Hachette Book Group has acquired the Disney Book Group, comprising a catalog of over 1,000 titles, announced Thursday afternoon, and will publish those books as part of Little, Brown Children’s. The deal includes over 100 titles acquired but not yet published by Disney. A small number of titles that lend themselves to exploitation in multiple forms were retained by Disney and transferred out of the group to a different entity before the sale closed. Little, Brown Children’s publisher Megan Tingley said in an email to authors and agents that “as of February 1, 2020, the acquired titles are available on […]
M&A
Phaidon Acquires The Monacelli Press
Phaidon announced that it has acquired publisher of illustrated books on architecture, design, and the arts The Monacelli Press. The company was founded in 1994 by Gianfranco Monacelli and has a list of over 400 titles. The Monacelli Press will continue as a separate imprint, and the staff will relocate to Phaidon’s New York office. Previously, The Monacelli Press had been sold to Random House in 2008, and then bought back by Monacelli in 2011. Phaidon ceo Keith Fox said in the release, “The Monacelli Press’s portfolio is an exciting opportunity to accelerate our growth and expand into new categories […]
Springer Nature Hires Bankers For Another Try at An IPO
After pulling their IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange at the last minute in 2018 on weak demand, Springer Nature’s owners are determined to try again, hoping that capital markets remain strong long enough for them to get to the finish line this time. Co-owners BC Partners and Holtzbrinck are reported to be working with Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley as lead bookrunners (Morgan Stanley led the previous effort as well), “which could take place as early as May or June” according to Reuters’ sources. One of those sources insists that “leverage has come down significantly, making it a much […]
Wiley Buys Tech Training and Placement Firm mthree for $129 Million
Wiley announced Monday that it acquired UK-based education services provider mthree for $129 million (£98 million) in cash on January 1. mthree finds, trains and places technology talent. The company expects to record 2019 sales of over $50 million, which would reflect annual growth of 20 percent. Wiley ceo Brian Napack says in the announcement, “Wiley is committed to bridging the gap between education output and industry need. The acquisition of mthree advances Wiley’s leadership in powering the high-demand, high-potential careers that are fueling the global knowledge economy. CEO Alex Headley and his team have built a great company with […]
OverDrive Sold to KKR by Rakuten
Rakuten has an agreement to sell OverDrive to private equity firm KKR, under the direction of Richard Sarnoff, with the deal expected to close by the end of January. The digital reading and media platform for libraries and schools should pair well with audiobook publisher and platform RBmedia, which KKR bought in 2018. (RBmedia also has a platform that provides digital content to libraries.) The private equity firm bought both OverDrive and RBmedia through its KKR Americas XII Fund. The purchase price was “determined rationally by mutual agreement of both parties” but not disclosed for now. Rakuten said in their […]
2019: The Year in Mergers and Finance
The year’s mergers and acquisitions ended with a big deal that really wasn’t a big deal: The announcement of Bertelsmann‘s agreement to acquire the remaining 25 percent of Penguin, for $665 million, pending regulatory approvals. When Penguin and Random House first came together in 2013 — with no money changing hands — it was a merger, of near equals, but over time and now definitively, it became a full acquisition. Penguin Random House itself was an active buyer all year, with a particular emphasis on children’s publishing, and the company has pledged to continuing growing through further acquisitions. One of […]