The entertainment company led by David Ellison has announced the formation of Paramount Global Publishing, a new in-house imprint scheduled to begin releasing titles this year. The initiative aims to tap into Paramount’s extensive library of characters and storylines while also commissioning brand-new fiction and non-fiction that could eventually feed back into film and television projects. Positioned as both an outlet for franchise expansion and a source of original IP, the imprint will sit inside the studio’s products & experiences division and is being framed as a strategic move to broaden audience engagement beyond screens.
Publishing as a strategic play for studios
Studios are returning to books as a way to build built-in audiences without relying solely on tired sequels and shared-universe overload. The studio’s plan recognizes that book publishing can produce self-sustaining fan communities and long-form world-building in ways that differ from on-screen storytelling. By investing in print and audio as much as screen rights, Paramount intends to use the written word as a complementary funnel: novels and audios create depth for characters and settings, and successful titles can be adapted back into films, series, or other products, providing a two-way creative pipeline rather than a one-off licensing deal.
Books as engines of immersion
Industry observers describe the return to publishing as a response to franchise fatigue and a desire for fresher original narratives with ready-made audiences. Books give creators space to introduce nuance, side characters, and expanded timelines that are difficult to fit into a standard runtime. Paramount’s imprint is positioned to exploit that dynamic: turning existing IP into layered reading experiences while launching original stories with the potential to become screen properties. In doing so, the company hopes to deepen fan investment and create new discovery paths for its franchises.
How the imprint will be organized and led
The imprint will operate under the banner of the company’s products & experiences group and will be led by Amy Jarashow in the role of head of global publishing, with reporting responsibilities to Josh Silverman, president of the division. This leadership structure indicates a close alignment between publishing operations and broader consumer-facing initiatives. The new team will likely coordinate with development, creative, and licensing departments inside the studio to identify which properties to expand on the page and which original projects to commission, aiming for a disciplined pipeline that optimizes cross-medium potential.
Formats and market approach
Paramount has stated the imprint will produce titles in print, digital and audio formats and will target readers across ages and demographics. Distribution into retail channels will be handled by a yet-to-be-named distribution partner, while the studio also plans to continue working with outside publishers and licensees on select projects. That dual approach—publishing some titles in-house and licensing others—reflects a flexible licensing strategy intended to maximize reach while retaining creative control over flagship adaptations and originals.
Industry background and what came before
Paramount’s renewed interest in publishing comes after a notable chapter in its corporate history: the company once owned Simon & Schuster, a publisher known for authors such as Stephen King and Colleen Hoover. A proposed $2 billion sale of Simon & Schuster to Penguin Random House was blocked by regulators, and the imprint was later sold to KKR in a deal valued at $1.6 billion in 2026. At the time, Simon & Schuster was described as a non-core asset during Paramount’s strategic reorganization as it prepared for a sale to Skydance. The new Paramount venture follows similar moves in the industry: for example, Fox recently partnered with HarperCollins to launch an imprint that both adapts Fox intellectual property and develops original books for potential screen adaptation.
What to watch next
Paramount has not yet announced its initial list of titles or its distribution partner, but those details are expected to be revealed later. For now, the creation of Paramount Global Publishing signals a deliberate attempt to diversify storytelling pipelines and reclaim some rights-era advantages that large studios previously enjoyed. As the imprint rolls out, its success will likely be measured by the balance it strikes between leveraging beloved franchises and nurturing original voices that can grow into future on-screen hits.