La Casita Grande and Lil’ Libros seek to fill empty niches. Two new publishers have sprung up looking to fulfill what they see as a growing demand for books by Latino authors that are more varied than those currently being published.

Black Rose Writing, a San Antonio, Tex.–based publisher, recently announced the launch of its latest imprint, La Casita Grande, and Patty Rodriguez and Ariana Stein, two friends who couldn’t find books about Latinos or Latino culture for their children, are upping the output of their publishing company, Lil’ Libros.

La Casita Grande, headed by Black Rose Writing author Jonathan Marcantoni (Kings of 7th Avenue), promises a hands-on approach that Marcantoni developed during his time as editor-in-chief of Aignos Publishing, a bilingual publisher in Honolulu. Marcantoni says, “La Casita Grande is stepping in to fill the void in Latino literature for a house that is dedicated to experimental, innovative, genre-busting narratives in English and in Spanish, while providing international distribution.” Beginning this year, the imprint will publish four titles annually in a combination of Spanish, English, and bilingual formats.

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