Publisher's Series vs Imprint: Signet Classics as Example

Hi all.

Okay, with the new Publisher's Series field, this is going to create some interesting questions.

My big one right now: How does one reconcile an imprint versus a publisher's series? My Example: Signet Classics.

Technically, this is an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, LLC.
However, you have people pointing to it as a publisher's series.
I started to add it, then took it back out when I found out it was an imprint.

Also, it was pointed out that Penguin Classics publish as mass market paperbacks, whereas Signet publishes as Trade paperbacks.

What is the thought process regarding imprints?
(I believe another thread addressed Harlequin, but I've not had a chance to review that thread yet.)

Yep - I saw Panther being listed as a Publisher Series. There only seemed to be a couple and so I removed them as Panther is definitely an imprint.

I do agree with you as regards imprints; they are simply a division of a publishing house, not a series.

However, I don't see that mass market vs. trade paperback editions makes any difference in whether something is a publisher's series or not. That's just a size distinction.

Yesterday I saw a book in the British Monarchy series which listed "Fontana Books" as a related publisher series, but when I went to that book's CK record, "Fontana Books" was not listed, there was only the British Monarchy series. I'm wondering if someone had already deleted "Fontana Books," and the related link is still just hanging around? It was odd. All the books in British Monarchy are indeed published by Fontana, but I don't think that's justification for a series named after the publisher alone.

Edited for more info.

Here's the link.

http://www.librarything.com/series/British+Monarchy

#1 - Okay, I am admit I am pretty free and easy with series. I don't make bad series myself, but am willing to let one stand if I can see where they are coming from. Point is, you may want to take my input with a grain of salt.

Anyway, I think Signet Classics is a legit publishers series. Getting into 'Is it a publishers series or an imprint' feels a little like splitting hairs.

If there were a List feature, I guess you could argue that Signet Classics would be better as a list than a publisher's series. But lists aren't here and not everything that Penguin (or even Signet) publishes is under the Signet Classics banner.

I'm not going to bother creating a Signet Classics publishers series, but I wouldn't discourage someone else from doing it.

I think some imprints can be proper publisher's series but not every imprint is.

Currently, Fontana Books is a publishers series that only has the first of the British Monarchy books in it.

http://www.librarything.com/publisherseries/Fontana+Books

Fontana was merely the paperback imprint of Collins (before the merger with Harper&Row) and was in operation for over 40 years - and so will have published thousands of different titles from mainstream fiction to genre fiction (in a number of genres) to non-fiction.

Fontana also had imprints. In some books for example the copyright page reads "Flamingo is an imprint of Fontana Paperbacks, part of the Collins Publishing Group".

Anyway, I think Signet Classics is a legit publishers series. Getting into 'Is it a publishers series or an imprint' feels a little like splitting hairs. (#6)

I agree with you on this. Asking yourself if Signet is an imprint of Penguin is beside the point. The question isn't who owns whom, but if one Publisher Series is the same thing as the other, and in this case they're not. As I pointed out to gilroy the other day (in a profile message I now kinda regret making private), you wouldn't confuse a Penguin Classics edition with a Signet Classics edition of the same work.

It's sometimes helpful to look these up in the Library of Congress authority file. Signet used to be considered a series, but is now considered an imprint; apprently they called the publisher and asked them.

LC Control Number: n 42022484

HEADING: Signet classic

Used For/See From: Signet Classic books

Series Place/Issuing Body: New York New American Library

Special Note: Signet Classic is an imprint of NAL and its parent body Penguin USA. Do not treat as a series or quoted note. Considered a series prior to 5/4/90

Found In: Smollett, T.G. The adventures of Roderick Random, 1964.
Schoenbaum, S. Shakespeare, 1990: CIP t.p. (Signet Classic; Signet Classic books)
Phone call to publisher, 4-20-90 (Signet Classic is an imprint of New American Library)

#10 - Asking yourself if Signet is an imprint of Penguin is beside the point.

Not just that, but not everything that (the imprint) Signet publishes is a Signet Classic. Signet also publish Stephen King's paperbacks and lots of other stuff. Signet Classics are marked as such on their covers and have a distinct look.

Now, if someone were to start adding every book Signet publishes to a Signet publisher's series, that would be different.

Yes, Signet Classics is a publishers series even if Signet is just an imprint.

>11 Proclus:

Interesting. I wonder if they stopped numbering the volumes at that point. My old Signet Classics have numbers (just entered two of them).

Anchor Books is similar. It's an imprint of Doubleday but it's also numbered (at least mine are).

#12/13

See, Signet is not the imprint in question. Signet Classics is the imprint in question.

Signet is another branch unto itself as a different imprint.

ETA: Correcting phrasing on first sentence

Okay, if you say so.

My point is though, that some imprints weren't always just imprints. Viking is a good example. On the Penguin website (http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/aboutus/history.html) they claim that they created the imprint in 1984, but I have Viking books from the 1970s...

#6

Actually, here is where it is important to note, both Signet and Signet Classics exist as their own imprint within a company of New American Library, which is a division of Penguin Publishing:

NAL imprints included Signet fiction, Mentor (mostly) non-fiction (with the slogan, "Good reading for the millions"), Signet science, Signet Classics, Signet Key (for young readers ages 10 to 14), Mentor-Omega (featuring Catholic philosophers) and Mentor Executive Library (for businesspeople).

(Quote stolen from Wikipedia)

And from Penguin's website:

The NAL imprints—Signet, Onyx, Obsidian, Signet Eclipse, Signet Classics, Roc, and NAL Trade Paperbacks—publish over four hundred titles each year. http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishers/adult/nal.html

And this link takes you to a list of the top imprints offered by Penguin Books, USA:
http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishers/index.html

To which I don't think any should be a publisher's series, which is why I'm confused.

ETA: Updated with greater research.

#16

I think that the UK site doesn't have all the proper information on their website.

http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/publishers/adult/viking.html

The US site lists that the Viking Imprint started in 1925, bought by Penguin in 1975. Not created by Penguin. But still an Imprint.

ETA: Corrected with research information.

Thanks for the info.

But, doesn't that also mean that Viking wasn't an imprint from 1925 to 1975? And people might want to list publishers series from that period too. Point is, I think, we shouldn't be too strict with these things, or me might simply get bogged down in corporate takeover history. For all we know Penguin might become an imprint of Time / Warner later today.

Heaven forfend!

20 - See I think being a bit strict is helpful, to prevent things getting too messy in the other direction, where the Publisher Series field just starts listing publishers, not series.

22> Agreed. It sounds like what people really want is a field for Publisher/Imprint (on a book level, hopefully).

#15 See, Signet is not the imprint in question. Signet Classics is the imprint in question.

#17 both Signet and Signet Classics exist as their own imprint within a company of New American Library

This is what I mean when I said splitting hairs. Strictly speaking, yes, Signet Classics is an imprint of Penguin.

But Signet Classics has a very limited scope and it... what? It feels like a publishers series. A list of every Signet book on the other hand would feel like a list of every book a publisher puts out.

When I purchase a classic work, I seek out the Signet Classic edition, mainly because they tend to have nicer covers. A Signet Classics publishers series would be quite helpful. Then I could find out for instance if there is a Signet Classics edition of Pinocchio.

I also might consider both Harper Torchbooks and Harper Colophon to blend the line between imprint and series.