BookBrunch has entered into a partnership with BDS, which has taken a stake in the news service. BDS will provide IT expertise, support and development through its Ehaus web development subsidiary, and BookBrunch will complement BDS's information services, including its Books & Media reviews website and newsletter.
BookBrunch, run by former Publishing News Editor Liz Thomson and ex-Bookseller Editor Nicholas Clee, began publishing before the 2008 Frankfurt Book Fair. Since then, it has built an archive of nearly 9,000 items of book industry news. It has also partnered with Publishers Weekly to publish the London Fair Dealer and Frankfurt Fair Dealer. It offers a premium subscription service and a free newsletter, which goes to more than 5,000 industry professionals each day.
BDS provides book and home entertainment data to libraries and retailers. Director Eric Green said: "The book industry knowledge that Liz and Nick have really informs the quality that BookBrunch delivers – it's newsy, timely and value-adding and many of us at BDS have always loved reading the daily newsletter. With our expanding portfolio of businesses and customers, we really understand and appreciate how vital it is to keep up-to-date with industry developments and news – from bibliographic data to the latest reviews that you can access through our fledgling service Books & Media.
"Making an investment in BookBrunch is a natural fit for us not only because we're in the information business but also because we can offer the technical expertise through one of our subsidiaries, Ehaus, that will allow for all the exciting technical developments that BookBrunch is ready to make. We're really excited about this addition to the BDS suite of services and can't wait to start working with the BookBrunch duo."
For BookBrunch, the partnership marks the next stage in its development, enabling it to deliver its news more quickly and efficiently, and promising to enhance its offering in partnership with BDS's entertainment, film and reviews services. In a joint statement, Thomson and Clee said: "We are delighted that BDS has chosen to put its faith in us – their expertise will allow us to develop BookBrunch at a much faster pace than was possible on our own and their investment gives us solidity and security."
