Bloom Books signs St Clair and launches new dark fantasy series

Bloom Books, an imprint of independent press Sourcebooks, is to publish King of Battle and Blood by fantasy author Scarlett St Clair, as the author moves to the publisher with a new series. 

The partnership includes the acquisition of backlist and frontlist books, with full library and international distribution rights. DK will distribute the printed books on behalf of Sourcebooks in the UK and Europe. These editions will be available from Sourcebooks in autumn.

St Clair was a full-time librarian in Oklahoma City at the time she launched her Hades x Persephone series with A Touch of Darkness in 2019, followed by three other titles in the saga, published originally by Ashley Nixon-Amador.

The books went viral, gaining more than 13 million views on the A Touch of Darkness hashtags on TikTok alone. St Clair found herself flooded with requests from major retail booksellers, independent bookshops and foreign retailers and distributors for print copies of her work. 

“I cannot tell you how ecstatic I am to join Bloom,” she said. “One of the questions readers and fans always ask me is, ‘How can I get your books?’ Joining Bloom means that all readers and booksellers will have access—something that is very important to me not only as a writer but as a former librarian.”

The imprint will release King of the Battle and Blood on 30th November. This first book in a new series features a fearless human female forced to wed a powerful and charismatic vampire king. St Clair said: “The characters of King of Battle and Blood just erupted one day in my head and never stopped talking. That’s how I knew it had to be my next series. Isolde and Adrian are fierce and angry and passionate. Their world is dark, dangerous and witchy. Every step with them has been a type of magic and I cannot wait to introduce my readers—and new ones—to this world."

Dominique Raccah, Sourcebooks publisher and c.e.o., said “We’ve seen all the excitement about Scarlett across social media, and our bookseller partners have been raving about her. After reading her books and meeting Scarlett virtually, we fell in love. We are so excited to welcome her into Bloom and help her achieve—and surpass—all her publishing dreams.”