TORONTO – Corus Entertainment’s children’s publisher Kids Can Press (KCP) has unveiled a new venture focussing on young adult fiction with the potential to transition from page to screen and vice versa.
KCP Loft will release four novels in 2017, geared to readers 14 and up with crossover appeal to adult readers, exploring the first loves, deep friendships, heartbreak and life-altering crossroads on the road to adulthood. Kate Egan has been named editorial director at large of the new imprint.
Reporting to KCP president Lisa Lyons Johnston, Egan will make acquisitions decisions in collaboration with an advisory panel of Kids Can Press and Corus team members and serve as editor on all Loft titles. The KCP Loft team will work with Corus colleagues to expand and develop projects, meaning books will be considered for Corus-affiliated TV or web programming, and appropriate broadcast content will be considered for book adaptations.
“We are thrilled that our imprint will be expertly curated by Kate Egan,” said Lisa Lyons Johnston, in the news release. “One of the genre’s most highly regarded editors, Kate has a 20-year publishing track record and is notable for her YA experience, including her work on the phenomenal Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. Kate has already brought her considerable knowledge, talent and energy to Loft, and we look forward to the fresh voices she’ll discover.”
“I’m so excited to be working with Lisa and her team to build a new list from the ground up,” added Egan. “Opportunities like this don’t come around very often, especially from a publisher with the stature of Kids Can Press and a parent company like Corus that shares and supports our vision for a dynamic list with the potential to grow beyond books.”
In photo, from left: Kate Egan, KCP Loft editorial director at large; Lisa Lyons Johnston, Kids Can Press president (credit: Reno Lee)
