HC Lands Smithsonian

by Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 2/14/2005

HarperCollins has inked a longterm copublishing deal with the Smithsonian Institution to form the Smithsonian Books imprint. HC had been favored to take over the trade publishing program from the Smithsonian following the decision to exit that part of the publishing business.

First books under the new imprint will be released this fall, and Joe Tessitore, publisher of HC's Collins division, said he expects SB to publish 75 adult titles over the next 12 months. Children's and Latino titles will be added under the SB umbrella beginning in 2006, and HC expects to eventually publish more than 100 titles annually under the SB brand.

Don Fehr, former director of Smithsonian Institution Press, will be publisher of SB. The agreement also calls for HC to take over distribution of SIP's 200-title backlist beginning in April.