Osprey Group has acquired Duncan Baird Publishers, which focuses on illustrated books in the fields of food, health and well-being, mind, body and spirit, culture, religion and faith, including its Watkins Publishing unit (which Duncan Baird originally bought in 2004.) Duncan Baird’s total sales in 2011 were £5.5m while Osprey Group’s sales were £7m. “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Duncan Baird and Watkins into the group,” Osprey Group ceo Rebecca Smart said in a statement. “Duncan has created a really strong business in the growing lifestyle and transformation publishing areas and has also worked on strengthening the Watkins name. We plan […]
International News
BBC Takes a Second Writedown (And A Reorganization Charge) on Lonely Planet
The BBC took a second writedown against the value of publishing unit Lonely Planet for the fiscal year ending as of the end of March, taking a £16.1 million “charge to the income statement.” It’s the second time the broadcaster has taken a charge because of the travel publisher–the previous writedown, of just under £34 million, was revealed this time a year ago (hence some headlines this week talking about a £50 million charge). Last year the impairment was blamed on both the rising Australian dollar and the bankruptcies of major booksellers; this year the BBC focuses again on the […]
eNews: Kobo to Launch Italian Platform With Mondadori; eBook Sales and Expectations Up in Germany
As previously promised, Kobo will officially enter the Italian market “this fall”–the news is that they will do so through a partnership with Mondadori, “Italy’s leading retailer, and publisher of books and magazines.” Mondadori will sell the Kobo Touch online and through 400 stores at 99 Euros and promises to offer over 30,000 ebooks in Italian. Kobo will join Amazon’s Kindle, Google Play and the iBookstore, all of which have started selling ebooks in Italy over the past year. For Kobo, it will be the fifth store in a language other than English, joining operations in France, Germany, Holland and […]
People, Etc.: Hartmann New Bertelsmann CFO; Seale Steps Down From RH Australia
Bertelsmann has hired Judith Hartmann as cfo, starting some time prior to the end of the year, filling the past that was held by Thomas Rabe before he became CEO at the beginning of 2012. Hartmann is currently cfo of GE Deutschland and will also become a member of Bertelsmann’s group management committee Andrew Hodder-Williams is rejoining Lion Hudson–where he started his career almost thirty years ago–as publishing director, starting August 6. Since 1997, he has worked as a publishing and telecommunications consultant for KPMG Consulting and Atos, as well as working as an independent consultant. Nick Jones has taken the role […]
Corporate: FSG Moves to Raincoast In Canada; OverDrive Announces Australian Office; Gompertz to Hearst Magazines
Farrar, Straus will adopt the distribution model in Canada already followed by the rest of Macmillan: As of January 2013, Raincoast Book Distribution will handle FSG and Graywolf titles sold to independent and college bookstores, Costco, library wholesalers, and special markets. FSG has been distributed in Canada by Douglas & McIntyre since 1997. Raincoast and Macmillan will begin selling the FSG winter 2013 list in August 2012. OverDrive has announced the opening of a new office in Melbourne, Australia “to deepen its relationships with library, publisher and bookseller partners in Australia, New Zealand and throughout the Asia Pacific region.” They acquired Australia’s Booki.sh earlier this […]
Germany’s Church to Donate, Rather than Sell, Weltbild
Erotica may have gone mainstream for trade publishers but that doesn’t make it any better for a Church-owned publisher. The 12 German Catholic dioceses that own bookselling and publishing giant Weltbild have formally cancelled the sale offering of the company after more than 7 months–either because there were no viable offers, or because the organizations favored continuing to use company to benefit their causes. The church will donate its shares to a non-profit ecclesiastical foundation instead, providing the needed distance from the publisher following last year’s sensational focus on some of the erotica issued by the company. The news was […]