The “managed exit” of Turpin Distribution from UK-distributor United Independent Distributors (which has been owned by Independent Publishers Group since last year) will result in layoffs, UID global ceo Joe Matthews told The Bookseller, though he didn’t give a number. Turpin has about 100 employees. Matthews said that UID would offer Turpin’s clients (which include Emerald and Liverpool University Press) distribution, sales, and marketing services through continuing UID companies Eurospan and Marston in order to “make the transition for Turpin publishers as convenient as possible.” “We developed a strategic plan that we have been executing all year and have now […]
Archives for October 2022
Bertelsmann Sees Multiple Deals In Trouble
Bertelsmann’s recent international managers’ meeting focused on plans to invest from €5 billion to €7 billion euros across the company by 2025 — but as the FT underscores, right now the company’s ambition to acquire is facing multiple obstacles. Besides the Simon & Schuster acquisition, now in doubt pending the verdict of Judge Florence Pan, a plan to merge their French television business M6 with the larger TF1 was dropped in September after a hearing before the country’s competition authority, which had “significant problems.” The same month, customer services provider Marjorel — half owned by Bertlesmann — and call center […]
AI Proofreading Platform Receives Funding
AI Proofreading app Proofcheck has received venture capital funding from Plug and Play. Proofcheck searches for errors in multiple languages and in a variety of file formats, including PDF, ePUB, and MOBI. According to the Plug and Play website, “The software automates the most common manual QA checks such as typo detection, widow and orphan lines, stacks and ladders, version comparison (PDF-PDF and DOCX-PDF differences), stylesheet generation, footer irregularity detection, hyperlink validation, and more.” The app has initially been tested by “production departments from Big Five trade publishers in the US and UK, as well as Anglophone academic and university […]
Distribution: Marble Press
Children’s publisher Marble Press will be sold and distributed worldwide by Baker & Taylor Publisher Services starting January 1, 2023. Marble Press was launched earlier this year and includes three imprints: Marble Books (picture books); Bulooga Books (books for the youngest readers); and Taltos Books (middle grade and young adult books). The publisher is led by Michael Green, former president and publisher of Philomel Books, and executive managing director Susan Szecsi.