Perseus Books Group CEO David Steinberger began his annual letter to employees by noting that “the only constant is change,” a reference to the fact that the deal to sell the company to Hachette Book Group fell apart this summer. With the collapse of the sale, Perseus, Steinberger wrote to employees has “both the opportunity and privilege to continue our mission and to focus on what we do best, supporting vital independent publishers."
In the fiscal year that ended September 30, Steinberger said the company had “strong financial results" and “outstanding publishing." During the year, Steinberger noted, the company started the Legato Publishing Group, now home to 26 publishers, launched a publishing partnership between its PublicAffairs unit and The Economist and started Perseus Academic, a division dedicated to serving university and academic publishers.
Perseus’ in-house publishing business “achieved material growth” in fiscal 2014, “a significant accomplishment in a mature industry.” Steinberger wrote. The company’s Weinstein imprint had a big hit with Finding Me and the imprint has a solid 2015 list. Da Capo Press celebrated its 50th anniversary by highlighting some of its most successful titles, including Friday Night Lights, and in the new fiscal year it will publish the first books in a new partnership with the Mayo Clinic. Basic Books had both “commercial and critical success” in the year, while the Avalon Group, posted “solid revenue increases.” Steinberger wrote. Proprietary publishing led the way at Running Press.
On the distribution side, PGW signed 26 new clients, including DreamWorks Animation Publishing, FrommerMedia, and Patagonia. As part of the launch of its academic service, Perseus Distribution signed on Princeton University Press and the University of California Press. Consortium added a number of new clients, including Blue Apple Books, New Vessel Press, and Open Letter Books. Perseus’ Constellation digital service now serves over 400 publishers around the world and signed 14 new digital vendors.
This fall, Steinberger implemented a restructuring that, among other shifts, put Mark Suchomel as head of the distribution group and Susan Weinberg head of publishing.
The new fiscal year is starting, Steinberger noted, "with both continuity and change and with a renewed commitment to independent publishing that has long been the hallmark of our 675 people.”