Simon & Schuster Relaunches 'Pocket Books' Romance Imprint

Major U.S. publisher Simon & Schuster is relaunching “Pocket Books,” an old pocket-sized paperback imprint first started in 1939, as a new home for self-publishing and romance writing, the company announced last week. 

The new imprint is being led by Anh Schluep, who previously spent 15 years at Amazon Publishing developing the company’s Montlake romance imprint and working with fast-growing romance authors like Colleen Hoover. 

Pocket Books was the United States’ first mass market paperback publishing company, and it dramatically popularized reading by making it more accessible and more commercially available. 

“The imprint revolutionized the industry by making books available to readers in non-traditional outlets,” Schluep said in a statement about the relaunch. “The first contemporary U.S. publisher to democratize reading, it became the home for legendary romance authors including Jude Deveraux, Julie Garwood, and Judith McNaught.” 

In its revival, Pocket Books will maintain this approach to become a “leader in commercial fiction publishing, with a key focus on romance, and as the top choice for bestselling entrepreneurial authors,” the statement said. 

The choice for this focus aligns with current book publishing trends. Romance books and self-publishing and indie authors have grown tremendously in popularity in recent years, even leading to the opening of numerous independent romance-themed bookstores. 

Pocket will slot right into this growing niche. Jennifer Bergstrom, S&S executive vice president, wrote in the statement that the imprint will “offer a home for forward-thinking writers, including bestselling indie and hybrid authors looking to amplify their reach using our unparalleled strengths in marketing, publicity, and print distribution.” 

In addition to pure romance, the imprint will publish offshoot genres like romantic thrillers, dark romance, and horror, starting next January with about three books expected per month. 

“I look forward to publishing the next generation of fan favorites,” Schluep said. “This is how I think about it: Pocket Books was originally created to reach a mass market readership. I want to honor that idea and collaborate with authors to bring their stories to the widest audience.”