In the latest in a series of acquisitions by Start Publishing, the publishing division of Start Media, a privately held firm with holdings in a variety of media, the company has purchased Salvo Press, an independent house specializing in science fiction, fantasy and horror. Salvo Press has about 57 titles and will continue to operate under its current name as an imprint at Start Publishing.
Start Publishing is an e-book-only publisher that “acquires existing companies and will continue to do so,” according to Start Media spokesperson Angelica Jones, “we are not a title by title company.” Earlier this year, Start Publishing acquired the e-book catalog of Night Shade Books, with a publishing list of 250 science fiction titles, in conjunction with Skyhorse Press. “We keep the companies operating as they normally would,” Jones said, noting that “we expect to acquire three to four more companies by the first quarter of 2014 bringing our portfolio to 3,000 e-books.”
Jones said that Start Publishing is currently e-book only and that the house partnered with Skyhorse Publishing to handle print production for Night Shade titles. However, she added that, “we do plan to go into print publishing in the very near future.” Both Night Shade Books and Salvo Press will operate under their current names as imprints of Start Publishing. Jones said Start Publishing also publishes about 1,312 titles under the Start Publishing imprint.
Salvo Press was founded in 1998 by Scott Schmit, the pen name of thriller author Trevor Scott, author of the popular Jake Adams International Espionage thriller series, which will continue under Start Publishing. The house was ean arly adopter of both POD technology and e-book publishing and its titles have been translated into multiple languages.
“I am very pleased with the acquisition of Salvo Press by Start Publishing,” Scott said, “This deal will bring Salvo Press authors to a wider audience worldwide, giving each author the exposure they deserve.”
Start Media CEO Michael Maher said, "The acquisition of Salvo Press, alongside our recent acquisition of Night Shade Books, speaks directly to Start Publishing's commitment to high quality genre content as well as to Start Publishing's overall appetite for growth.”
