-
Abrams, RBmedia Ink Audio Deal
Abrams has signed an exclusive multi-year agreement with RBmedia, giving the independent audio publisher rights to hundreds of Abrams' fiction and nonfiction titles. The first audiobooks under the deal will be published in spring 2024.
-
With a Twist, Sale of RBmedia Completed
The private equity firm KKR has completed its sale of audiobook publisher RBmedia to investment firm H.I.G. Capital and private equity firm Francisco Partners.
-
CJK Group Adds Worzalla to Its Printer Portfolio
Worzalla, one of a shrinking number of independent printers in the U.S., has been acquired by CJK Group. The purchase marks CJK's third acquisition of a printer this year.
-
‘Frozen’ Podcast Marks Disney’s Foray into Audio-First Storytelling
The 12-episode first season of the podcast 'Disney "Frozen" Podcast: Forces of Nature' drops in October, and will feature four new characters. A book based on the podcast is planned for fall.
-
S&S Posts Solid Second Quarter
Led by another good performance by its audiobooks division and what CEO Jon Karp called "fantastic" results in the U.K., operating income rose 14% at Simon & Schuster in the second quarter ended June 30, 2023 over the comparable period last year.
-
KKR Wins S&S for $1.62 Billion
The private investment firm KKR has agreed to buy Simon & Schuster for $1.62 billion. When the purchase closes, S&S will operate under current leaders Jonathan Karp and Dennis Eulau, and KKR promised to "support new growth initiatives" for the country's third largest trade publisher.
-
Deal for Simon & Schuster Said to Be Near
The private investment firm KKR, HarperCollins, and Richard Hurowitz of the investment firm Octavian & Company are all said to still be in contention to acquire the country's third largest trade publisher.
-
Equity Firm Eyeing Simon & Schuster to Sell RBmedia for $1 Billion
In what is likely a record price for an audiobook publisher, KKR, the private equity firm that owns RBmedia—and a rumored contender to buy S&S—is selling the company for an alleged $1 billion.
-
Turner Publishing Buys Three Imprints from Mango Publishing
In a deal completed on June 30, Turner acquired the Conari Press, Bonhomie Press, and Woo! Jr. imprints—and with them a total of 589 titles—from Mango.
-
World Editions Gets a New Owner: Its Former U.S. Director
Christine Swedowsky has acquired the publisher from Libella Publishing Group in a management buyout. The World Editions offices in Amsterdam and London will close, and the publisher will be based solely in New York.
-
Black Lawrence Press Acquires Nomadic Press Adult Titles
The upstate New York literary press has taken over publication of more than 100 Nomadic books in a deal that closed earlier this month.
-
HarperCollins, KKR Said to Be Eyeing Simon & Schuster
In a bit of déjà vu, HarperCollins and the private equity firm KKR, which both lost out to Penguin Random House when Simon & Schuster was initially put up for sale, are reported among the leading contenders to buy the publisher this time around.
-
Vivendi’s Purchase of Lagardère Heads to Completion
The French media company has received approval to acquire Lagardère following Vivendi's agreement to sell its existing book publisher, Editis. Lagardère is the parent company of Hachette Livre, whose subsidiaries include Hachette Book Group.
-
Authors Guild Issues Contract Clause Changes to Account for AI
As part of its campaign to protect its members from the rise of large language models and other artificial intelligence tools, the Authors Guild has released four new model contract clauses concerning the technology. Earlier, the Guild released a survey of members that found that 69% of those that responded think their careers are threatened by AI.
-
WME Acquires Ross Yoon Agency
By acquiring the Washington, D.C.–based literary agency, WME signals a deepening focus on literary talent and specifically nonfiction, as well as a physical expansion into the D.C. area.
-
New Leaf Literary & Media Faces Backlash After Dropping Authors
After New Leaf "amicably" parting ways with literary agent Jordan Hamessley on May 12, authors affected by the agent's departure took to Twitter to express concern over how the transition was handled as the agency defends their actions.
-
Barnes & Noble Revamps Loyalty Program with Premium Membership
The bookseller announced new benefits and discount perks in an effort to "revitalize" its membership ranks and unveiled an alternative free B&N Rewards loyalty program.
-
Ulysses Press Buys VeloPress
Ulysses Press has acquired VeloPress in a deal that will bring about 80 books in the health and fitness category to the indie press. Ulysses plans to continue to add books under the Velo imprint with a goal of 12 titles for 2024.
-
Author Chuck Forester Donates $250K to Lambda Literary
Lambda executive director Samiya Bashir called Forester's gift "transformational," which will allow Lambda Literary to usher in a new phase of expansion.
-
SPD Looks to Overhaul Operating Model via GoFundMe
Small Press Distribution executive director Kent Watson said that crowdfunding an overhaul of the nonprofit literary distributor's operating model is the best way to improve services for the roughly 400 presses it represents.
Browse archive by date:
