Following two other acquisitions this year, Skyhorse Publishing has closed a third deal, buying the assets of Sports Publishing. Sports Publishing went bankrupt in 2008 and Skyhorse's acquisition, which does not include any of Sports Publishing's liabilities, will add books by, among others, Michael Phelps and Dick Vitale to its backlist. The company also announced that it will launch a children's book imprint next fall.
Earlier this year Skyhorse bought Arcade Publishing and Allworth Press, adding over 800 titles to its library through those deals. Now, with Sports Publishing, Skyhorse adds another 700 titles. Skyhorse plans to relaunch to Sport Publishing as a standalone imprint in fall 2011 and release 40 "updated and revised" titles from the house. A rep from Skyhorse said the deal will allow the company to become a "major player" in the category of sports publishing.
The new children's imprint, set for fall 2011, is called Sky Pony Press. The new line, which is set to start with 15-20 new titles, is being launched with the help of chldren's book publishing veteran Jean Reynolds, who is working as a consultant on the project. Reynolds was most recently founder and publisher of Millbrook Press.
