Simon & Schuster U.S. and S&S U.K. have teamed up to launch Scarlett Press, which the publisher described as a home for romance-forward New Adult titles. The imprint, which announced an inaugural slate of five books to be published next spring, will be helmed on the U.S. side by SVP, publisher Justin Chanda, with executive editors Sarah McCabe and Kate Prosswimmer to lead acquisitions. Rachel Denwood will lead the U.K. side with Yasmin Morrissey.
According to the announcement, Scarlett will prioritize “commercial, fast-paced” romance titles in all genres geared toward readers in their late teens and 20s. The first list features Tiffany Hunt’s The Dark Lord’s Guide to Dating (and Other War Crimes) (Jan. 6), Marion Blackwood’s Empire of Flame and Thorns (Feb. 3), Gretchen Powell Fox’s Smoke and Scar (April 7), Kayla Edwards’s City of Gods and Monsters (April 21), and Ella Fields’s Amid Clouds and Bones (April 28). Except for City of Gods, which will be published in the U.K. by another press, Scarlett will co-publish each title in the U.S. and U.K.
The imprint plans to publish 12–15 titles per year, made up of a mix of original and previously self-published works, according to the announcement.
Prosswimmer noted S&S's "proven track record" of publishing hot-item crossover romances, including Jenny Han's The Summer I Turned Pretty and Lauren Roberts's Powerless trilogy. McCabe said the pair was "thrilled that the launch of Scarlett Press will allow us to continue doing what we love: telling bold, exciting love stories, now with the intensity, complexity, and freedom that comes with new adulthood.
The Scarlett launch reflects the industry's growing reinvestment in the New Adult category, which flourished for a period some 10 to 15 years ago before diminishing. In July, Penguin launched its own crossover imprint, Berkley XO. Books in the category focus on characters in early adulthood—older than the typical YA lead, but younger than most protagonists in adult fiction. The characters featured on Scarlett's inaugural list include "a shadow-wielding fae warrior," in Powell's Smoke and Scar, and "a villain who kidnaps a woman to be his wife," in Hunt's The Dark Lord's Guide.
