Abrams is launching akaSTORY, a commercial fiction imprint that will make its debut in January 2027 with six novels. akaSTORY's mission is to "showcase fiction that honors the art of immersive, escapist storytelling with content tailored to the digital social media age," noted the publisher, adding that in a nod to Abrams' origin as an art book publisher, akaSTORY titles will feature "elevated packaging that readers will be excited to  display on their shelves and in their feeds."

The new imprint is helmed by editorial director Anne Heltzel, an adult fiction writer and acquiring editor of the Lightlark Saga romantasy series who has nearly two decades of experience in commercial fiction and creative development. She is joined by senior editor Kate Roddy, who has been with Abrams since May 2025 after managing the Cosmo Reads imprint at Sourcebooks. The imprint reports to senior v-p and publisher Lori Benton.

"We created akaSTORY because we know readers come to books for different reasons at different moments in their lives--sometimes you need an escape, sometimes you're craving connection, sometimes you just want your heart to race," said Abrams president and CEO Mary McAveney. "At Abrams, we've spent 75 years understanding how books on art, design, and lifestyle enrich people's lives, and now we're bringing that same philosophy to commercial fiction. These are the stories readers reach for when they need entertainment that meets them exactly where they are, whether that's curled up seeking comfort or looking for that next unputdownable story they can't wait to share."

Heltzel commented: "I am grateful to Abrams for the opportunity to lead our first ever imprint dedicated to adult commercial fiction, particularly during such an exciting and collaborative time for readers. At our core, we value storytelling as a means for fostering connection, and we aim to contribute to the current atmosphere of dynamic, community-driven book events by becoming a go-to resource for book clubs everywhere."

The inaugural akaSTORY list includes Her Life in Ruins by Cynthia W. Gentry (January 2027); Martha Wants a Baby by April Vellacott (February 2027); He Always Comes Back by Elle Engel (February 2027); The Sins of Good People by Kelly Young Chang (April 2027); The Paris Proposal by Kristen Chaudière & Erin Baldwin (May 2027); and Dog Mom by Madi Stine (July 2027).

Tor Publishing Group has created a new imprint, Wildthorn Books, which will focus on commercial stories that are "irresistible, genre-blending, and genre-bending." Categories will include commercial and upmarket women's fiction, suspense, paranormal mystery, magical realism, speculative non-fiction, and historical fantasy.

Wildthorn will be overseen by Devi Pillai, president and publisher, and Monique Patterson, v-p, editorial director. The first list will release in Winter 2027; the imprint will launch simultaneously with Tor UK, with the companies sharing lead authors while also commissioning in distinct areas.

Wildthorn's initial book will be the newest novel from TJ Klune, The Stars Look Like Home, coming January 2027. Klune described the book as "an adventure inspired by my love of animals and favorite childhood films like Homeward Bound, The Adventures of Milo and Otis, and The Incredible Journey. Wildthorn is the perfect fit for this novel, as the imprint gives me the opportunity to tell a different kind of 'fantasy' story."

Other titles on the first Wildthorn list will include books by Alyssa Cole, Jenny Lundquist, Diana Peterfreund, and debut authors Carrie Kwiatkowski and June Harrington.

Pillai commented: "Readers have changed--and so has the market. As commercial fiction continues to blend with genre, we realized that Tor--the largest SFF publisher in the world--was the perfect house to create Wildthorn. Wildthorn is where compulsive, genre-bending stories live. These books are commercial, addictive, and built to keep you up way past your bedtime. It will be a small but mighty list, supported by the same powerhouse team that launched Nightfire, Bramble, and Tordotcom Publishing. Welcome to Wildthorn. We're not here just to bend genre--we're here to break the mold."

Patterson said, "Wildthorn is the destination for your next reading obsession. We're building a home for books that thrill, challenge, and entertain. That's what we love as a team, and it's what we want every reader to feel when they pick up a Wildthorn book: that irresistible, page-turning pull that you won't be able to put down until the last twist."

Senior editor Susan Barnes, who will be acquiring for Wildthorn, added: "It's every editor's dream to fill their list with powerful books that have made an impact on them, no matter the genre. That's why I'm thrilled to be acquiring for Wildthorn across the board--from zippy, commercial book club fiction, enthralling speculative reads, mysteries, thrillers, and any and everything in between."

Cathy Graham and Serena Wyckoff, co-founders of Copperfish Books in Punta Gorda, Fla., have sold the bookstore to Catherine Worden.

New owner Catherine Worden, flanked by Serena Wyckoff (l.) and Cathy Graham.

"I'm honored to be the new owner of Copperfish Books," said Worden, a Punta Gorda resident and retired nurse practitioner. She was a longtime Copperfish customer prior to taking over the bookstore. "This store has been such a special part of Punta Gorda, and I look forward to meeting our wonderful customers, sharing stories, and continuing the warmth and charm that makes Copperfish so unique," she said.

"We are grateful for the support, friendship, and loyalty of the Punta Gorda community over the years," wrote Wyckoff and Graham. "Knowing that Copperfish Books will be in Catherine's capable hands gives us great joy as we start our own next chapter."

They announced their intention to sell Copperfish in 2023, saying at the time that though they loved the store, their booksellers, and their customers, they were ready to move on and try new things.

Located at 212 W. Virginia Ave. Suite 112, Copperfish Books sells new and used titles for all ages and first opened in 2012.

Pageturners Bookstore in Indianola, Iowa, is moving to a new space, the Independent Advocate reported.

The bookstore, which sells new and used titles, is relocating from 101 E. Salem Ave. to 103 W. Salem Ave. The new space is larger, allowing for more bookshelves along the walls, and there is a loft that will become a cozy reading area.

Owner Kathy Magruder, who founded Pageturners in 2014, told the Independent Advocate the move came about quickly once she learned that a boutique called Pamela's Place would be closing. Less than an hour after seeing a video announcing the closure, she was inquiring about the space.

"I thought that would be just such a wonderful bookstore, so I called her about a half an hour later," Magruder said. "I said, 'I know you're probably a little bit overwhelmed right now, but have you thought about renting the place, and would you think about renting it to me'?"

Magruder is still figuring out the logistics of the move, but expects it to happen in late February, followed by a grand opening in the new space in early March. She noted that many customers have volunteered to help with the move, and the general reaction has been "so positive."

Akimbo Bookshop in Rochester, N.Y., which launched during the Covid-19 pandemic and later survived a fire in 2023, closed last weekend, WROC reported. Owner Rachel Crawford opened Akimbo Bookshop in 2020 as an online and pop-up store before moving into a storefront on East Avenue in 2022. Less than a year later, the store was severely damaged by a fire that started in a neighboring business. Crawford launched a fundraising campaign to help rebuild and reopen.

"I would say 90% of that ability was community support," she recalled. "That doesn't just look like the Rochester community. It looks like the bookseller community nationwide, and even a little bit further out."

Since opening, Akimbo Bookshop "has had a home on University Avenue. More than a bookstore, it was a community space to welcome local artists and host discussions about current events," WROC noted.

Crawford, however, said it is time to turn the page: "In terms of running a bookstore in a city of this size, you need to make sure there's a readership and a need for what you're offering. Each one of those events takes a lot of work. Then, you put in inventory and running the back end. I'm the one running the counter most days, and there just weren't enough Rachels to go around."

As she looks to find work in the nonprofit sector, Crawford said she hopes Akimbo's mission will be remembered: "I was a single mom with very little to my name and I believe in books. I believe in access to literature. I believe small presses do really great work and they need to be on shelves. And, I wanted to be the one to put them out there. More than a retail space, that's what this was. This was a place for community to be emboldened, to agitate against oppressors. It's very important work and we can't let it fall to the wayside."

Check out this week's Independent Press Top 40 Bestsellers lists, featuring the top 40 fiction and top 40 nonfiction titles at indie bookstores in the past week, presented by the Independent Publishers Caucus in partnership with the American Booksellers Association.

"You love books. We love books. Whew, glad we're on the same page." That was the message on the sidewalk sign in front of First Chapter Bookshop in Seneca, S.C.

Macmillan Publishers will handle sales and distribution in the U.S. and worldwide for Apollo Publishers.

Apollo Publishers, New York City, founded in 2018 and led by Julia Abramoff, includes the Joie de Vivre imprint, focusing on cookbooks, humor books, and lifestyle titles supporting health and happiness; Conversation Drivers, which aims to spur new ideas and discussion, publishing sociology, history, memoir, art, and science books; and Ethical Publishing promoting a better world through titles addressing environmental, social, and global needs.

At the Penguin Random House Christian Publishing Group:

Beverly Rykerd has been promoted to v-p, senior director of publicity and communications. She has been with PRH for 14 years.

Johanna Inwood has been promoted to marketing director. She has been with PRH for 20 years.

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Tara O'Connor has been promoted to publicity manager on the Berkley publicity team.

Today:
Today: Jennifer Breheny Wallace, author of Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose (Portfolio, $30, 9780593850596).

Fresh Air: Quiara Alegria Hudes, author of The White Hot (One World, $26, 9780593732335).

Tomorrow:
CBS Mornings: Maya Shankar, author of The Other Side of Change: Who We Become When Life Makes Other Plans (Riverhead, $30, 9780593713686).

Drew Barrymore Show: Jennette McCurdy, author of Half His Age: A Novel (Ballantine, $30, 9780593723739).

Book TV airs on C-Span 2 this weekend from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Monday and focuses on political and historical books as well as the book industry. The following are highlights for this coming weekend. For more information, go to Book TV's website.

Saturday, January 24
2:35 p.m. Jill Eicher, author of Mellon vs. Churchill: The Untold Story of Treasury Titans at War (‎Pegasus Books, $32, 9781639366422).

Sunday, January 25
8 a.m. Philip and William Taubman, authors of McNamara at War: A New History (W.W. Norton, $39.99, 9781324007166). (Re-airs Sunday at 8:30 p.m.)

9 a.m. Joel S. Wit, author of Fallout: The Inside Story of America's Failure to Disarm North Korea (Yale University Press, $38, 9780300278774). (Re-airs Sunday at 9:30 p.m.)

3 p.m. David Morris, author of Stealing the Future: Sam Bankman-Fried, Elite Fraud, and the Cult of Techno-Utopia (Repeater, $19.95, 9781917516082).

4:50 p.m. Thea Riofrancos, author of Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism (W.W. Norton, $29.99, 9781324036760), at Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C.

6 p.m. Jarvis Givens, author of American Grammar: Race, Education, and the Building of a Nation (Harper, $32, 9780063259157), at Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Mass.

Finalists have been chosen for the National Book Critics Circle Awards in six categories as well as for the Barrios Book in Translation Prize and the John Leonard Prize. In addition, historian and journalist Frances FitzGerald is being honored with the Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award; Rhoda Feng with the Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing; and Elizabeth Taylor with the NBCC Service Award. The Toni Morrison Achievement Award, whose winner has yet to be announced, will also be presented at the awards ceremony, which will be held March 25. To see all the finalists, click here.

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Finalists have been selected for the 2026 Gotham Book Prize, recognizing the best new book, fiction or nonfiction, set in or about New York City. The prize was founded in 2020 by Bradley Tusk, political strategist, author, and owner of the independent bookstore P&T Knitwear on the Lower East Side, and Howard Wolfson, a former New York City deputy mayor and current education program lead at Bloomberg Philanthropies.

The finalists:
1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin
Audition by Katie Kitamura
Born in Flames by Bench Ansfield
I Regret Almost Everything by Keith McNally
Garbage Town by Ravi Gupta
Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray
I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney
Night People: How to Be a DJ in '90s New York City by Mark Ronson
Playworld by Adam Ross
The Gods of New York by Jonathan Mahler
Turning to Birds by Lili Taylor

Selected new titles appearing next Tuesday, January 27:

Vigil: A Novel by George Saunders (Random House, $28, 9780525509622) follows a Grim Reaper-like character contending with the death of an unapologetic oil tycoon.

Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden (Poisoned Pen Press/Sourcebooks, $32.99, 9781464264832) is a thriller about an advice columnist with family problems.

Pendergast: The Beginning by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (‎Grand Central, $30, 9781538765746) is a prequel to the Agent Pendergast thriller series.

The Seven Daughters of Dupree: A Novel by Nikesha Elise Williams (Gallery/Scout Press, $30, 9781668051948) follows seven generations of women in the same family.

Burn Down Master's House by Clay Cane (Dafina, $28, 9781496759146) is historical fiction about enslaved people resisting their oppressors. 

The Final Score by Don Winslow (Morrow, $30, 9780063450424) is a short story collection of crime fiction.

Dr. Zeus by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts (jimmy patterson, $17.99, 9780316410328) features a 12-year-old charged by Zeus himself to complete an incredible task.

Serendipity by Gabbie Benda (Holiday House, $24.99, 9780823457892) is a middle-grade graphic novel about the luckiest girl in the world--who loses her luck. 

Neptune's Fortune: The Billion-Dollar Shipwreck and the Ghosts of the Spanish Empire by Julian Sancton (Crown, $33, 9780593594179) explores the history and rediscovery of a treasure-laden Spanish galleon that sank off the coast of Colombia in 1708.

Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood by William J. Mann (‎Simon & Schuster, $31, 9781668075906) investigates the 1947 Black Dahlia murder.

The Great Shadow: A History of How Sickness Shapes What We Do, Think, Believe, and Buy by Susan Wise Bauer (St. Martin's Press, $30, 9781250272911) examines the experience of being sick throughout human history and resulting cultural impacts. 

Until the Last Gun Is Silent: A Story of Patriotism, the Vietnam War, and the Fight to Save America's Soul by Matthew F. Delmon (Viking, $32, 9780593655870) chronicles Black Americans who resisted the Vietnam War, with a focus on Coretta Scott King and Medal of Honor recipient Dwight H. Johnson.

Paperbacks:
The Re-Do List by Denise Williams (Berkley, $19, 9780593641453).

To Ride a Rising Storm: The Second Book of Nampeshiweisit by Moniquill Blackgoose (Del Rey, $20, 9780593498309).

With Love from Harlem: A Novel of Hazel Scott by ReShonda Tate (Morrow, $19.99, 9780063421189).

Notes on Heartbreak: A Memoir by Annie Lord (Harper Perennial, $18.99, 9780063468498).

From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:

Hardcover
Winter Stories by Ingvild Rishøi, trans. by Diane Oatley (Grove Press, $22, 9780802165947). "This spare but moving set of Norwegian short stories gives readers a snapshot of the lives of beleaguered people facing difficult decisions at a time of year when many expect to be reveling in the holidays." --Kelly Barth, Raven Book Store, Lawrence, Kan.

As Many Souls as Stars: A Novel by Natasha Siegel (Morrow, $30, 9780063418028). "The eldest daughter in a family of witches is born 'cursed' again and again. When a demonic entity takes notice and offers her a deal, she takes it. She never expected a tumultuous relationship with a demon that spans centuries." --Jennifer Lieberman, Books Are Awesome, Parker, Colo.

Paperback
Tilt: A Novel by Emma Pattee (Scribner, $18, 9781668055489). "Pattee takes us inside the mind of soon-to-be mother Annie in her attempt to reunite with her husband after a huge earthquake. Tilt poses imperative questions about our nature as individuals and collectively in the face of societal collapse." --Aubrey Winkler, Powell's Books, Portland, Ore.

Ages 4-8
The Great Bear by Annie Booker (Two Hoots, $18.99, 9781035028672). "A beautifully illustrated story of nature and conservation in the Arctic with a polar bear determined to keep her habitat in balance." --Andrew King, Edmonds Bookshop, Edmonds, Wash.

Ages 8-12
Alice with a Why by Anna James, illus. by Matthew Land (Flamingo Books, $18.99, 9780593691991). "Anna James has written a masterful continuation of Lewis Carroll's tale. Her style is true to his whimsical form, and yet new and fresh--perfect for today's young readers. A perfect book for parents and children to read together." --Ashley Michael, Plenty Downtown Bookshop, Cookeville, Tenn.

Ages 13+
Persephone's Curse by Katrina Leno (Wednesday Books, $21, 9781250342904). "I was completely swept up in this New York City-set, Little Women-inspired retelling of Persephone. I adore sister stories, and the Farthing girls are joining the ranks of literary sisters I love. This is a soulful and enchanting read." --Sherri Puzey, Zibby's Bookshop, Santa Monica, Calif.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

Self-preservation is a blood sport for Kirsten King's protagonist in A Good Person, a dark satire with cosmic twists about a young woman's quest to find love at any cost. King's contemporary debut catapults readers into the "neurotic" psyche of one of modern literature's most audacious narcissists and follows her through a series of mishaps that land her in the middle of a murder investigation.

In her late 20s, Boston marketing associate Lillian is eager to settle down. She finds friendship challenging, thanks to her self-absorption and inability to tell the truth. She mercilessly manipulates her one friend, Jamie. The other person in her life is Henry, the finance guy she is sleeping with and who, by an enormous stretch of the imagination, she is convinced is her boyfriend. It's fine that he can meet only on weeknights and it's always for sex. At least they are adventurous in bed, Lillian thinks; her inner monologues during their amorous exploits are laugh-out-loud hilarious.

Despite her "false confidence," Lillian is deeply vulnerable. Henry is "a man who didn't always hear you when you said the word 'no,' " and it is here that King superbly contrasts Lillian's perceived reality colored by desperation from the reader's comprehension of it. Delving into her inner life, A Good Person ponders the perils of loneliness and exclusion for someone always on the "outside, looking in."

When Henry suddenly dumps her, a furious Lillian enlists Jamie's help to put a TikTok-generated hex on him. Shockingly, calamity strikes Henry later that night. Lillian eagerly embraces the role of mourning girlfriend but is enraged to discover that position already occupied by Henry's actual, live-in girlfriend, Nora. Nora's the one getting all the sympathy and attention Lillian covets. To worsen matters, Lillian is wanted for questioning by the police, and hers isn't an airtight alibi. Not prone to self-reflection, she briefly wonders whether she has the ability "to make darker things come true," before concluding that only by solving the mystery of Henry's death can she establish her own innocence.

A screenwriter, King artfully spins a story that straddles pure comedy--particularly the dialogue between her protagonist and her equally self-absorbed mother--and the horror genre. Lillian, one realizes with mounting dread, has the makings of a true sociopath. Encountering multiple thrilling plot turns that throw Lillian's world into disarray, A Good Person accelerates toward a brilliant finale as appalling as it is inevitable. --Shahina Piyarali

Shelf Talker: This artfully written dark satire is set in contemporary Boston and follows one of modern literature's most audacious narcissists in her quest to find love at any cost.

The Bookstore by Michael Walek opened January 10 off-Broadway at 59E59 Theaters. Produced by New Jersey Repertory Company, the play is directed by William Carden and stars Quentin Chisholm, Ari Derambakhsh, Arielle Goldman, and Janet Zarish.

Described as a "love letter to small bookstores and the bibliophiles who make them a home," the play is about indie bookstore owner Carey, who "has a special gift for recommending the perfect book.... While trying to survive in New York City, she has created a found family of coworkers who unite over their passion for literature--and a glass of wine. This band of misfits turn the pages of their lives and learn to navigate the plot twists that are thrown their way."

The Bookstore has actual bookshop connections. Nancy Bass Wyden, owner of the Strand bookstore in Manhattan, posted on social media this week: "The Bookstore by Michael Walek is a heartwarming play about the owner and employees of a small indie bookstore. Not only do we love the subject matter, but we also love that the books on the set were sourced from The Strand! The Bookstore is playing now through Feb 15 at 59E59 Theaters, and we can't recommend it more highly."

Last month, Broadway World reported that Argosy Book Store, the Drama Book Shop, and McNally Jackson Books (Rockefeller Center) were "distributing branded bookmarks with every book purchase, bridging together their respective audiences."

These bookstores "celebrate the power of storytelling in the heart of New York City--one on the page, the other on the stage," said Val Day, artistic director at 59E59 Theaters. "In our technology-driven world, the literary and performing arts remain essential to how we connect and share our humanity. We're grateful for this partnership that highlights the enduring importance of literature, and we look forward to welcoming audiences in to see it come to life in The Bookstore." 

I haven't seen The Bookstore, and probably won't have a chance to before its run ends, but I'm always fascinated by bookshop-related TV shows (witness this column and this one), movies, and plays. There is, naturally, the fact-checking aspect of the ritual ("a real bookseller would never do that!"), but also the pleasure derived from seeing your profession depicted for an audience that lives offstage, outside the shop. 

Being an accomplished bookseller is itself a theatrical performance in a way. Customers enter a bookstore with certain expectations. They want to be entertained not only by browsing the books on offer, but by the whole production, performers/booksellers included. There's a stage set and dialogue and, sometimes, even a little drama or comedy. 

And as bookshops continue to create and release their own video content on digital platforms (even if some booksellers aren't quite on board yet), the role of bookseller as performance artist expands beyond traditional in-store handselling and even options like social media posts and blogs. 

Whatever form this strategy takes, however, it always comes down to engaging bookstore patrons at the "last three feet," a phrase I learned many years ago from the late Bob Perry, a business consultant who was also a friend and customer of the bookstore where I worked. He routinely flew all over the planet to hold seminars for, primarily, frontline and middle management staff in the service industry. 

A great believer in the importance of the last three feet, he focused on that critical moment when a member of the company's staff personally, physically, psychologically, and emotionally transfers "product"--a meal, a room key, an entertainment recommendation--across the unfathomable gap between the corporation and an individual consumer/guest.

The last three feet for books is bridged when a bookseller reaches out, figuratively as well as literally, to release a book to its reader. During that moment, a bookseller represents the entire book industry to the customer. Handselling at its best is theater, a private moment between performer and audience within a magical space. 

What Perry liked to describe as "performance art at the last three feet" remains the same a couple decades later, even with the addition of digital staging options. "We have so much to learn," he said to me in a series of interviews I conducted with him a couple of decades ago. "Art is happening all around us, every day, and instead of blowing it off, what's the matter with learning from the artists, from the people who are already offering their product from a mindset that's different from what we used to call quality service."  

A TheaterMania review of The Bookstore noted that Jessica Parks "has designed them a cozy storefront set looking out on an idyllic West Village street scene, with Jill Nagle's natural light streaming in through the upstage windows. The shelves are fully stocked with recognizable titles, allowing the audience to play 'Where's Waldo (Emerson)?' Suzanne Chesney costumes the actors in smart girl chic. And sound designer Nick Simone cushions up the scenes, broken up by month, with elegantly selected interstitial music."

Is bookselling theater? From my first days as a bookseller, I understood that handselling was a performance--sometimes subtle, sometimes overt, always passionate--and that the bookstore sales floor was a stage set.

In The Empty Space: A Book About the Theatre: Deadly, Holy, Rough, Immediate, legendary English theater and film director Peter Brook wrote: "I can take any empty space and call it a bare stage. A man walks across this empty space whilst someone else is watching him, and this is all that is needed for an act of theatre to be engaged." A reader walks into a bookshop while a bookseller is watching, and this is "all that is needed for an act of theatre to be engaged."