Arcadia Publishing, the Charleston, S.C.–based publisher specializing in nonfiction books of local interest and regional history, laid off an unspecified number of employees last week. A source, who asked to remain anonymous, told PW that the number was 16, across multiple departments.
“Last week Arcadia made the difficult decision to reduce its workforce in order to position the business for success in a rising cost environment,” an Arcadia representative told PW. “The changes will allow Arcadia to continue to deliver on its mission to connect people with their past, with their communities and with one another as it enters its fourth decade of local- and regional-interest publishing.”
Arcadia was purchased in 2018 by Michael Lynton—the former CEO of Penguin, who also held executive roles at Sony and is chairman of the technology company Snap—and David Steinberger, the former CEO of Perseus and current chairman of the National Book Foundation. The latter served as Arcadia CEO before stepping down in 2021, when he was succeeded by longtime History Press sales and operations head Brittain Phillips, and subsequently purchased Open Road Integrated Media.
Since its 2018 purchase, Arcadia has been on an acquisition spree, including, most recently, its purchase of Applewood Books last year. Among the publishers acquired by Arcadia since 2018 are former Applewood imprint Commonwealth Editions, River Road Press, Pelican Publishing, and Wildsam. The publisher also launched a children's book division in 2019.
