Spiegel & Grau Launches as Independent Publisher

After the closure of Spiegel & Grau, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in 2019, the founders are establishing a new independent company that aims to expand the traditional boundaries of publishing. Books will be at the center of the company, which will publish 15 to 20 titles per year, but it will also produce original audio content and bring works from print or audio to film and TV.

In addition to co-CEO Cindy Spiegel and co-CEO Julie Grau, the founding team includes President Liza Wachter, Associate Publisher Amy Metsch, and COO Jacqueline Fischetti.

In a joint statement, the founders explained, “We are a team of hands-on editors and media professionals with decades of experience helping to shape, produce, and publish content. By enlisting strategic partners who share our values, vision, and sense of mission, we are able to take a holistic approach to content, creating a bespoke publishing plan that finds the best vehicles for storytelling, while always honoring the work’s integrity. At a time when we need stories more than ever to elevate and transport us and to expand our sense of the possible, we bring a collaborative spirit to serving creators and their work.”

Spiegel & Grau will launch its first book, Catherine Raven’s Fox and I: An Uncommon Friendship, in July 2021, through Ingram Content Group brand Two Rivers Distribution, which will oversee distribution, and Findaway, an audiobook distributor that will co-produce and distribute the company’s audiobooks.

The company has also formed a partnership with Lemonada Media for original audio content; Metsch will lead the audio side of the business.

Spiegel & Grau is co-producing its first podcast with Lemonada Media. The podcast, Believe Her, is centered on a case of domestic violence reported by journalist Justine van der Leun and will debut in fall 2021.

The company has also entered into a first-look deal with Amazon Studios; Wachter, head of film and television for S&G, will be spearheading this effort with Amazon.