M&A

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will reap a welcome cash infusion with the sale of their Riverside Assessments division to private equity firm Alpine Investors for $140 million. HMH plans to invest the $135 million cash proceeds “in its Extensions businesses, supporting its strategy to create integrated solutions and improve student outcomes.” The deal is expected to close “early in the fourth quarter.” Alpine is adding Riverside’s clinical and standardized testing business to a portfolio that already includes Woodcock-Johnson family, the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), Iowa Assessments and others. HMH says it is retaining “assessment solutions critical to effective differentiation of classroom instruction, including Reading Inventory, Math Inventory, Phonics Inventory and Reading […]

Hachette Book Group has agreed to acquire the assets of Nashville, TN-based Christian publisher Worthy Publishing. When the deal is finalized, Worthy will become part of Hachette’s Nashville publishing division. Worthy publishes across categories including inspiration, fiction, Bible study, current events, devotion, leadership, biography, and personal growth. Their fall list includes Mike Huckabee’s new book, Rare, Medium or Done Well and a new fiction series from Jerry Jenkins. Hachette Nashville publisher Rolf Zettersten says in the announcement: “I have the utmost respect for the experience, instincts, and insights of Byron Williamson and his team, and I know that adding Hachette […]

Harper Collins announced it has acquired the trade book assets of AMACOM from the American Management Association International. That means they bought the list, without the accompanying infrastructure. Their 600-title catalog will be run as a sub-imprint of the recently launched Harper Collins Leadership line, based in Nashville. HCL publisher Jeff James will oversee AMACOM business development, marketing and editorial. Spokesperson Casey Harrell confirmed to us that “personnel who work on the AMACOM imprint are not employees of HarperCollins. We are identifying jobs to support HarperCollins Leadership and are working through a transitional plan.” Harper ceo Brian Murray said in the […]

Elliott Advisors, the UK branch of Paul Singer’s hedge fund Elliott Management, has been given “a short period of exclusivity within which to conclude negotiations” to purchase UK bookselling chain Waterstones, Sky News reported, citing a single source. The report has a measure of credibility since, as we have been writing all along, “one insider suggested it was likely to be much lower than the £250 million that a newspaper report ‎said Mr. Mamut was seeking last autumn.” Reportedly, there are more private equity firms lined up negotiate if Elliott Management does not conclude a deal.

Penguin Random House announced Tuesday it has purchased the trade-book publishing assets of Rodale Books from Hearst — the new owners of Rodale — and will “take over the publication of its frontlist and backlist titles effective immediately.” Longtime distributor for Rodale Books Macmillan will continue to sell and distribute the titles for the time being. PRH spokesperson Claire von Schilling tells us, “It is the expectation that we will transition to PRH platforms in the first half of the year, on a timeline that ensures that we can take care of the authors and the books as seamlessly as […]