Bookouture founder Oliver Rhodes sets up new digital-first publisher Storm Books and is looking for authors

Digital publishing ace Oliver Rhodes is launching Storm Publishing and is seeking submissions from authors across a range of fiction genres.

Rhodes set up Bookouture 10 years ago and built it into an ebook powerhouse before selling the firm to Big Five publisher Hachette in 2017. Hachette described Bookouture as ‘the best ebook seller in the world’.

Rhodes left Bookouture in 2020 with plans to set up a new publishing business.


Bookouture staff joining Storm Publishing

A number of staff from Bookouture are joining Rhodes in the new venture, with Clare Boyd, who is a publisher at Bookouture, becoming Storm’s deputy managing director. Bookouture head of operations and distribution Chris Lucraft is to become Storm’s digital operations director; while Bookouture associate publisher Emily Gowers has been appointed as editorial director at Storm; and Kathryn Taussig, who was publishing director at Bookouture, will be publisher at Storm. Rhodes will be managing director.


50% net ebook royalties

Storm Books will be a digital-first publisher and is offering authors ebook royalties of 50% of net receipts, which is around double the level offered by most traditional publishers.

The company is looking for submissions in the following fiction genres:

  • Crime, thriller and mystery
  • Psychological thrillers
  • Historical
  • Multi-cultural fiction
  • Romance
  • Women’s fiction
  • Science fiction and fantasy
  • Reading group fiction

Storm is not looking for non-fiction or children’s books.

You can get more information about the new company on the Storm Publishing website.