Disney Launches An Adult Imprint
By Jim Milliot
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Apr 16, 2021
Approximately eight years after the Walt Disney Co. sold the lion’s share of its adult book business to Hachette Book Group, Disney Publishing is returning to that market with the launch of Hyperion Avenue. First books from the imprint, directed by Jennifer Leves-
que, will come out this summer, with a full rollout in fall 2022—and within five years Disney aims to release 50–60 titles through Hyperion Avenue, according to Tonya Agurto, Disney Publishing’s senior v-p, publisher, imprint and IP development.
The news of the launch of Hyperion Avenue follows a number of other developments at Disney—including the appointment this past winter of Sarah Weisinger as senior v-p, group publisher, Disney Publishing Worldwide—that reflect the desire to remake parts of its book publishing operations. That strategy flows from Disney Co. acquisitions and startups over the past two years “that have given us a broader audience to appeal to,” Agurto said. “We believe we can reach a new audience through book publishing.”