Grand Central Publishing announces Da Capo imprint dedicated to music books

Grand Central Publishing's launch of a music books imprint, notable for naming specific forthcoming titles and authors in the second paragraph instead of vague promises.

The release, as issued

676 words, copied from hachettebookgroup.com on Sep 23, 2026. The text belongs to Grand Central Publishing (Hachette Book Group).Found by searching Hachette Book Group press releases for new imprint news and reading the February 2025 Da Capo announcement on hachettebookgroup.com

Grand Central Publishing announces Da Capo imprint dedicated to music books

New imprint launches in summer 2025

New York, NY (February 13, 2025) — Ben Sevier, President & Publisher of Grand Central Publishing (GCP), announced today the launch of Da Capo, an imprint dedicated to books about music. Founded in the tradition of the former Da Capo Press, acquisitions will be overseen by Editorial Director, Non-Fiction, Brant Rumble and Executive Editor Ben Schafer, with additional acquisitions by editors across the GCP team.

Da Capo will publish approximately 12 titles per year and will launch its first list during the summer 2025 season, including Dennis McNally’s epic counterculture history, THE LAST GREAT DREAM; Barry Mazor’s BLOOD HARMONY: THE EVERLY BROTHERS STORY; Nate Jackson and Daniel Kohn’s definitive punk rock chronicle, TEARING DOWN THE ORANGE CURTAIN; and Audrey Golden’s biography of The Raincoats, SHOUTING OUT LOUD. In fall 2025, Da Capo is excited to publish THE CARS: LET THE STORIES BE TOLD, the definitive biography of the band, by New York Times bestselling author Bill Janovitz. More Da Capo titles will be announced in the coming weeks.

The legacy of Da Capo includes bestselling memoirs such as I AM BRIAN WILSON, classic rock narrative epics such as FIRE AND RAIN by the eminent Rolling Stone scribe David Browne, and the gripping biography of the Replacements, TROUBLE BOYS by Bob Mehr, along with many more

defining books for hippies, headbangers, jazz cats, hip-hop heads, and punks. In recent years, Los Angeles-based Schafer and New York-based Rumble have collaborated across coasts to publish bestselling books by Stevie Van Zandt, Nikki Sixx, Mark Lanegan, Rob Halford, Peter Frampton, Bernie Taupin, and Robert Hunter.

“Da Capo has a long tradition of publishing books for people to whom music is far more than a passive listening experience,” said Schafer. “For the Da Capo reader, music is a way of life and a cornerstone of one’s sense of identity. It is a link to broader traditions of subcultures and, as I’ve said many times in-house since I first joined the company in 2002, we make ‘books for people who dress like the music they listen to.’ I’m thrilled to revive Da Capo as an imprint of GCP.”

“We are excited to curate a renewed frontlist—and capitalize on an extensive backlist—that includes a wide range of artists, genres, and literary approaches that deliver to readers a deeper understanding of the music that they love,” said Rumble.

About Da Capo

Da Capo is an imprint dedicated to publishing definitive biographies, memoirs, and narrative non-fiction about music and musicians. Through music, we encounter the world and the countercultural traditions that have animated creative movements in the 20th and 21st centuries. From classic rock and punk to metal, jazz, and hip hop, Da Capo’s books are made with the active listener in mind, whose music is a cornerstone of their identity.

About Grand Central Publishing

Grand Central Publishing reaches a diverse audience through books that cater to every kind of reader. Its imprints are Balance, Da Capo, Forever, Grand Central, and Legacy Lit.

About Hachette Book Group

Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a leading U.S. general-interest book publisher made up of dozens of esteemed imprints within the publishing groups Basic Books Group, Grand Central Publishing Group, Hachette Audio, Little, Brown and Company, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Orbit and Workman Running Press Group. We also provide custom distribution, fulfillment, and sales services to other publishing companies.

Our books and authors have received the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, Booker Prize, Nobel Peace Prize and other major honors.

We are committed to diversity in our company and our publishing programs, and to fostering a culture of inclusion for all our employees and authors. We are proud to be part of Hachette Livre, the world’s third-largest trade and educational publisher.

Visit hachettebookgroup.com to learn more about HBG imprints. For updated news follow HBG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, X.com, and YouTube.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Matthew Ballast, VP, Executive Director of Publicity

212-364-1237, matthew.ballast@hbgusa.com

Dateline as issued: New York, NY (February 13, 2025)

Headline

Grand Central Publishing announces Da Capo imprint dedicated to music books

The headline names the publisher, the new imprint and its exact subject in one plain sentence.

Subhead

New imprint launches in summer 2025

A four word subhead adds the timing detail the headline leaves out, so together the two lines cover who, what and when.

Lead paragraph

Ben Sevier, President & Publisher of Grand Central Publishing (GCP), announced today the launch of Da Capo, an imprint dedicated to books about music. Founded in the tradition of the former Da Capo Press, acquisitions will be overseen by Editorial Director, Non-Fiction, Brant Rumble and Executive Editor Ben Schafer.

The lead names the announcing executive by full title and the two editors who will run the imprint, all in one sentence.

Body

Da Capo will publish approximately 12 titles per year and will launch its first list during the summer 2025 season, including Dennis McNally's epic counterculture history, THE LAST GREAT DREAM; Barry Mazor's BLOOD HARMONY: THE EVERLY BROTHERS STORY.

Naming actual forthcoming titles and authors makes the launch concrete instead of a vague promise of future books.

Quote

Da Capo has a long tradition of publishing books for people to whom music is far more than a passive listening experience. For the Da Capo reader, music is a way of life and a cornerstone of one’s sense of identity. (Ben Schafer, Executive Editor)

The editor's quote explains the imprint's identity and audience rather than repeating the facts already in the lead.

Each passage above is quoted from the release; the note under it is this site's reading.

Why it works

The headline names the publisher, the new imprint and its subject in a single plain sentence with no adjectives.
A four word subhead adds the launch timing the headline leaves out, so the top two lines alone tell most of the story.
The lead names the announcing executive and the two editors who will run the imprint, establishing who is accountable for it.
The body lists specific forthcoming titles and authors instead of describing the imprint only in general terms.
Two separate editor quotes describe the imprint's identity and audience rather than repeating facts already stated in the lead.
A short history of the original Da Capo Press gives the new imprint credibility by connecting it to a known backlist.

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- The headline names the publisher, the new imprint and its subject in a single plain sentence with no adjectives.
- A four word subhead adds the launch timing the headline leaves out, so the top two lines alone tell most of the story.
- The lead names the announcing executive and the two editors who will run the imprint, establishing who is accountable for it.
- The body lists specific forthcoming titles and authors instead of describing the imprint only in general terms.
- Two separate editor quotes describe the imprint's identity and audience rather than repeating facts already stated in the lead.
- A short history of the original Da Capo Press gives the new imprint credibility by connecting it to a known backlist.

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