Jay-Z’s Roc Nation recently announced a newly formed partnership with Penguin Random House, a book publishing company, to launch a new literary publishing partnership called Roc Lit 101.
“The goal of Roc Lit 101 is to provide a creative outlet for acclaimed wordsmiths and artists to share their visions with new audiences, said Jana Fleishman, EVP of Roc Nation. “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.”
According to a statement released, the partnership will be devoted to “books at the intersection of entertainment and genre-defying literature, including exhilarating, innovative work from some of the biggest artists and most imaginative and incisive writers of our time on a wide range of subjects such as music, sports, pop culture, activism, and art.”
Expected to launch in summer 2021, the new company reportedly already has a roster that includes a memoir from Major League Baseball pitcher CC Sabathia, a memoir from veteran music journalist Danyel Smith, a book on Meek Mill’s story of criminal justice and survival, and illustrated fiction from Lil Uzi Vert.
Additionally, Fat Joe and Yo Gotti are expected to produce memoirs under the new company.
“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,” said Chris Jackson, publisher and editor of One World Books, who will oversee Roc Lit 101.
He continued, “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.
