Open Road Integrated Media has acquired Bloodhound Books, a U.K.-based publisher of e-books and print titles. Founded in 2014 by Betsy Reavley and Fred Freeman, Bloodhound has a backlist of about 600 fiction titles, and has sold approximately six million copies of its books worldwide. Among its top-selling authors are Keri Beevis, Valerie Keogh, Dreda Say Mitchell, Jeneva Rose, and Rob Sinclair.
According to the purchase announcement, the Bloodhound editorial, production, and commissioning teams will be integrated into Open Road’s existing company structure, and the Bloodhound name will continued to be used in all markets. Founders Reavley and Freeman will continue to head the company.
Reavley said that by becoming part of Open Road, Bloodhound’s titles will gain better access to new markets, both in the U.S. and internationally. For Open Road, the deal brings additional content it can sell to its base of consumers. “The acquisition of Bloodhound Books is demonstrative of the evolution of the publishing industry,” Open Road CEO Paul Slavin said in a statement, “and the opportunity for publishers and authors to align more directly with consumer interests and habits.”
Open Road, which now describes itself as a marketing tech company, markets and sells its own titles and those of its partners and clients to some 3 million consumers.
