In several confirmed reports, literary giant Penguin Random House has announced its launch of Roc Lit 101, a publishing imprint with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation that promises to publish “genre-defying literature” by some of the culture’s most notable names.
Jana Fleishman, executive vice president of Roc Nation and EIC of One World Books Chris Jackson, will run the point for Roc Lit 101 at its inception.
“The goal of Roc Lit 101 is to provide a creative outlet for acclaimed wordsmiths and artists to share their visions with new audiences”, Fleishman said in a statement. “There are so many untold stories and we consider it a true privilege to be able to amplify diverse voices while exploring the uncharted worlds that are about to open to us.”
Jackson said, “Our aspiration for the imprint is to create books that draw from the best of pop culture—its most imaginative and talented storytellers, innovators, and literary chroniclers—to create beautifully written and produced works that will entertain and enthrall readers, but also illuminate critical issues. But the partnership isn’t just about the books—it’s also about audiences: we want to find new voices and new stories, but also new readers.”
The first offerings from Roc Lit 101 will be Bronx Bomber CC Sabathia’s memoir Till The End and a memoir from the illustrious music journalist Danyel Smith entitled Shine Bright. Both books are slated for the summer of 2021.
