Swedish streaming audio company Storytel has acquired a 70 percent stake in Swedish publishing house Bokfabriken. The publisher will work independently within Stortel with ceo Lasse Brahme remaining in the position. Bokfabriken’s current owners will retain a 30 percent stake. “We are happy to welcome Bokfabriken to Storytel Group,” Storytel ceo Bodil Eriksson Torp said in a release. “Driven by entrepreneurship, they have established themselves as one of the leading publishers in the audio segment in Sweden and have a proven track record of publishing commercially successful content across various genres that resonates well with the Storytel audience. This acquisition […]
M&A
Penguin Random House to Acquire Australia’s Text Publishing
Text Publishing in Melbourne, Australia announced a deal in which they will be acquired by Penguin Random House. The publisher was founded in 1990 and has been majority owned by publisher Michael Heyward and senior editor Penny Hueston, in partnership with Maureen and Tony Wheeler (the founders of Lonely Planet). Heyward said in the release, “Text has created an unparalleled space for itself in Australian publishing. Now it’s time for a new owner to provide a home for the company’s entrepreneurial energies and its family of brilliant authors. We are lucky to have the right custodian in Penguin Random House […]
Harper Holland Acquires Altamira, Becht, Dominicus, and Hollandia
Harper Holland has acquired lifestyle imprints Altamira, Becht, Dominicus, and Hollandia from Gottmer Uitgevers Groep, effective March 1, 2025. Associated staff will stay on at the imprints. Jan-Joris Keijzer, managing director, HarperCollins Holland says in a release, “The lifestyle imprints Altamira, Becht, Dominicus, and Hollandia have an impressive publishing history, exceptional authors, and great books and have become strong brands in their own right, trusted by generations of readers. We are proud to welcome these brands and their fantastic supporting team members under the umbrella of the HarperCollins publishing group and look forward to shaping the future of the publishing house […]
2024: The Year In Mergers
It was a pretty odd and modest year in mergers and acquisitions if we are being honest. Not only were there no blockbuster deals, there were very few acquisitions of any significant scale at all. There was a cluster of distress sales, however: Australian retailer was bought out of bankruptcy reorganization, as was Tattered Cover in Colorado. Barnes & Noble Education avoided delisting of its stock through a complicated refinancing that left Immersion Corporation in control. Canadian retailer Indigo went private in order to reorganize and recover, and Endeavor went private again after only a few years as a public […]
Acquisitions: Soaring Kite Books
Lerner Publishing Group has acquired children’s publisher Soaring Kite Books, effective January 1. Soaring Kite will continue to operate under its current name, with founder Ceece Kelley remaining involved as a consultant. Adam Lerner, ceo and publisher of Lerner Publishing Group, said in a release, “Lerner has had the privilege of distributing Soaring Kite Books since their inaugural publishing season in 2021, and over the past few years, we’ve seen firsthand the tremendous impact their titles have had on young readers and educators alike. This successful partnership has paved the way for Soaring Kite to become a Lerner imprint. We […]
Vivendi Spin-Off Plan Is Approved, and Lagardere Stake will Trade As Louis Hachette Group
Vivendi shareholders approved the company’s plan to break up the conglomerate into multiple parts, with new stock listings later this month for the Canal+ broadcasting assets, the advertising agency Havas, and a newly-named Louis Hachette Group. That Louis Hachette Group will comprise Vivendi’s controlling 66.5 percent stake in Lagardere (which includes both Lagardere Publishing as well as the big travel retail division), alongside Prisma Media, France’s leading magazine publisher. The Bolloré Group, which currently controls Vivendi, will own roughly 31 percent of the Louis Hachette Group, which will begin trading on the Euronext Growth (Paris) stock exchange on December 16, […]