Arcadia Publishing has acquired Commonwealth Editions, the regional publishing imprint of Carlisle, Mass.–based Applewood Books. The purchase, which includes a mix of adult and children’s titles, adds more than 300 titles to Arcadia's list.
“Commonwealth’s deep roots in New England and rich backlist are what initially drew our attention,” said Arcadia CEO Brittain Phillips in a statement. “Plus, Arcadia Children’s Books is a key focus of our growth strategy, and Commonwealth’s children’s program meshes perfectly with our goal to bring in new local titles, series, and collections for kids.”
Nancy Ellwood, who has led Arcadia Children’s Books since its launch in 2019, added that the addition of the Commonwealth list will expand the imprint into new genres and bring new creators to the publisher. Popular children’s backlist titles include I Met a Moose in Maine One Day and My Grandma Lives in Florida by Ed Shankman and Dave O’Neill, the Hello! and Journey Around… series by Martha Zschock, and the Find-the-Animals books by Sage Stossel.
The Commonwealth Editions catalog will be merged with the adult and children’s divisions at Arcadia. Applewood Books will continue to handle sales and distribution of the Commonwealth titles for the foreseeable future, Arcadia said.
Commonwealth was founded in 1998 by Webster and Katie Bull and acquired by Applewood in 2010. Its purchase continues Arcadia's string of acquisitions of regional publishing properties, including Pelican Publishing and the Wildsam Feld Guides series.
