Jay-Z is forming a long-lasting partnership with the book industry just a decade later after publishing his memoir “Decoded.”
His entertainment company, Roc Nation, is starting an imprint with Random House called Roc Lit 101.
On Tuesday, during a joint announcement, Random House and Roc Nation promised “books at the dynamic intersection of entertainment and genre-defying literature.”
Among the initial releases for next summer: “Till the End,” a memoir by the retired pitching star CC Sabathia; and music journalist Danyel Smith’s “Shine Bright,” a story of Black women in music that combines memoir, criticism, and biography.
Roc Lit 101 will have everything from cookbooks to children’s Stories. Some of the future releases will include Meek Mill’s book on “criminal justice and survival,” rappers Fat Joe and Yo Gotti both will release memoirs, and rapper Lil Uzi Vert has a fantasy fiction book.
The imprint will be led by Chris Jackson, the publisher and editor-in-chief of the Random House imprint One World and a recent recipient of a lifetime achievement award from the Center for Fiction; and Jana Fleishman, executive vice president of Roc Nation.
Jackson, who published “Decoded” and worked with Ta-Nehisi Coates and Ibram X. Kendi among others, said in a statement, “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.”
Fleishman said in a statement that “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.”
