New Publisher The Story Plant Launches in Fall '08

Lou Aronica, former Publisher of Avon Books and Peter Miller, President of PMA Literary and Film Management, Inc. today announced the formation of a new independent publishing house named The Story Plant. The house, dedicated to commercial fiction and author development, will publish its first two books, American Quest by Sienna Skyy and Capitol Reflections by Jonathan Javitt, in the fall of 2008.

Created because Aronica and Miller saw an opportunity in the marketplace to develop writers over multiple books, The Story Plant will focus on long-term relationships with commercial novelists. “There are many good reasons why publishers take a one-book-at-a-time approach with new writers,” said Aronica, the company’s Publisher, “but I’m not entirely sure that’s the best approach for either the writer or the publisher. We’re being ultra-selective in the writers we choose, but when we choose them, we’re making a serious commitment to them.” That commitment includes close editorial work with the writers and marketing plans that ramp up months before publication and extend from one book to the next.

In addition to North American book publication rights, The Story Plant will have an active role in the exploitation of foreign, performance, and merchandising rights for all of its titles. Miller, the company’s Marketing and Rights Director, currently has multiple film projects in development, including a ten-part miniseries, Reclaiming History by Vincent Bugliosi for HBO with Tom Hanks’ production company Playtone, and the first live action film from Oscar-winning director Brad Bird, 1906 by James Dalessandro. “When we sign a Story Plant title,” said Miller, “we’re specifically looking at the book’s film and foreign potential. We think the books on this list are going to be successful on a number of platforms.” The Story Plant has retained Baror International, Inc. to sell foreign rights.

The Story Plant will be distributed by Perseus Distribution, a fact that thrills Aronica and Miller. “The energy and optimism there is contagious,” noted Aronica. “We are very excited to be working with such publishing veterans as Lou and Peter to launch a new publishing program,” said Sabrina McCarthy, VP of Client Services for Perseus Distribution, “and we’re looking forward to selling their new line of commercial fiction.”

The Story Plant list will launch with American Quest, a contemporary romantic fantasy, in hardcover in September. They will publish Capitol Reflections, a medical thriller, in trade paperback the following month.

Aronica spent twenty years at publishing houses, serving as Deputy Publisher at Bantam before becoming Publisher at Berkley and Avon. In recent years, he has focused on writing, authoring two pseudonymous novels and seven works of nonfiction. Miller has been managing writers in books and film for more than three decades, representing more than a dozen New York Times bestsellers and Executive Producing more than a dozen movies.

For more information contact: Lou Aronica at Lou.Aronica@TheStoryPlant.com or Peter Miller at Peter.Miller@TheStoryPlant.com