Boyds Mills & Kane has acquired a majority interest in minedition, the children’s book publisher that specializes in board and picture books. Under the deal, minedition founder Michael Neugebauer will maintain creative control of the imprint while its business operations will be overseen by Leying Jiang, CFO of Boyds Mills & Kane.
The investment will add about 200 titles to BMK’s backlist, giving it a catalogue of approximately 1,500 books under the Boyds Mills Press, Calkins Creek, Kane Press, Wordsong, and minedition imprints.
“Michael Neugebauer has established a reputation for publishing books for children that are magnificently produced with the utmost care for detail, books that use creative production elements, books that are just right for kids at various stages of development, and books that spark their interest and curiosity,” said BMK publisher Juliana Lauletta in a statement.
Neugebauer, who will continue to do 20-40 titles annually, has been involved in children’s book publishing for more than 30 years. He started minedition in 2004 in partnership with Penguin USA and after five years went out on his own. Minedition’s titles have been distributed by IPG but, beginning July 1, will be distributed by Penguin Random House which distributes BMK's books.
The investment in minedition is the first major move BMK has made since it was formed following Kane Press’s purchase of the Boyds Mills imprints from Highlights for Children in May 2019. Kane Press is owned by Thinkingdom Ltd, a subsidiary of the Beijing-based Thinkingdom Media Group.
