publish ebooks and print-on-demand globally; paying a 45% of net receipts royalty on eBooks.

“My aim with Bookouture is to focus on creating global author brands and followings – through high quality editing and particularly through smart, creative digital marketing," Rhodes says. "We’ll be delivering bespoke digital publishing and marketing for every single one of our authors – in a way not always possible at larger publishers. That means focusing very much on the author as brand and aiming for a select number of high-quality writers who we can work with to build long-term careers.

"Bookouture is now open for both agented and unagented submissions of entertaining, female-focused fiction and expects to launch its first titles before the end of 2012. Rhodes emphasizes that a distinctive voice and clear author promise are more important than a particular genre or word count.

“Bespoke publishing means exactly that – we fit our publishing to an author’s story – not the other way round. We’re not pigeon-holing books or just following the latest trend – we’re about discovering talent and taking a long term view. The most important question we’re asking of submissions is: why would a reader buy the next book?"

As well as working with some of the best editors around, Bookouture is promising every author a bespoke author identity to run across their book covers, website and social media feeds. Each book will also get a bespoke digital marketing and publicity campaign.

Recently highlighted as one of The Bookseller’s Rising Stars for 2012, Oliver has worked in publishing for over twelve years - ten of them at Harlequin UK.

As Marketing Controller, he was responsible for setting Harlequin’s imprint strategies; overseeing social media and digital marketing; and heading up the design team.