Coming of age for any age: behind the scenes of new imprint First Ink
Coming of age for any age: behind the scenes of new imprint First Ink
We take a first look at First Ink, our new YA imprint, and some of the incredible books you'll be able to read soon.
First Ink is a new YA/crossover imprint at Pan Macmillan which celebrates coming of age for any age: first love, first experiences, first time finding your voice and your place in the world. Inspired by the vibrant YA BookTok community, First Ink will publish across genres, including rom-coms, fantasy and romantasy. Here, the First Ink team introduce some of the books they can't wait for you to read, plus we explain what an imprint actually is. . .
What’s the difference between a publishing company and an imprint?
A publishing company is the overall business that acquires, edits, produces, sells and distributes books. An imprint is a section or division of that overall company which specialises in a particular genre or style, or in publishing books aimed at a particular audience. It's usually the name of the imprint that you'll find on the spine of the book. In our case, Pan Macmillan is the publishing company, and Pan Fiction, Picador, Bluebird, Tor, Two Hoots and Kingfisher are some of our imprints.
Why do publishing houses have imprints?
Imprints enable publishers to create distinct identities for different areas of their publishing, designed to appeal to different groups of readers. Imprints are helpful for readers (and booksellers) too: once you get to know an imprint, you'll have an idea of what kind of book you're picking up and whether you're likely to enjoy it. For example, our Tor imprint specialises in science fiction and fantasy, Picador is our literary imprint, and Bluebird publishes non-fiction mainly in the lifestyle and wellbeing space.
As well as being a branding and marketing tool, imprints are helpful for the inner workings of a publishing house, too. Editors tend to work across just one or two imprints, gaining and utilising expertise in their particular area, both in terms of the publishing process (which will be very different between say, a picture book created by an author and illustrator team, and a thriller) and really knowing their market and readers.
Introducing new imprint, First Ink
First Ink publishes coming of age fiction for any age and across genres. And how better to get to know us than through our books? Here, members of the First Ink team and the online bookish community share the upcoming releases they're excited for.
Rachel's role was to conceptualise and design the First Ink logo. 'My goal was to create a design that is clean, yet bold and expressive, mirroring First Ink's philosophy of centering around the readers while avoiding the confines of a specific genre. Recognising our titles' presence in the BookTok community, I aimed for a design that feels modern and contemporary, yet possesses a classic quality to ensure it remains relevant as our audiences evolve.'
‘A Tempest of Tea: the found family/friendship and betrayal vibes are everything.’