The independent publishing house that deals with printing famous books

In recent decades, corporate consolidation of the book industry has shrunk the number and visions of publishing houses, concentrating power at the top of the remaining Big Five and prioritizing profitability over cultural contribution. To counter this downsizing, the 2020 murder of George Floyd has led to a long-awaited inclusive change in America and in American book publishing. One manifestation of that change also began that year, when publishing veteran Molly Stern, former senior vice president of Penguin Random House’s Crown, founded Zando Books “to connect inspiring authors with the audiences they deserve.” Zando, on the other hand, has a collection of imprints, each with its own mission, market and leadership.

“After fifteen years as an editor and eight years as a publisher at a major house,” Stern said via email, “I intuitively felt that building a new company, free from historical precedents, would allow me to move more quickly, to experiment and think creatively about how to find readers for interesting books.”

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One “historical precedent” Zando hopes to change is the institutional racism that has plagued American publishing since its inception. “We specifically looked for partners who have a demonstrated desire to use their platform to elevate other voices, report on an issue or share a point of view,” she said.

Zando’s imprints include Atlantic Editions, its partnership with Atlantic magazine; Slowburn, for romance novels; Zando young readers; Gillian Flynn Books – helmed by the author of “Gone Girl” – and Crooked Media Reads, led by former Obama administration members Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor.

Zando’s most visible achievements are its celebrity collaborations: Sarah Jessica Parker’s SJP Lit, John Legend’s Get Lifted Books, Ayesha Curry’s Sweet July Books, and Lena Waithe’s Hillman Grad Books. And Zando’s celeb-hosted book launches in Los Angeles have helped make LA the New York publisher’s second home, growing Zando’s West Coast community and increasing brand awareness.

At one such star-studded event at the NeueHouse Hollywood in March, 200 culture vultures, most of them people of color, gathered to celebrate Hillman Grad Books’ first graduating class.

The audience turned heads as the show’s stars — Waithe, Waithe’s conversation partner, “Project Runway” judge Elaine Welteroth and the first five Hillman Grad authors — took the flower-decorated stage.

“You have such a full plate, Lena,” Welteroth began. “Why books?”

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“Books tell us who we are,” Waithe replied. “They help shape our identity. Every author you see here tonight has a very distinctive voice, a very distinctive personality, and they take you on a very distinctive journey. There are so many blind spots in publishing. I hope that if we all look at each other as teammates, with the same goals, progress will be easier.”

The crowd roared. Beside me, Cynthia Erivo snapped her ivory-polished fingers in the air. “We want to support books and authors that wouldn’t normally have that kind of support or platform,” Waithe added. “We love to amplify writers who really speak to us and what we think is missing.”

Via email, the Hillman Grad authors reported that Waithe’s plan is working. “I was worried that going the traditional publishing route might mean giving up parts of my story or myself,” says Elaine U. Cho, author of the recently released space novel “Ocean’s Godori.” “But Hillman Grad honors my voice and the specific way I tell my story. They said my book made them feel seen. Their statement also made me feel seen.”

“Old School Indian” author Aaron John Curtis reported a similar experience. “When my agent was looking at my novel, the first thing I heard from other publishers was the changes they wanted to make. The first I heard from Hillman Grad was where my book resonated with them as readers. They really understood the work.”

Jay Leslie, author of “What I Must Tell the World,” said, “Growing up, it was difficult to find books that celebrated Black women. Finding books about LGBTQIA+ identities was unthinkable. Zando ensures that children always have books that represent them.”

Last night at the launch of his first book, Cho’s ‘Ocean’s Godori’, Hillman Grad once again demonstrated his marketing flexibility and commitment to community building. Dozens of mostly young Asian Americans gathered at the bustling Korean-American-owned streetwear store The Hundreds in LA’s trendy Fairfax District, listening intently as Waithe and Cho movingly shared the meaning of collaboration between different products and ethnic groups, and amplifying underrepresented voices. “When I was Korean-American,” said Cho, wearing a traditional Korean dress, “I was hungry to see myself reflected in the science fiction books I loved. I never dreamed that I would self-publish a Korean space opera.” Cho smiled at Waithe. “This feels like a dream. The best dream of my life.”

The use of celebrity imprints to build publishers’ brand recognition and sales became popular more than a decade ago. In 2011, Ecco named an imprint for Anthony Bourdain, who published 13 titles before his death. Simon & Schuster created Jeter Publishing for Yankees icon Derek Jeter; HarperCollins founded Johnny Depp’s short-lived Infinitum Nihil; Random House opened Lenny for Lena Dunham; Henry Holt gave Andy Cohen a stamp.

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“Publishers want celebrity stardust, and let’s face it, most writers don’t have that,” Claiborne Smith, editor-in-chief of Kirkus Reviews, told Time in 2018, when Parker started her first SJP imprint — at the invitation of Stern, then at Random House.

The phenomenon is not without controversy. Publishing strategist Kathleen Schmidt emailed: “Celebrity imprints are tricky because the publisher is dependent on someone else’s brand equity to execute the publishing program.” Zando, Schmidt said, is “an interesting model. It was smart to involve Sarah Jessica Parker, because her brand is aligned with books. Carrie Bradshaw is a reader and a writer.”

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Parker affirmed, “I am a lifelong reader, constantly seeking out stories that are new to me, full of universal heart and honesty. I had a glorious experience with Molly at Random House. So when she shared her vision for Zando, I immediately agreed. It is such an honor and an amazing responsibility to bring new voices into the world.”

The legend also fits Schmidt’s profile. “He is known as an intelligent artist. His brand lends itself well to publication. And it is always good when a publisher makes a concentrated effort to purchase various books, as Get Lifted and Zando do.

“There was a sense of urgency after the killing of George Floyd to ‘fix things,’” Schmidt added, “but you still sit in meetings and hear people say BIPOC books aren’t selling well. Rather, there is a lack of understanding How to market books by BIPOC authors.”

Book critic, author and Times contributor Bethanne Patrick, host of the award-winning publishing podcast “Missing Pages,” said: “The people involved at Zando are industry-savvy, experienced and passionate about discovering new models to help readers book to discover. They seem to have excellent taste, combined with excellent connections.”

So far, so good. In its first four years, Zando Books launched nine imprints and published 40 books. Seven became bestsellers. Most are written by members of historically moderate demographic groups: people of color, immigrants, queer folk, literary researchers. “Our 2025 slate is robust,” said Chloe Texier-Rose, Zando publicity director. “Our editors are actively acquiring additional titles across all imprints, and Zando has approximately 50 titles in the pipeline by 2025/2026.”

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Sweet July Books, whose mission is to “elevate diverse stories and help women navigate modern relationships and families,” is the brainchild of actor, cookbook author and entrepreneur Curry. She and her husband, NBA star Stephen Curry, also run the Eat. To learn. Play. Foundation in Oakland, focused on ending childhood hunger and increasing access to quality education.

The first title of Sweet July, which will be published in January, will be the Chinese folktale ‘Celestial Banquet’ by Roselle Lim. “Media representation is very important to me,” Curry said. “I want to create a world where my children turn on the television or open a magazine or book and see people who look like them. We really clicked with Molly and her vision, which turned the publishing world upside down.”

The trio running “Get Lifted” — Legend, Tony-winning producer Mike Jackson and Emmy winner Ty Stiklorius — had similar motivations for joining Zando. “Get Lifted has always been about celebrating love, artistry and connection,” they said. “About helping people see and empathize with each other, and bringing the world closer together. So when Molly presented us with another way to elevate writers with unique voices, we jumped at the opportunity.”

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.