Atria and Emily Bestler Books have announced the launch of a new horror imprint called 12:01 Books, which aims to identify, grow and publish creator-driven IP. 12:01 Books is a joint venture between 12:01 Films founder and producer Scott Glassgold and Emily Bestler, the SVP, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Emily Bestler Books. Liz Parker, managing partner of Verve, negotiated the deal.
Together, they will develop and publish a carefully curated list of horror novels, working with emerging
and established creators and authors to launch compelling books and films.
“In both cinema and publishing, it all starts with the written word. This imprint aims to honor those shared origins and provide our authors a platform to harmoniously grow their stories into successful films and books — and there is no better literary partner to achieve this than the incredible Emily Bestler,” says Glassgold.
In 2024, Emily Bestler Books published Marcus Kliewer’s “We Used to Live Here,” which sold to Netflix
with Blake Lively committed to star and produce; and “Wilderness Reform” by Matt Query and Harrison Query, which sold in a bidding war to Paramount. Glassgold will produce both feature film adaptations.
Popular on Variety
“Atria is thrilled to work with the talented Scott Glassgold,” says Libby McGuire, SVP and publisher of Atria Books. “His bold thinking combined with his mind-bending energy and creativity will be a perfect match for Emily Bestler’s brilliant publishing.”
“Story comes first – always – and as we continue to shorten the distance between great books and great content, 12:01 Books builds upon the impeccable brand 12:01 Films has created,” says Parker.
12:01 Books will launch with the publication of Kliewer’s hotly anticipated second novel, “The Caretaker,” in 2026. The film version of the novel is currently in development at Universal, with Sydney
Sweeney attached to star and produce alongside Glassgold and Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes.
Kliewer’s runaway success was partly what inspired the new imprint. Bestler recalls thinking, “Why don’t we get together and figure out a way to break new ground in creating some synergy between film and publishing, especially when horror is a growing market?”
That synergy creates an impressively fast-moving pipeline between a promising concept hitting both the big screen and the bookshelves, she tells Variety. “This is pretty unprecedented that a publisher and film producer would have this kind of a relationship, and I think it’s going to be remarkably fun to cut down on the time it takes between some guy coming up with an idea and Scott and Liz recognizing it for what it’s worth, and then we skip the three to four year process and end up with a very fast process that’s quality-driven, with multiple formats way sooner than we normally would.”
“Everything that we build from a 12:01 perspective is all really predicated on big ideas,” Glassgold says. “We spend so much of our time curating on the right idea, because if you spend way too much time on a medium idea or an okay idea, the plane probably doesn’t leave the runway. So we really spend time making sure it’s something that feels fresh and original and, admittedly, commercial. We would like to play to an audience and I think that’s where we had such a connection with Emily and her taste for cool, big ideas that certainly find an audience.”
The pioneering model also provides opportunities to up-and-coming storytellers outside of the traditional publishing model. “We have to believe that the best next voice is hiding around any corner. Otherwise, we’d all get way too stuck into this idea that things have to be done a certain way, and good books come from a certain place,” Parker says.
“Book publishing is going to Hollywood,” Bestler adds. “Nobody’s going to have to convince us that it’s going to be a great idea to publish a horror novel and make a fantastic movie that will scare everybody to death. We’re there. Just give us the material!”