Media Source Picks Up ‘Horn Book’

By John A. Sellers -- Publishers Weekly, 1/21/2009 9:37:00 AM

The Horn Book, Inc., the Boston-based publisher of both the Horn Book Magazine and the Horn Book Guide, has been acquired by Media Source, the Dublin, Ohio-based parent company of the Junior Library Guild. The Horn Book will continue to operate out of Boston, as will the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards.

“The expertise, enthusiasm, and resources that Media Source brings to the table will allow us to enlarge our audience while maintaining our independent viewpoint and high standards,” said Roger Sutton, The Horn Book’s editor-in-chief, in a statement. “Our print and digital publications will be refreshed, redesigned, and rethought—but always in line with founder Bertha Mahony Miller’s directive to ‘blow the horn for fine books for boys and girls.’ ”

Randy Asmo, president and CEO of Media Source, noted, “We place a very high value on the history, reputation, and status Horn Book’s publications have in the world of children’s literature. Our goal is to build upon those strengths to ensure that the Horn Book remains a valued and respected voice well into the future.”

Horn Book publishes six issues per year of children’s book reviews, articles and commentary; the semiannual Horn Book Guide compiles more than 2,000 reviews in each issue.