Yen Press has launched another imprint and it focuses on translating fiction and non-fiction.
As per Publisher’s Weekly, the new imprint will be called Avocado House and will be curated by publisher and editor-in-chief JuYoun Lee. Avocado House comes from Yen On, the prose imprint, and is intended to “give translation work a distinct identity and dedicated home within Yen Press.” The imprint is looking to release around 12 titles every year and has already announced three titles that will release this year. Two other works, one Japanese nonfiction work called The Curse Called Mother, the Prison Called Daughter by Aya Saito, and a Korean thriller called The Place of the Flamingo by Haeyeon Jeong, will release in 2027.
According to Lee, the imprint “aims to be a true home for authors, a place where their voices can connect with readers far beyond borders and language barriers.”
Avocado House’s 2026 releases include a sci-fi mystery called Laplace’s Witch, a coming-of-age fiction book called Sickness unto Love, and a short story anthology called 1,000 Words Left to Live:
Laplace’s Witch
Author: Keigo Higashino
Translator: Stephen Paul
Two people die in hot spring towns in different parts of Japan from hydrogen sulfide poisoning. Investigating the case is geochemist Shusuke Aoe, who witnessed the same mysterious girl, Madoka, at both crime scenes … A sci-fi mystery that challenges established norms of the genre, written by acclaimed author Keigo Higashino!
Laplace’s Witch comes out on October 13, 2026.
Sickness unto Love
Author: Yuki Shasendo
Translator: Michael Blaskowsky
More than 150 deaths across Japan have been connected to Blue Butterfly, a game that leads people to take their own lives. The organizer of this terrible “game” is Kei Yorikawa, a seemingly good-natured high school student. How did a girl like her become such a monster? This story is a look back at the boy who changed her fate—her childhood friend, and her first kill.
This hardcover book will release on November 10, 2026.
1,000 Words Left to Live
Author: Gyatei Murasaki
Translator: Matt Treyvaud
A collection of twenty-six shocking, awe-inducing short stories! A doctor tells a patient they can speak only one thousand words before their life ends. Someone’s boyfriend turns into a can of mackerel. A woman is in her sixth year of pregnancy. This mysterious world is full of laughter and tears, and twists and turns sure to leave anyone reeling!
This hardcover book will release on December 8, 2026.
Source: Publisher’s Weekly
