Entangled Publishing
Entangled Publishing is a book publisher specializing in romantasy. It is best known for publishing Rebecca Yarros' Empyrean series and was listed at number 50 on Fast Company's list of the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2025.{{Cite news |last=Harris |first=Ainsley |date=2025-03-18 |title=This startup romantasy publisher has the book industry swooning |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/91270921/entangled-publishing-most-innovative-companies-2025 |work=Fast Company}}
History
Entangled Publishing was founded in 2011 by Liz Pelletier, who previously worked as a software engineer.{{Cite web |title=Women-Run Publishing |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/specials/promotional/article/95010-women-run-publishing.html |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=PublishersWeekly.com |language=en}}
In November 2022, Entangled Publishing announced an imprint, for romantic fantasy and science fiction, called Red Tower Books. The announcement came with a schedule of seven titles due for release in 2023, which included Yarros' Fourth Wing.{{Cite web |last=locusmag |date=2022-11-11 |title=Entangled Publishing Launches New Imprint |url=https://locusmag.com/2022/11/entangled-publishing-launches-new-imprint/ |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=Locus Online |language=en-US}}
In February 2023, Entangled Publishing announced a new imprint dedicated to children's literature scheduled to launch later that fall.{{Cite web |last=Jones {{!}} |first=Iyana |title=Entangled Publishing Adds Children's Book Imprint |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/91544-entangled-publishing-adds-children-s-book-imprint.html |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=PublishersWeekly.com |language=en}}
In February 2025, Entangled Publishing announced two new imprints for young adult literature, Mischief Books and Mayhem Books.{{Cite web |last=locusmag |date=2025-02-14 |title=New Entangled YA Imprints |url=https://locusmag.com/2025/02/new-entangled-ya-imprints/ |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=Locus Online |language=en-US}} Mayhem Books was created with a focus on teenagers older than age 16 and had initial releases scheduled for fall, while Mischief Books was planned for launch in 2026 with an age range of 13 and older.{{Cite web |title=The Empyrean' Series Publisher Announces Two New YA Imprints 'Truly Crafted' With Teens in Mind (Exclusive) |url=https://people.com/empyrean-series-publisher-announces-two-new-ya-imprints-truly-crafted-with-teens-in-mind-exclusive-8788145 |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=People.com |language=en}}
In March of 2025, it was announced that Entangled Publishing would be partnering with Ten Speed Graphic and Piatkus to adapt Yarros' Empyrean series into the graphic novel medium.{{Cite web |title=Graphic novel adaptation of Rebecca Yarros Empyrean series takes flight with Ten Speed Graphic, Piatkus and Entangled Publishing |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/graphic-novel-adaptation-of-rebecca-yarros-empyrean-series-takes-flight-with-ten-speed-graphic-piatkus-and-entangled-publishing |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=The Bookseller |language=En}}
Deluxe editions
In 2023, ahead of the release of Yarros' Fourth Wing, Entangled Publishing designed a deluxe edition of the novel "with a bold metallic cover and black sprayed edges featuring dragons" and printed 115,000 copies, which sold out within a week's time. Entangled Publishing then designed a deluxe edition for Iron Flame with a print run of a million copies, which sold out as well. Onyx Storm, the third book in Yarros' Empyrean series, was scheduled to have a print run of two million deluxe edition copies.{{Cite news |last=Alter |first=Alexandra |date=2024-12-27 |title=The Hottest Trend in Publishing: Books You Can Judge by Their Cover |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/27/books/deluxe-book-editions-decorated-edges.html |access-date=2025-06-11 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}
The New York Times called the decision "an expensive gamble" but one that paid off and affected the publishing industry's approach to its printing, among other factors: "After gaining popularity with romance and fantasy readers, heavily adorned editions have spread throughout the publishing industry. Publishers are investing in colorful patterned edges, metallic foil covers, reversible jackets, elaborate artwork on the endpapers, ribbon bookmarks and bonus content."
Controversy
= Plagiarism allegations =
In March 2022, Lynne Freeman, a romantasy writer from Anchorage, Alaska, filed a lawsuit in the Southern District of New York against literary agent Emily Sylvan Kim and Entangled Publishing on the claim that her 2010 manuscript, Blue Moon Rising, was stolen by Kim and subsequently appropriated for Tracy Wolff's Crave series, published by Entangled Publishing. Freeman and Kim had tried to pitch Blue Moon Rising for several years until parting ways in 2014, and in 2021, Freeman read Crave, after which she claimed numerous similarities between it and Blue Moon Rising.{{Cite news |last=Waldman |first=Katy |date=2025-01-06 |title=Did a Best-Selling Romantasy Novelist Steal Another Writer’s Story? |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/01/13/did-a-best-selling-romantasy-novelist-steal-another-writers-story |access-date=2025-06-11 |work=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}
Universal Studios was also implicated for optioning rights to the aforementioned series.{{Cite web |title=Alaska romantasy writer at center of unusual court dispute over whether a bestseller lifted her ideas |url=https://www.adn.com/arts/books/2025/02/16/alaska-romantasy-writer-at-center-of-unusual-court-dispute-over-whether-a-bestseller-lifted-her-ideas/ |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=Anchorage Daily News}}
= Misprinting issues =
Upon the release of Iron Flame
Ahead of its print run of Onyx Storm, Entangled Publishing announced that it would take "extra care" to prevent any future misprintings.
Imprints
- Amara{{Cite web |title=PW Close-Up: Geneva Lee, Devney Perry, and Monica Murphy on Joining Amara |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/95451-pw-studio-pw-close-up-amara-authors-on-their-new-titles.html |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=PublishersWeekly.com |language=en}}
- Little Lark
- Mischief Books
- Mayhem Books
- Red Tower Books{{Cite web |last=Dumpleton |first=Elise |date=2022-11-10 |title=Entangled Publishing To Launch New Imprint Red Tower Books |url=https://thenerddaily.com/entangled-publishing-to-launch-new-imprint-red-tower-books/ |access-date=2025-06-11 |website=The Nerd Daily |language=en-AU}}