Barron’s has broken out its test prep imprint into a separate division, it announced today. Bob O’Sullivan, who has been with the company for 10 years, most recently as managing editor, will be publisher of the Test Preparation division beginning February 1. O’Sullivan will assume all managerial responsibility for editorial and production, and will work on expanding the program both in print and digitally. He will report to Barron’s president and publisher Ellen Sibley.
O'Sullivan said separating test prep into its own division was "a question of focus." Up until now, test prep books were part of all Barron's editors' lists. But in recent years, as the test prep market has grown, O'Sullivan said, the company realized it needed to separate its test prep publishing program into a distinct entity. "The test prep market has gotten larger, and competitors have gotten more frequent, and there's more for students to choose from," he said. O'Sullivan expects that having a team of editors (there will be four, plus an editorial assistant) to focus exclusively on test prep will help Barron's "deliver content in a way that's going to maximize sales."
Barron's test prep division will also expand its formats to offer content digitally, O'Sullivan said, including iPhone apps and Web-based products.
Barron’s publishes about 50 test prep titles a year, in addition to books on foreign language learning, pet care, cookbooks, business and finance, parenting, and art instruction, as well as children’s books.
