Harper Launches Mass Market en Español Program

Starting this fall, the Rayo, Avon Books, and HarperTorch imprints will co-publish Spanish-language romance, thriller, and mystery paperbacks.

By Carmen Ospina -- Críticas, 10/15/2005

Coinciding with Hispanic Heritage Month this September, HarperCollins announced a new "Mass Market en Español" initiative, aimed at providing a selection of its most popular authors in the mystery, thriller, and romance categories to Spanish-speakers in the States. The program launched in October with the HarperTorch/Rayo co-imprinted publication of La noche de la bruja muerta, the Spanish-language edition of Kim Harrison's best-selling novel Dead Witch Walking.

"Rayo is the first major trade imprint to publish a series of best-selling English-language romance, thriller, and mystery mass market novels in Spanish," noted Rene Alegria, publisher of Rayo. "Rayo will leverage the expertise of our Avon Books and HarperTrophy paperback imprints to provide Hispanic consumers with a broad array of appealing Spanish-language content at competitive prices."

The imprints will initially co-publish one title a month, hoping to meet the demand in the Spanish-language book market for high-visibility titles with top-of-the-line packaging. The list includes translations of Stepanie Laurens's The Perfect Lover, Michele Martinez's Most Wanted, and Kim Harrison's

"Our aim is to supply a variety of genres to a Spanish-speaking audience that is clamoring for books that extend beyond an industry imposed 'Hispanic' sensibility," said Alegria. "Until this point, the publishing industry has yet to grasp that the U.S. Spanish-language reader wants the same title selection that the English-language publishing industry supplies."

Rayo's initiative comes at a time when major retailers like Wal-Mart and Target, and members-only price clubs like Costco and Sam's, are expanding their magazine, book, and AV selections to include those in Spanish. Taking advantage of Avon and HarperTrophy's success in these channels, and their reputation as leading mass market publishers, Rayo hopes to secure accounts, which most international Spanish-language publishers have yet to obtain. The goal is to reach those Spanish-speaking consumers, mainly from the suburbs, who can't find books in Spanish in their local bookstores, or who might not have even considered purchasing a book before.