Citing its wish to "better focus resources," Walker Books has sold its unit that publishes large-print Christian titles to Thorndike Press, the large-print subsidiary of Gale Group. The sale brings the number of Walker's divisions, at four as recently as last winter, down to two. The company closed it mystery line earlier this year (News, Jan. 28).
The sale, which took place last month, consists of licenses to about 250 nonfiction Christian titles. While there were no Walker staffers dedicated to the unit, Walker president George Gibson said the unit siphoned off employees' time in a way that didn't make sense "in today's more competitive market." The division, he said, had been performing well, but to be really successful, it needs to operate in an economy of greater scale, and he thought a company like Thorndike "could take the business to another level."
As a result of the sale, Gibson said Walker could concentrate on nonfiction and children's books, and possibly add a few titles to those lines.
