Hybrid publisher Compass Rose Publishing, which formed last summer, has released its first title, The Harvard Murders. Compass Rose’s founders hope to draw attention to its books by partnering with independent booksellers to generate early buzz. The publisher hit its target of signing up 250 booksellers to promote its initial list.

Under the program, Compass Rose is paying participating booksellers, who Compass Rose called “bookstore support liaisons” (BSLs), a fee to promote the publisher’s titles. Bob Mrazek, a former congressman turned author who is cochair of Compass Rose, said he was heartened by the reaction from booksellers to the promotional model. Smaller stores, he explained, are especially appreciative of Compass Rose’s direct monetary support, adding that the press’s bookselling partners are hoping that if the program is successful, other publishers will adopt the model.

In addition to a stipend, Compass Rose provides booksellers with a promotional flyer for each book to send to their customer bases. Booksellers are free to decide which Compass Rose titles they feel will appeal to their customers and to promote the books the best way they see fit, Mrazek said.

Mrazek, who launched Compass Rose alongside former ABA executive director Oren Teicher and former congressman, author, and bookstore owner Steve Israel, said he hopes the creation of BSLs will help drawe bookseller attention to books from a new company in a saturated marketplace. “We hope to build a bridgehead with our first books, and then provide the eclectic and commercial content that will build their confidence in our choices,” he said.

The publisher is on track to release a book a month in its first year. Following The Harvard Murders, which was written by Mrazek, The Roast Penguin Chronicles by Jason C. Anthony will be released in March, and a new edition of The Broken Place by Michael Shaara, with an introduction by Jeffrey Shaara, will be published in April.