HBG Buys Hyperion Adult List
Disney is selling most Hyperion titles to Hachette Book Group in a deal expected to close in mid-July. HBG will acquire more than 1,000 adult backlist titles plus another 25 books that it will release over the next few seasons. Disney will retain the most media-related titles such as its Castle series, which ties in to the ABC television show. The book franchises that will remain with Disney will be overseen by Disney Publishing Worldwide. Disney’s children’s imprints, Disney and Disney-Hyperion, are not affected by the sale.
Trade Exports Rise 7%
Exports of trade books rose 7.2% in 2012, to $833.4 million, according to AAP/BookStats figures. Exports of e-books rose 63% in the year, while print book exports increased 1.3%. The largest markets for print titles last year, ranked largest first, were the U.K., Germany, Australia, South Korea, the Philippines and Singapore, with the biggest gains posted in the Philippines, the U.K., France, Colombia, and the U.A.E. E-books found the most buyers in the U.K., Australia, Germany, France, Norway, and Switzerland with, the largest gains in Germany, New Zealand, Spain, and Italy.
LPG Signs 20 Publishers
Legato Publishers Group, a new unit at the Perseus Books Group’s PGW distribution subsidiary under the direction of former IPG president Mark Suchomel, announced the signing of 20 publisher distribution clients, its first clients. LPG has plans to grow its list of distribution clients to 30 or 40 publishers over the next two years.
Penguin, AS Seek to Dismiss Suit
Penguin and its subsidiary Author Solutions have filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against them that alleges fraudulent business practices. The suit, filed in April by three Author Solutions clients, seeks $5 million in damages and class action status, and alleges that AS misrepresents itself as a publisher and fails to pay its authors. In its motion to dismiss, Penguin attorneys call the suit a “misguided” series of “gripes.”
Boom! Buys Archaia
In a major deal in indie graphic novel publishing, Boom! Studios acquired Archaia Entertainment. Both companies are located in Los Angeles, and Archaia will function as an imprint of Boom!, with all Archaia personnel staying on, including editor-in-chief Stephen Christy, marketing manager Mel Caylo, and president, and CEO Jack Cummins, who will continue in that role for the Archaia imprint.
Kingstone Comics Projects
Christian comics publisher Kingstone Comics announced plans to release Eternity, the first graphic novel by bestselling Christian novelist Randy Alcorn, and in 2014 The Remaining, a graphic novel that is the basis for a new film from Affirm films/SONY Pictures, and the Kingstone Bible, a 12-volume graphic adaptation of the Bible.
