At a Glance
- Tor Publishing Group launches Wildthorn Books, set to publish across genres starting January 2027
- Bestseller TJ Klune headlines the debut list with The Stars Look Like Home, narrated by a dog named Burke
- Imprint led by Devi Pillai and Monique Patterson, the team behind Tor’s 2023 romance line Bramble
- Why it matters: Readers get a new home for genre-blending, page-turning fiction designed to keep them up past bedtime
Tor Publishing Group is turning a fresh page. The Macmillan Publishers division announced Wildthorn Books, a new imprint slated to hit shelves in early 2027, News Of Los Angeles reported.
Leadership and Vision
President and Publisher Devi Pillai and VP and Editorial Director Monique Patterson will steer Wildthorn. The pair previously launched Tor’s romance imprint, Bramble, in 2023.
“Readers have changed – and so has the market,” Pillai said. “As commercial fiction continues to blend with genre, we realized that Tor – the largest SFF publisher in the world – was the perfect house to create Wildthorn. Wildthorn is where compulsive, genre-bending stories live. These books are commercial, addictive and built to keep you up way past your bedtime.”
Wildthorn will publish:
- Suspense
- Paranormal mystery
- Magical realism
- Historical fantasy
- Commercial and upmarket women’s fiction
- Speculative nonfiction
Launch Title
The first Wildthorn release arrives January 12, 2027: TJ Klune’s The Stars Look Like Home. The novel follows Burke, a dog hunting for “a great life,” per the synopsis.
Klune, celebrated for The House on the Cerulean Sea series, called the book “an adventure inspired by my love of animals and favorite childhood films like Homeward Bound, The Adventures of Milo and Otis and The Incredible Journey.”
He added: “Wildthorn is the perfect fit for this novel, as the imprint gives me the opportunity to tell a different kind of ‘fantasy’ story. I cannot wait for readers to meet the main character, Burke, a dog who is … well. He’s a bit of a drama queen, to be honest. But he has a heart as big as the universe, and his story is one I am so honored to tell. Also, the title is from a Britney Spears song? So, like, just go with it.”
Roster Highlights
Beyond Klune, Wildthorn’s lineup includes:
- Alyssa Cole
- Jenny Lundquist
- Diana Peterfreund
- Debut authors June Harrington and Carrie Kwiatkowski
“Wildthorn is the destination for your next reading obsession,” Patterson said. “We’re building a home for books that thrill, challenge and entertain. That’s what we love as a team, and it’s what we want every reader to feel when they pick up a Wildthorn book: that irresistible, page-turning pull that you won’t be able to put down until the last twist.”
The Stars Look Like Home is available for preorder now wherever books are sold.
