Will Atkinson will join Atlantic Books as managing director and publisher on October 1. Previously he was sales and marketing director at Faber, where he spent the past 20 years. Atlantic chairman Peter Roche said in the announcement “At Faber, [Atkinson] has demonstrated an unrelenting enthusiasm for independent publishing tempered with an unparalleled zeal for negotiating the best deal. I’ve admired Will’s work for many years and believe he is the perfect person to head up Atlantic Books. Rowan Cope will join Simon & Schuster UK as editorial director on October 13. Previously she was a senior editor at Little, […]
Finance
Deal to Sell Perseus Is Cancelled
On Thursday afternoon, Perseus Books Group ceo David Steinberger told employees that the deal struck in late June to sell Perseus to HBG, with the Perseus Distribution lines to be immediately sold to Ingram, has fallen apart and been cancelled. “The planned transaction involving our company, Hachette and Ingram is not moving forward,” Steinberger wrote. “Despite much effort from all three parties, we could not reach agreement on everything necessary to close the transaction.” Hachette added in a statement of its own that “the planned transaction involving HBG, Perseus, and Ingram has been terminated. Despite great effort from all three […]
Safari Books Now Fully Owned By O’Reilly Media, and More
O’Reilly Media has become sole owner of Safari Books, buying out Pearson’s 50 percent stake for an undisclosed sum (though it’s expected Pearson will announce how much it was paid in their next financial report later this year.) Safari, founded in 2001 as a joint entity between O’Reilly and Pearson, will continue to operate as an independent company, and no changes will be made to staff, product, offices, and operations. In a blog post about the change, founder and ceo of O’Reilly Media Tim O’Reilly said the company “came to believe that there are substantial opportunities for both organizations working […]
Kensington Discloses 18-Month Terms Impasse With Amazon
Hachette’s ongoing terms dispute with Amazon has given cover for the WSJ to describe another recently resolved terms dispute between the retailer and a different, smaller publisher. Kensington ceo Steven Zacharius told the paper the company spent 18 months negotiating its latest deal with Amazon, which began in July and expires 12 months later. Discussions lasted so long, Zacharius said, because “each person got entrenched and didn’t want to budge. But at a certain point there has to be compromise.” Zacharius wouldn’t say why the talks dragged on so long but that it resulted in “a fair deal for both […]
HarperCollins Completes Harlequin Acquisition
News Corp announced Friday that it has completed its acquisition of Harlequin in early May, with the publisher set to keep its Toronto headquarters and, as previously announced, operate as a division of HarperCollins. The deal closed in advance of HarperCollins’ next quarterly report, which will be announced after the close of the market on August 7. “We are pleased to formally welcome Harlequin and its employees to the new News,” said News Corp chief executive Robert Thomson in the announcement. “The addition of such an iconic brand with a loyal audience, robust global expertise and digital depth is a […]
Corporate: Perseus Sale Postponed; Mondadori Merges Children’s Imprints
The closing of the sale of the Perseus Books Group to Hachette — with the distribution businesses to be sold in turn to Ingram Content Group — has been postponed past the intended July 31 date. That closing date always seemed ambitious, since the complicated three-way agreement was not executed until June 24, though up until a few days ago the parties were proceeding on track with that closing date. Indeed, HBG indicated to us in a brief statement, “This transaction is more complex because there are three parties involved and so more time is needed.” Perseus employees were told by email […]