Less than six months after acquiring Taunton Press, Active Interest Media has sold its Taunton Books division to Abrams. Based in Des Moines, AIM is an enthusiast publisher of magazines and other content, but does not have an active book publishing program.
Taunton’s 900-title list includes books in the crafts, food, gardening, homebuilding, and woodworking categories. As part of the purchase, Abrams acquired the Taunton Books logo and will continue to publish Taunton Books under that logo, as well as possibly publish new titles under it, a spokesperson said. Abrams editorial director for crafts and interior design, Shawna Mullen, will have editorial oversight of Taunton Books. “This acquisition strengthens Abrams’ commitment to providing exceptional content for creative individuals across all skill levels,” said Abrams CEO Mary McAveney in a statement.
The acquisition brings Abrams titles that not only complement its existing publishing program in the craft, food, and gardening space, but expands the company’s reach into such new areas as homebuilding and woodworking. Among the books in the latter category are Identifying Wood: Accurate Results with Simple Tools, Habitat for Humanity How to Build a House, and Farmhouse: Reimagining the Classic American Icon.
In addition to adding new titles, Abrams hopes the acquisition will open up new marketing opportunities. Taunton often sold and marketed its books along with its magazines and other properties, and Abrams expects that its history in doing so will provide the publisher with direct-to-consumer data, sales opportunities, and new distribution channels reaching a wide variety of creative communities.
Two Rivers Distribution, Taunton’s current distributor, will continue to handle sales through 2025.
