Avon Books - A Brief History

Avon Publications was founded in 1941 by the American News Company as a paperback publisher. The company began by focusing on comics, repsrus but later expanded to other genres, such as romance.

Today, Avon is an imprint of HarperCollins which also owns Harlequin. Their Diamond Anniversary celebration is underway.

Avon Publications

Avon Books was a major competitor to the more literary Pocket Book Company in the beginning of the paperback publishing industry. Avon was a mass-market company and published westerns, mysteries, repsrus and romances that had attractive covers. Their books were less expensive than the more expensive Pocket books and they were aimed at housewives, who would have time to read between cooking and cleaning.

Avon published digest-format papers (the size of magazines for short stories today) in series such as Murder Mystery Monthly, Avon Fantasy Reader and many others. These editions contain many authors who are sought-after by collectors. They include A. Merritt and James M. Cain, as well as H. P. Lovecraft.

Avon sold more than 20 million books each year until the mid-1950s. The 25-cent "G' series included the popular genres such as westerns, whodunits and boy-girl romances. Avon also had 35 cents "T" series that included the standbys of science fiction, mystery and other genres.

The emphasis of the company on popularity resulted in them publishing ghost stories, sexually-suggestive love stories, and fantasy novels in the early years which were quite different from the more literary Pocket competition. In 1959, Avon was bought by the Hearst Corporation and the focus moved to more mainstream fiction.

Avon is the largest women's beauty and fiction company in the world with a presence on all five continents. They also have offices in over 100 countries. They are a leading publisher of Sunday Times and Kindle bestsellers that focus on thrillers, crime suspense, general fiction and saga. The company is proud to have a an eminent female history and has helped open the way for women to become entrepreneurs across the globe. It is a global leader in sales, marketing and innovation, making an impact in communities around the globe.

Avon Impulse

Avon was founded in 1941 as the publisher of paperbacks and comics. The company later turned its attention to romance novels. The company was created by Joseph Meyers and Edna Meyers Williams. Meyers recruited sisters and brothers to work for the company. He wanted to make a competitor to Pocket Books. They did so by printing cheaper paperbacks with a mass appeal and luxurious covers.

In the 1970s, Avon was at its highest as a romance publisher. The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss, a sexy novel that stayed for 33 weeks at the top of the New York Times bestsellers list and was released. Rosemary Rogers' sexy novels, Sweet Savage Love and Wicked Loving Lies, were also published. This was the first time one novel had topped the charts for this genre.

The company was acquired by Hearst Corporation in 1959. Hearst focused on the romance offerings of the company and it grew to become one of the largest publishers of this genre. The company continued to release inexpensive paperbacks on popular themes such as westerns and whodunits. However, the emphasis on romance increased their profitability.

Avon is still publishing romance novels in the present. The company recently started an online imprint, Avon Impulse, which publishes ebooks and paperbacks. The imprint accepts submissions that are not edited by amateur authors. Authors can explore their limits without worrying about the reaction of the publishing industry.

Avon Impulse offers a 25 percent royalty on the first 10,000 downloads, and 50 percent royalty on all subsequent sales. The publisher also edits the book and has a sexy, feminine cover. It is available in ePub and Kindle formats, in addition.

Avon Women's Fiction

The company was founded in 1941. Avon Books began life as an imprint of the American News Company and quickly expanded its catalog to include paperback novels and comic books. The first books were similar in appearance to Pocket Books, resulting in a quick lawsuit by the competitor, however, from the beginning, Avon distinguished itself by the emphasis on appeal to the masses and the use of memorable covers.

Katina Manko's Ding Dong! Avon Calling may not be what you expect. While it criticizes the ways in which cosmetic advertising made women slaves, it also analyses the way in which Avon sales representatives attempted to transcend the traditional gender roles for women in 19th and 20th century America. The author treats Avon agents with respect, but not with a sense of sympathy. She does not consider them to be corporate dupes, regardless of the fact that they were mostly white suburban women of middle class.

As executive editor of Avon Impulse, Lucia Macro is always looking for out-of-the-box, modern work for the romance format which releases two brand new digital originals every week. She discusses her journey in the publishing industry, the thought process behind the imprint and changes that she has seen in the romance genre as well as publishing worlds in general. She is particularly interested in erotic novels with a strong and intelligent content, as opposed to a straightforward and explicit one. The UCLA Library Special Collections holds the Avon Books Collection, a collection of bibliographic records of all the works published by the Avon Book division of the Hearst Corporation from 1960 onward. The Avon Books Collection is arranged by alpha-numeric codes. However, it also contains many Avon books that were acquired from other sources prior to 1960, some of which date back to the 1930s.

Avon Thrillers & Suspense

In the world of commercial fiction, Avon Books publishes thrillers and suspense along with feel-good general fiction, saga and romance. They house bestselling authors like C.L Taylor, Katerina Diamond and Phillipa Ashley, and an increasing number of new talents.

Avon was established by the American News Corporation in 1941 to compete with Pocket Books. Brothers and sisters Joseph Meyers and Edna Meyers Williams founded the company with a primary focus on paperback reprints. Meyers wanted to distinguish Avon from its rivals by focusing on its appeal to the masses instead of more lofty notions of literary excellence. In the beginning, Avon books were priced at 25 cents to 50 cents and bore an alpha-numeric code. Avon introduced the 35 cent series "T" in 1953. It contained many Westerns and Whodunits. Then, they introduced the modern romance genre with Kathleen Woodiwiss's 1972 publication of The Flame and the Flower. This was the first romance on paper published in the original format. It was sold for more than two million copies.

Avon continued to dominate the romance market during the 1970s. The decade saw the rise of the bodice ripper, and the cover art became more stunning. Avon published a group of writers called Love's Leading Ladies. This group included Kathleen Woodiwiss and Rosemary Rogers. Johanna Lindsey, Laurie McBain and Johanna Lindsey were also part of this stable.

Avon and Harper Collins merged in 1999. Avon's non-romance and hardcover paperback series were transferred to the imprint of Harper Collins' sister company Morrow and left Avon as a publisher of romance novels. In the end, the publishing house was changed to Avon Books and today is still a vital part of the HarperCollins family. The catalog is now more than just classic romances but also women's fiction as well as sagas.

Avon Paranormal

Avon, Ohio has many odd and bizarre tales. Whether you are looking for a good scare or just a fun ghost story, Avon has something for everyone. From haunted restaurants and hotels to alleged Bigfoot sightings, there is always something happening in Eagle County. But, you'll also find plenty of activities that are more down to earth than supernatural.

The Avon Theater is haunted with the spirit of Gust Constant. He was a businessman and patron of the theater who passed away in the late 1920's. There is a rumor that he haunts the grounds and the building to this day.

According to legend Constan was wealthy and had a stake in Avon. He would purchase tickets for his family and friends to go to the latest films. He also enjoyed attending music and fashion shows at the theater.

Avon, founded in 1941 by American News Corporation to compete with Pocket Books, was known for publishing "popular" pulp fiction than its literary competitors. In its early days, Avon published ghost stories, sexually-suggestive love novels and fantasy novels that were far removed in audience appeal from the more conventional offerings of the larger Pocket Books.

Currently, Avon does not accept proactive manuscript submissions. However, authors are encouraged to stay alert and watch for any future submission deadlines. In the meantime, check out these seven mistakes that authors make when submitting manuscripts to avoid.