Sports book publisher Triumph Books is partnering with Authentic Brands Group, owner of the Sports Illustrated brand, to produce a series of frontlist titles based around the venerable sports magazine and its associated properties.
The first titles are set to be released in 2021 and will include photographic works and coffee table books, anthologies drawn from the Sports Illustrated archives, team histories, commemorative works, and books driven by current events and new sports trends. The partnership will also expand the Sports Illustrated Kids list, including updates of such backlist bestsellers as Big Book of Who, Big Book of Why, and star softball pitcher Jennie Finch’s Throw like a Girl, which will profile celebrated professional and college athletes across different eras.
Authentic Brands Group executive v-p Marc Rosen praised the partnership, citing the market reach of Triumph Book’s parent company, the distributor IPG. “Triumph’s strength reaching sports fans combined with its access to IPG’s distribution network provides Sports Illustrated with extensive reach into dozens of distribution channels from large book retailers to sports-focused specialty stores,” he said. (ABG acquired Sports Illustrated in 2019, and has worked to expand its reach into new content areas via its TV and film production unit, Sports Illustrated Studios, including such topics as nutrition and wellness.)
“Sports Illustrated and Triumph Books is an ideal partnership,” IPG group publisher Cynthia Sherry said. She added that the partnership combines the “legacy of great sports content with Triumph Books’s expertise in producing timely sports books.”
