The first title, a holiday themed novelty book from Denis Leary, will hit shelves in October. The book will tie-in with a holiday TV special on the channel.

Titles will focus on both new material from established and developing comedians as well as existing series and franchises. Mitch Fried, executive vice president, enterprises, will oversee the program for Comedy Central.

"Success today means reaching our fans on all different platforms," says Michele Ganeless, president, Comedy Central. "This publishing relationship is another example of the kind of extension that keeps Comedy Central the No. 1 brand in comedy."

"We are excited to be working with Michele and her team at Comedy Central," says Christopher Navratil, publisher, Running Press. "This new relationship is the perfect fit for our list, humor is one of our core categories and being able to tap into Comedy Central's talent and marketing will offer us a fantastic opportunity to publish a wide variety of branded titles in multiple formats."