Pushkin Press, the London-based publisher specializing in literature in translation, has acquired New Hampshire–based narrative nonfiction publisher Steerforth Press and its sister company, Hanover Publisher Services. The two companies will be merged into Steerforth Press and Services starting this July. Steerforth Press cofounder Chip Fleischer will remain at the publisher as a senior editor, acquiring six to eight new nonfiction titles per year.
The three companies have maintained a relationship since 2014, when Hanover, which launched the year prior as a subcontractor offering small presses access to distribution through Penguin Random House Publishers Services, began distributing Pushkin in the U.S. Steerforth Press and Services will continue to distribute Brooklyn-based Archipelago Books and New Delhi, India–based Campfire Graphic Novels to the trade. Zandra Rose has joined that team as associate manager for marketing and publicity, and a publicist to helm Pushkin and Steerforth campaigns in North America will be announced in the coming days.
Noting the two companies' 10-year history of working together, Fleischer said that, from a strategic standpoint, the mix of assets, relationships, and editorial programs "could not be a more perfect fit." Pushkin Press publisher Adam Freudenheim agreed, calling it a “natural step” to acquire Steerforth and Hanover and noting that the prior partnership between the publishers led to Pushkin’s North American sales increasing yearly.
“Chip is a terrific editor of nonfiction, and I’m delighted he’s agreed to stay on in this capacity to grow and develop the Steerforth list,“ Freudenheim added. “Pushkin’s publishing has gone from strength to strength in recent years, across all our imprints, making it the perfect moment to focus more effort and energy here in this market, particularly on marketing and publicity.”
Steerforth, which has about 75 active titles, was launched in 1994, and celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. While its backlist features works of fiction and poetry, the current program focuses exclusively on narrative nonfiction. Steerforth’s bestselling title is I Heard You Paint Houses by Charles Brandt, the inspiration for Martin Scorsese’s 2019 film The Irishman. Forthcoming titles include Back Roads and Better Angels: A Journey into the Heart of American Democracy by Francis S. Barry, to be released on June 4, and Mississippi Swindle: Brett Favre and the Welfare Scandal that Shocked America by Shad White, coming in August.
With its Steerforth purchase, Pushkin, which was founded in 1997 and publishes a wide array of books for adults and children, will increase marketing and publicity efforts for its U.S. publishing program, including new social media channels. Upcoming new releases include Service by Sarah Gilmartin, an Indie Next List selection publishing on June 4; The Noh Mask Murder by Akimitsu Takagi; and The Meiji Guillotine Murders by Futaro Yamada. In 2022, Pushkin won Independent Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards.
