La Lettre (The Letter) in France recently ran an unconfirmed report that former Lagardere Publishing CEO Arnaud Nourry “is preparing his return in secret, three years after being brutally ousted from his chair.” Fired three years ago after speaking out in opposition to any splitting up of Hachette Livre or a sale to Editis”\ (back when the battle for control of Lagardere’s assets was still brewing), La Lettre says Nourry’s non-compete clause “expires in April”—at the end of the month, according to Le Point—and he “intends to take advantage of the restructuring of the editorial landscape brought about by Vivendi’s […]
International News
Mondadori to Acquire Chelsea Green Publishing for $5 Million
Mondadori announced Monday that it has a deal to acquire employee-owned Chelsea Green Publishing, for $5 million, subject to adjustment at closing, which is expected in by the middle of the year. For 2022, the publisher had sales of $8.1 million and an operating income of $1.1 million. Chelsea Green will become part of Rizzoli International Publications. Mondadori says that represents “a further step on its international development journey in English-speaking markets, which recently began with the establishment of London-based Rizzoli UK.” When the acquisition is completed, co-founder Margo Baldwin will take the role of publisher emeritus, as Stefano Peccatori […]
Imprints: Summit Books Australia
After relaunching the imprint in the US at the beginning of the year, Simon & Schuster will introduce Summit Books in Australia and New Zealand. Jane Palfreyman will join as publishing director or May 6, reporting to Simon & Schuster Australia managing director Dan Ruffino. Palfreyman was previously at Allen & Unwin. In a release, Ruffino said, “She is arguably one of Australia’s most successful and influential publishers and I’m looking forward to Jane’s significant contribution to Simon & Schuster Australia’s growth plans over the coming years.”
Germany’s Buchreport Shuts Down; Spiegel Finds New Source for Bestseller List
After parent company Harenberg filed for bankruptcy in December, it ceased operations at the beginning of January, taking German book industry magazine Buchreport with it. The magazine notes, “Buchreport no longer provides you and the book industry with news, analyzes and statistics, bestseller lists and best practices, and no longer offers a look over the fence at other book markets and general developments that also influence this particular industry. Maybe you will miss one or two things?” Buchreport had compiled bestseller lists for Der Spiegel news magazine since 1971. In a separate release, Spiegel announced that their bestseller lists will […]
Buchreport For Sale As Publisher Files for Bankruptcy
Harenberg, the publisher of German trade magazine Buchreport, has filed for bankruptcy and is putting the magazine up for sale. On Tuesday, the Buchreport itself reported that the publisher has already been in talks with potential buyers, and that “business operations will continue until further notice.” Harenberg also compiles the bestseller list that appears in Germany’s premier news magazine Der Spiegel. Buchreport notes that Harenberg is “directly and indirectly affected by the imbalance of the entire Busch Glatz Group,” the media company that owns Harenberg and is run by Timo Busch. Many of the organization’s other brands are also filing […]
Leaver Unveils New Publishing Group
Marcus Leaver has announced the launch of his new company, Gemini Books Group. The goal is to “build a publishing business focused on the UK and North American markets through the acquisition of established companies and by incubating start-up businesses in scalable areas of the market.” Gemini has acquired Imagine That!, Palazzo Editions, Ad Lib Publishers, Mardle Books and Pimpernel Press. Managing director of Palazzo and Mardle Jon Rippon serves as group finance director of Gemini and sits on the board. Leaver says in the announcement, “I look forward to working with Jon to build a publishing business where we […]