Selby to spearhead music publishing imprint for Bonnier Books UK

Bonnier Books UK is launching a new music publishing list, with Pete Selby joining as publishing director.

The imprint will provide "a publishing home for unique musical perspectives and a true diversity of voices", Bonnier Books UK said, with the list set to include memoirs, musical social histories and first-person narratives from contemporary writers, musicians and cultural commentators.

Selby left W H Smith in January this year after nine months as the retailer's head of books. Before this he was retail publishing director for the Roald Dahl Story Company, between September 2018 and April 2019, prior to which he was at Sainsbury’s for eight years where he led its music and books division, conceiving and launching the company’s vinyl record label, and also co-writing two books on the Now That’s What I Call Music compilation brand.

Perminder Mann, c.e.o. of Bonnier Books UK, said: "Pete’s passion and expertise in the music and publishing industries, combined with his innovative and entrepreneurial nature, made this too good an opportunity to turn down. Working with cutting edge content creators like Pete neatly aligns with our business ambitions for rapid growth into new and exciting areas."

Selby said: "This has been a long-held ambition. I am absolutely thrilled to have this opportunity to set up the new music publishing imprint at Bonnier Books UK. Having spent my entire career in both the music and publishing industries, I’m delighted to be able to marry my two greatest passions in this way. We’re living through a golden age of music writing and there are still so many amazing, diverse and ground-breaking stories to be told. It will be a joy to bring those stories to life at such a progressive and nurturing publisher as Bonnier Books UK."

As yet the imprint doesn't have a name. Selby joins Bonnier Books UK this month and details on the upcoming publishing list are to be shared "in the coming months", according to Bonnier Books UK.

Another music-centric list launched this year at a major publishing house was Lee Brackstone’s new imprint for Orion, White Rabbit. The new imprints follow a healthy time for Nielsen's Music & Dance category, which hit its highest value ever in 2018, at £19.7m, up close to 50% on earlier in the decade. Last year revenue through Nielsen BookScan came in at £18.2m.