Quarto Group announced Tuesday that the U.K.-based company has acquired Cool Springs Press, headquartered in Brentwood, Tenn. Cool Springs will become an imprint of Quayside Publishing Group, Quarto's American subsidiary, headquartered in Minneapolis. The press’s editing, marketing, and sales operations will remain in Tennessee, while Quayside will take over back-office functions. Cool Spring’s founding publisher, Roger Waynick, will report to Ken Fund, Quayside’s president and CEO.
“We’ve been watching Cool Springs for a while,” Fund told PW, “They’re a perfect fit for our group. We publish a lot of books for enthusiasts, and gardeners are enthusiasts. "We’re happy to add them to our program.”
Cool Springs Press has been a publisher of gardening and garden-related titles since 1996, with over 300 titles in print. Cool Springs releases are known for their narrow focus, taking account of regional differences in gardening. The press releases an average of 20 titles each year. Their bestselling title is All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew, published in 2006. It has sold to date two million copies.
Quarto has been looking to expand in the U.S. and last week company chairman Laurence Orbach said he believed there was a high likelihood of a deal this deal. Cool Springs is Quayside Publishing Group’s twelfth imprint. About 400 Quayside Publishing Group titles are published each year and are distributed out of its Appleton, Wis. distribution facility.
