Publishers Weekly: U of MN Press moves into YA fiction

PW interviews Mary Casanova, author of FROZEN, on UMP's rare move into YA fiction.

Casanova_frozen coverAn author’s error in sending a manuscript to the University of Minnesota Press, instead of to its intended recipient – Minnesota Historical Society Press  – has resulted in a first for a publisher best known for publishing scholarly books on current events and regional nonfiction for adult readers. This fall, the University of Minnesota Press will release a hardcover YA novel, Frozen by Mary Casanova. According to the press’s director, Douglas Armato, the press has reissued “a couple” of YA novels in the past, just to keep them from going out of print, but has never before published original YA fiction. The initial print run for Frozen will be 7,500 copies; it will also be available simultaneously as an e-book.

“[Casanova] came to us,” Armato recalls. “She made us reconsider our policy not to publish original fiction or poetry. What won us over was how well researched Frozen is. We couldn’t believe an author like Mary Casanova would approach us with a book like this.”
Published in: Publishers Weekly
By: Claire Kirch