Brilliance Execs Take Control

by Jim Milliot -- Publishers Weekly, 4/18/2005

The acquisition of Brilliance Audio by its two top executives will not result in any major changes in the way the spoken-word audio producer is run, said company founder Michael Snodgrass, who remains president and publisher. Snodgrass, along with Eileen Hutton, v-p and associate publisher, put together an offer to acquire complete control of the company from Brilliance's original backers. "Some of the investors were looking to cash out," explained Snodgrass.

Brilliance will continue to release about 250 titles annually, while diversifying the list into new formats. "The way to be successful is to keep doing what we have been doing," said Snodgrass. The company has had double-digit growth in each of the last two years, a record that "gave us the confidence to do the deal," Snodgrass said.

Snodgrass does expect to see more growth in Brilliance's download business. The company has focused its early efforts in the digital market to libraries, but expects to see more sales through retailers and direct to consumers. Sales to the latter will be made through AudiobookStand.com, the spoken-word audio site owned by Brilliance that will add download capability some time this year, Snodgrass said.