Harper UK ceo since 2013 Charlie Redmayne has resigned his position. No further details were provided about his abrupt departure. Group managing director for the Adult Commercial Divisions Kate Elton has been named interim ceo, with responsibility for the UK and Ireland. She reports to Brian Murray and will sit on the global executive committee. Harper India and Harper Australia/New Zealand will now report to Murray. The company says, “An announcement will be made in due course about a permanent appointment.” Murray says in the announcement, “Kate is an inspiring publisher who has a deep understanding of the industry and […]
International News
Plus the Prince Andrew Book Later this Week (In the UK)
Andrew Lownie’s explosive book ENTITLED: The Rise and Fall of the House of York will publish in the UK on August 14, from Harper UK. Blackstone Audio will release an audiobook version in the US on October 13. The joint biography of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson has already received considerable attention in the UK press, with the Daily Mail — which published excerpts at the beginning of the month — touting it as, “The most devastating royal biography ever written.” The BBC declared, “Prince Andrew book seals his fate for any return.” Their reporter writes, “In the case of […]
Vivendi Denies Acquiring Lagardere Before EU Approval
The European Commission sent a Statement of Objections to Vivendi, asserting a “preliminary view that the company breached the [EU] notification requirement and the ‘standstill obligation,'” suggesting that the French company may have breached EU merger rules by asserting control over aspects of Lagardere in 2023, before the commission gave approval to the proposed merger. The investigation was opened in July 2023. The EU’s approval process hinged on Vivendi selling their publishing and magazine businesses, including book publisher Editis, which the EC also had to approve. The Commission alleges that, before they approved Vivendi’s divestment of Editis, Vivendi was already […]
Harper to Acquire Crunchyroll Manga in France and Germany; Plus A Merger of Indie Publishers
Harper Collins will acquire global anime brand Crunchyroll‘s manga publishing operations of in France and Germany. The transaction is set to close in the second half of 2025, subject to regulatory approval. After the deal is finalized, Hideki Iyama-Desseigne will lead the team, reporting to Chantal Restivo-Alessi at Harper. Harper ceo Brian Murray says in the announcement, “We are thrilled to expand our manga portfolio in Europe, building on our already successful Japanese business. As the only major western publisher operating in Japan, this acquisition strengthens our expertise and capabilities in this fast-growing category. This is a significant step toward broadening […]
Some Authors Leave VBK In Protest
In the Netherlands, some authors have decided to leave Dutch publisher VBK in protest of parent company KKR, NL Times reports. KKR has owned Simon & Schuster since 2023 and S&S purchased VBK last year. KKR invests in German publisher Axel Springer, which owns the Israeli classified site Yad2, which hosts real estate listings in occupied Palestinian territory. Protestors have also accused KKR of involvement with other Israeli businesses and defense companies that supply Israel. Author Dirk Wanrooij and other VBK authors are asking the publisher to speak out against the private equity company. “The publisher is hiding behind: ‘we have […]
UK Maintains Copyright Exhaustion Laws, Rejects Tech Transparency Amendment
The UK won’t change its post-Brexit IP rights exhaustion laws, after a lengthy consultation with stakeholders. According to the current and future regime, which is preferred by authors and publishers, copyrighted goods such as books that are sold in the UK or European Economic Area can be re-sold in the territories. The move avoids cheaper-priced books from outside of the EEA coming into the UK and undercutting the market. “This is an important step in maintaining the strength of our world-leading intellectual property framework,” Minister for AI and Digital Government Feryal Clark said.” The decision we’ve taken not only gives […]