Random House of Canada launches Hazlitt, an online literary journal and Hazlitt Originals, an ebook imprint

Patrick Graham, author of 
The Man Who Went To War,
to be published by Hazlitt Originals

By Mark Medley, The National Post

With newspapers and magazines entering the world of book publishing — the National Post, for instance, launched a line of e-books in 2011 — perhaps it should come as no surprise that book publishers are entering the world of magazines and newspapers.

On Thursday, Random House of Canada launched Hazlitt, an online magazine that anchors the company’s new digital strategy and transforms the company’s previously moribund website into a new publication featuring original content from established and emerging writers.

“The founding premise of the magazine is that good writers, good voices, can make any topic interesting,” said Robert Wheaton, the company’s vice president and director of strategic digital business development, at a presentation unveiling the website earlier this week.

Overseeing the magazine are director of digital publishing Christopher Frey, as editor-in-chief, and senior editor Alexandra Molotkow.

“We have to stop thinking of ourselves as just factories of books, and think of all the different ways that we can connect with people, and tell stories,” said Frey.

The magazine is just one part in the company’s larger digital transformation. Also launching this week is Hazlitt Originals, a line of e-books in the tradition of Byliner Originals and Kindle Singles. The first title is The Man Who Went To War, a memoir about Canadian journalist Patrick Graham’s experiences in Libya, while future titles include UK journalist Steven Poole’s “anti-foodie screed” You Aren’t What You Eat and Ivor Tossell’s The Gift of Ford, about the controversial Toronto mayor.

“Traditionally, publishers have used their websites for sales and marketing,” said Brad Martin, Random House of Canada’s president and CEO, in a press release announcing the new ventures. “We believe publishers should also use their websites to publish.”

Dear Reader: Hazlitt hasn’t put out a call for submissions yet, but when they do, I’ll let you know – Brian

See my schedule here, including writing workshops and creative writing courses in Kingston, Peterborough, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Georgetown, Milton, Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, Hamilton, Dundas, Kitchener, Guelph, London, Woodstock, Orangeville, Newmarket, Barrie, Gravenhurst, Sudbury, Muskoka, Peel, Halton, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.