Norton Launches Norton Waverly Imprint for 2027
W.W. Norton has launched Norton Waverly, a new imprint led by Karen Lotz. An imprint means a publishing line with its own name and list. The line will publish six titles a year and is set to start in spring 2027, Publishers Lunch reported.
Lotz heads the imprint as part of her wider role at Norton. She is the company's director of children's books and strategic development. She joined W.W. Norton in September 2025, according to The Bookseller.
Norton Waverly will not focus on one age group alone. Its list will run from books for children through to books for adults. Six books a year is a small, deliberate pace. It leaves room for illustrated work.
The first titles include the Heir to Magic duology by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis. A duology is a story told in two books. This one is illustrated and reimagines the world of Arthurian legend.
The launch list also includes two books by Rhiannon Giddens. Giddens is a Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize winner. One of her Norton Waverly books is an illustrated history of the banjo.
For readers, this means a short yearly shelf with familiar names at the start. Children's publishing usually depends on series, licences and backlist that sells year after year. A six-book list built around illustrated projects and cross-age writing gives booksellers a clear set to order, display and reorder.
