UK indie ebook publisher Joffe Books is linking up with library specialist Severn House in a new partnership to republish titles from Severn’s extensive backlist.
The first books being brought out by Joffe as ebooks are Judith Cutler’s Detective Kate Power series and the Alex Duggins series by Stella Cameron.
Joffe Books was set up in 2014 by Jasper Joffe and has become an indie publishing phenomenon by focusing on genre fiction with a mix of republishing backlist titles and publishing new works.
Its major best-sellers include Faith Martin’s DI Hilary Greene books which sold well over a million copies in a single year during 2018. These books were originally published about 10-15 years ago and Joffe repackaged them with new series titles and ran very successful targeted marketing campaigns.
Severn House was founded back in 1974 in the UK and established itself as a genre publisher supplying to public libraries, including large-print editions. It was bought in 2017 by independent publisher Canongate Books.
Joffe Books has kicked off the partnership by republishing the first three books in Stella Cameron’s series set in the Cotswolds in the UK and featuring village sleuth Alex Duggins. Cameron is based in Washington state in the North-west of the US and has written a wide range of novels.
The trio republished by Joffe are doing well as they’re all in the top 200 sellers in the Kindle UK store.
Judith Cutler has written more than 30 novels across a variety of series and her Kate Power books focus on a female police detective in Birmingham.
Jasper Joffe says: ‘I have long admired Severn House and the quality and precision they bring to publishing, especially in crime fiction. Severn House has an excellent relationship with so many fantastic authors and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to extend their reach to a whole new market.’
Severn House publisher Kate Lyall Grant says: ‘Having watched Joffe Books closely for some time, I have been immensely impressed with Jasper and his team’s ability to hit the digital bestseller lists with long-established authors, particularly in the contemporary crime genre.
‘I am very excited to be entering this new partnership and, with Joffe Books’ enthusiasm, expertise and targeted focus in this area, I am looking forward to seeing our authors reach a wider readership than ever before.’
Joffe Books accepts submissions from writers. It points out that its favourite genres are crime fiction, mysteries, psychological thrillers, cosy crime, police procedurals, chillers, suspense and domestic noir but will also consider women’s fiction, historical fiction and romance novels. You can find out more details on the Joffe Books website.
Severn House only accepts submissions through literary agents and says it requires authors to have a significant background in the UK and US fiction library markets.
Claudia Winkleman joins the judges for £20,000 Kindle Storyteller Award