Jill Soloway Launches Book Imprint With Amazon Publishing

Jill Soloway is launching an Amazon Publishing book imprint, the company’s publishing arm announced Tuesday. The imprint will be called Topple Books after the Transparent creator’s production company, which aims to lift up marginalized voices.

“We live in a complicated, messy world where every day we have to proactively re-center our own experiences by challenging privilege,” said Soloway in a statement. “With Topple Books, we’re looking for those undeniably compelling essential voices so often not heard. I can’t think of a more perfect collaborator than Amazon Publishing to make our dream of a revolutionary publishing imprint come true.”

Soloway, a prominent LGTBQ activist and founding member of the #TimesUp and #5050by2020 campaigns, plans to use Topple to continue to ignite discussion and effect change. As the editor at large, the Emmy winner plans to spotlight diverse stories from women of color and gender nonconforming, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer writers while searching for a diverse canon of emerging and established fiction and nonfiction authors.

Carmen Johnson, editorial director of Amazon Publishing imprint Little A, will help select books for publication and pen introductions.

“Amazon Publishing and Little A are committed to publishing books from a diverse array of writers that inspire, connect and entertain,” said Mikyla Bruder, publisher of Amazon Publishing. “We look forward to sharing the voices and stories that Jill discovers with readers.”

Soloway’s groundbreaking Transparent put Amazon Studios on the map and went on to receive critical praise. News of her imprint, however, comes shortly after Soloway and the streaming giant announced that the show’s star, Jeffrey Tambor, had been fired from the series that won him two Emmys after sexual harassment claims led to an internal investigation. The series is set to return for a fifth season; it is not yet clear how Soloway plans to handle the show moving ahead without its star.

Soloway is under a lucrative overall deal with Amazon Studios and re-upped the pact for another three years through 2021. Under the deal, she created the comedy I Love Dick, which was canceled after one season.

Soloway is represented by Daniel Greenberg at Levine, Greenberg, Rostan Literary Agency.

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