Effective with its September titles, sales and distribution for New Horizon Press will be handled by Kensington Publishing. Distribution for the Far Hills, N.J., publisher had been done by National Book Network.
Joan Dunphy, president of New Horizon, said she decided to move to Kensington because the company has access to more diverse marketing channels, including special sales, mail order and book clubs, that New Horizon needs to tap into to grow. In addition, Kensington and New Horizon will do some hard/soft deals in which New Horizon will publish the hardcover edition and Kensington the mass market paperback. With the financial help of Kensington, New Horizon will be able to afford higher advances to attract new authors, Dunphy said.
New Horizon publishes 12 to 14 titles per year. Its hardcover line focuses on "true stories. Something with a hero that advances the story," Dunphy said, adding that she also looks for manuscripts that could be made into movies or television shows. New Horizon recently sold film rights to Undying Love: The True Story of an Undying Passion That Defied Death to Tim Burton. The company's trade paperback line concentrates on self-help titles, and the company publishes two or three children's books annually that teach children to cope with different issues.
Dunphy said business "dipped" in 2001, but said sales have picked up in the last two to three months. She's hoping the move to Kensington will give sales a further shot in the arm.
