German businessman Dirk Möhrle will become the sole owner of 100-year-old publisher Suhrkamp on November 1, increasing the minority 39 percent stake in the company he has held since 2015, buying out the Siegfried and Ulla Unseld Family Foundation and the Ströher family. Jonathan Landgrebe’s position will “remain unaffected by these changes.” He writes: “I continue to take great pleasure in assuming the responsibilities that go along with the rich traditions of this publishing house. And I am happy to say that in Dirk Möhrle, we have someone by our side who has already proven himself to be a reliable, […]
International News
S&S Australia to Acquire Affirm Press
Simon & Schuster Australia has an agreement to acquire Australian independent publisher Affirm Press. In conjunction with Affirm, S&S plans to grow their local publishing publishing program and expand further into children’s. Affirm will maintain its brand independence, operating as a subsidiary of Simon & Schuster Australia. Employees will be able to enroll in S&S’s ownership program. The deal is “subject to customary closing conditions.” “We are immensely proud to have built Affirm Press to the company it is today,” said Affirm Press ceo and publishing director Martin Hughes in a release, “And excited at the opportunity to become part […]
German Bookseller Weltbild Will Close
With no buyer to be found, German bookseller Weltbild will close its 14 remaining stores by the end of August and liquidate. Most of the approximately 440 employees will lose their jobs. But Augsburger Allgemeine reports that the country’s leading bookseller Thalia is interested in acquiring assets from the bankruptcy estate — including inventory, trademark rights and the Tolino ereader and ebook business. Thalia has submitted an application to the Federal Cartel Office regarding its purchase interest.
German Publisher Drops HILLBILLY ELEGY
German publisher Ullstein has dropped its translation of JD Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy in response to his becoming Donald Trump’s running mate, Der Spiegel reports. The German edition is out of print, and last week Ullstein decide to let their licensing agreement lapse. “At the time of publication, the book made a valuable contribution to understanding the disintegration of US society,” the publisher said. “He is now officially acting on [Tump’s] side and represents an aggressive, demagogic, exclusionary policy.” The rights have been picked up by German publisher YES, which will release a new German edition on August 15. “We bought […]
Editis in Talks to Acquire Delcourt
Editis has entered exclusive negotiations to acquire French comics publisher Groupe Delcourt. The deal would give strengthen Editis’ offerings in the comics and manga business, while Delcourt would benefit from the support of a major publishing group. Delcourt president Guy Delcourt would “remain at the head of the house he founded nearly 40 years ago, and whose identity and operational autonomy would be preserved,” a release states. Delcourt said, “The Delcourt Group is opening a new page in its history by entering into exclusive negotiations with the Editis Group. This new home port would be both reassuring in its scope and […]
Lagardere Returns As CEO Following Partial Lifting of Ban
Following a judicial appeal, there was a “partial lifting of the management activities ban imposed on” Arnaud Lagardère, as he faces criminal charges of “vote buying, abuse of power and breach of trust, disseminating false or misleading information and failure to publish accounts.” As a result, he has resumed his position as chair and ceo of Lagardere SA.