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."