Imprint Friday: Ecco: Your Next Great Read

For a couple of months now I've had a secret. I've been working behind the scenes with Rachel Bressler and Ben Tomek of Ecco books to showcase their wonderful imprint on Beth Fish Reads.

It seems that the HarperCollins imprint Ecco and I were made for each other. They have one of those catalogs that makes me say, "Yes, I need to read that," on almost every page. Their amazing range of genres and the quality of their authors have given Ecco decades of faithful fans.

Ecco's list embraces everything from poetry to food writing, fiction to memoir, with the binding thread being excellence. Over the weeks and months to come, I'll introduce you to some of the current Ecco books that I'm especially excited about.

But before I talk about the future, let me turn my blog over to Rachel Bressler, vice president and associate publisher of Ecco, who will make the formal introductions:

2011 marks Ecco's 40th year in publishing, a true accomplishment in these quickly changing times. Ecco (Italian for "there it is") was born as an independent press in 1971, and in 1999 it became an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers. It was the brainchild of poet Daniel Halpern, who is still the publisher today.

Each year we publish about 50 books across virtually every genre, by authors including Joyce Carol Oates, Charles Bukowski, Anthony Bourdain, Richard Ford, Robert Stone, Mario Batali, Paul Bowles, Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith, John Ashbery, Ron Rash, and David Wroblewski. While there is no one type of "Ecco book," our list reflects the passion we bring to publishing with an emphasis on quality over quantity.

Ecco is proud of the books we continue to publish year after year, a great many of which have stood the test of time.

We are thrilled to be included among the featured imprints on Beth Fish Reads, and I hope you will take a moment to familiarize yourself with the books we will be featuring each week--there are many gems awaiting your discovery. I hope you will consider friending us on Facebook or following us on Twitter, we have lots to share, books to give away, and news to spread--all we are missing is you.

All best regards,

Rachel Bressler

Thanks so much, Rachel, and welcome to Beth Fish Reads. I know my readers are looking forward to getting to know you and Ecco books better. When an imprint has an author list like Ecco's, readers know where to turn to find their next great read. I'm convinced that you all will be jumping on the Ecco-fan bandwagon, if you aren't already onboard.

Because Ecco has a strong foodie presence, I will be showcasing the imprint not only as part of my regular Imprint Friday posts but also for my popular Weekend Cooking feature. That makes me doubly happy to be working with Rachel and Ben, bringing great books to your attention.

For more on publisher Daniel Halpern, be sure to listen to the interview with him at Writers Cast. Last summer, Halpern talked with Publisher's Weekly about Ecco's food writers. To learn more about Ecco's books and authors, check out their website, their Facebook page, and follow them on Twitter.

Get ready to find your next great read!