The Vancouver Sun obtained bankruptcy documents for publisher D&M, showing the company owes 143 creditors more than $6 million. The largest amount, $3.8 million, is owed to a bank and a printer. Holtzbrinck Publishing Services is owed $354,000, and a number of authors are also among the company’s listed creditors. Quarto has sent out proxy documents to shareholders in advance of the November 7 meeting and vote called by dissident shareholders managed by Harwood Capital. The company’s board says that shares controlled by directors as well as two shareholders (including retired board member and co-founder Robert Morley) provide 31.1 percent […]
Finance
Further Sizing Up of Penguin Random House
From comments to the Guardian by Penguin ceo John Makinson and other reading between the lines, it’s clear that the Penguin Random House deal began on the Pearson side of the fence. Makinson made clear to the paper, “It has been a very thorough process. The board of Pearson examined [every option] exhaustively. There was a great deal of analysis of all options available to Penguin. We looked at selling, merging, buying, running it differently within Pearson. We concluded this was the best option for Pearson’s shareholders and the publishing industry.” (That may also be why the reaction to News […]
Briefs: Two Bidders Remain For McGraw-Hill Education; Nook Opens in the UK As Promised, Pairs with Asda
Citing “people familiar with the situation,” the WSJ reported late last week that Apax Partners (which owns a majority stake in Cengage) and Apollo Global Management are “leading contenders” to buy McGraw-Hill Education, both having done “serious due diligence” on the division. Bids on the ongoing auction were due last Thursday though “after McGraw-Hill decides on a preferred bidder, the two sides will have to reach agreement.” That’s all a polite way of confirming that there are only two bidders still interested in the unit, and the offering prices are likely still below what McGraw-Hill said they were looking for. The […]
Random House and Penguin Make Merger Plan Official
After last week’s official confirmation of talks and a newsmaking weekend overture from News Corp., Bertelsmann and Pearson made their intended partnership official in an early Monday morning announcement that they have agreed to combine their trade book businesses into a single entity known as Penguin Random House. Under the deal, which is “expected to complete in the second half of 2013” but could take some time while awaiting regulatory clearances in multiple territories, Bertelsmann will hold 53 percent of the new company and Pearson will take a 47 percent stake, agreeing to hold those stakes for a minimum of […]
News Corp. Said to Ready “Substantial Cash Offer” to Buy Penguin Outright
On Sunday, two different News Corp. newspapers both come up with unidentified sources for the same story. First the Sunday Times of London wrote that “News Corp. has joined the race for Penguin with a last-minute overture to the directors of Pearson, the media conglomerate that owns the book publisher. Glen Moreno, Pearson’s chairman, will put the approach to directors in the next few days. Rupert Murdoch…is understood to have indicated he will make a substantial cash offer — thought to be about £1 billion [or about 1 times annual sales] — for Penguin, subject to due diligence.” (Actually they […]
Pearson Admits Discussing Penguin-Random House Merger
As most readers know now, fanciful rumor changed to factual possibility on Wednesday morning when Pearson issued a brief statement responding to recent press accounts: “Pearson confirms that it is discussing with Bertelsmann a possible combination of Penguin and Random House. The two companies have not reached agreement and there is no certainty that the discussions will lead to a transaction. A further announcement will be made if and when appropriate.” Penguin Group ceo John Makinson followed the Pearson press release with a short cover note to Penguin employees soon thereafter, attaching the announcement “concerning a potential partnership.” Makinson acknowledged […]