About 18 years ago, Kwame Alexander was struggling to sell a novel in verse about twin brothers who are star basketball players at their middle school. Finally, after weathering rejections from more than 20 publishers, Alexander got a yes.
When that novel, “The Crossover,” was published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in 2014, it was a wild success. It won the John Newbery Medal in 2015, grew into a trilogy that went on to sell more than 2 million copies, was adapted into an Emmy Award-winning TV series for Disney and is currently being reimagined as a stage musical.
“My career is a master class in being told no and being rejected,” Alexander said. “Ultimately, you’ve got to keep taking the shot.”
Now, more than a decade later, Alexander is getting ready to release the fourth book in the “Crossover” series. This time, he’ll publish it himself, as one of the lead titles of his new imprint, Kwame Alexander Books.
Alexander already has experience as a publisher. In 2018, he started a children’s imprint called Versify at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, which is now part of HarperCollins. At Versify, Alexander published a string of award-winning books with an emphasis on works that incorporate poetry, including novels in verse.
Recently, Alexander decided he wanted to expand into publishing books across genres and for readers of all ages, and to do it at a publishing company with an entrepreneurial streak. So last November, he sent a direct message on Instagram to Dominique Raccah, the founder, publisher and chief executive of Sourcebooks.
Sourcebooks has had success with author-led imprints before. In 2021, the blockbuster romance writer EL James started an imprint with the company, called Bloom Books, which has become a launchpad for other romance novelists — many of whom, like James, got their start outside of traditional publishing. And in 2024, the company launched an imprint with the successful self-published author Jeffrey Mason, whose line of “Hear Your Story” journals have been huge best sellers.
At their first meeting, Raccah and Alexander bonded over their love of poetry and a shared connection with the poet Nikki Giovanni. They quickly saw the potential for a partnership.
“He’s a builder,” Raccah said. “He’s extending our catalog, he’s bringing in new creators, and bringing in people he’s worked with and people he wants to work with.”
Alexander said he was impressed by the company’s data-driven approach to marketing and building online audiences.
“They seemed to understand how to market and sell books, and that has always been a challenge to me in my relationships with publishers,” he said.
Alexander already has a long publishing track record. He’s written 47 books, and Versify has released more than 50 titles by other authors, including award-winning books like “Anya and the Dragon,” by Sofiya Pasternack. Last year, he founded a literacy nonprofit, One Word at a Time, which brings prominent authors into classrooms through virtual visits that include readings, question-and-answer sessions and writing exercises.
Early acquisitions at Alexander’s new imprint skew toward younger readerships, and include a paranormal young adult novel by the best-selling author Lola StVil and a thriller in verse for young adults from the award-winning Irish author Sarah Crossan. Alexander also plans to publish works by up-and-coming writers, including a middle-grade adventure novel by Laura Rocha that is inspired by Mexican folklore, and said he hopes to recruit and collaborate with prominent writer friends including Dhonielle Clayton, Jason Reynolds and Renée Watson.
With the latest sequel to “The Crossover,” which is scheduled for fall 2027, Alexander hopes to draw in new young readers who haven’t read the series yet, and to write for longtime fans who grew up with the books and are now adults.
Alexander’s imprint is getting a splashy introduction this week at two major book business conferences, which are both being held in the Chicago area: Children’s Institute, a gathering for independent booksellers that is hosted by the American Booksellers Association, and the American Library Association’s annual conference. Sourcebooks, which is based nearby, in Naperville, Ill., will celebrate the imprint at both shows, giving away swag like tote bags and mini basketball stress toys to librarians and independent booksellers.
Kwame Alexander Books will prioritize publishing works by writers from communities that have historically been underrepresented in American literature. It is launching at a moment when censorship in public schools and libraries remains rampant, and when many of the books being banned champion diversity. According to the American Library Association, nearly 40 percent of the 4,235 unique titles that were targeted by book bans in 2025 featured L.G.B.T.Q. characters and people of color.
“The more books we can bring into this space, the better,” said Jennifer Gonzalez, the publishing director at Sourcebooks. “Hopefully, there’s a day where we don’t have to worry about book bans, but it’s not going to stop us from publishing great books and authors and illustrators, and we’re committed to bringing those voices to the wider population.”
Alexander said he hopes to publish books that help readers imagine their place in the world, despite the challenges presented by book bans.
“That doesn’t change because the political climate becomes perilous,” he said. “I want to build a house that outlasts any single fight over a single book.”
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