St. Anthony Messenger Press has acquired Charis Books, the Catholic book imprint of Servant Publications. The deal involves about 110 titles and gives St. Anthony's a backlist of approximately 370, said the Rev. Jeremy Harrington, publisher of St. Anthony.
The Charis line features spirituality books and prayer books aimed at the trade market and complements St. Anthony's titles, which are geared for the Catholic institutional market. Harrington said he hopes the acquisition will give St. Anthony's titles greater exposure in mainstream bookstores, while the Charis titles will benefit from St. Anthony's access to Catholic schools, parishes, retreat centers and libraries.
Harrington said Servant has given St. Anthony permission to publish the Charis titles under the Servant Books imprint. "We feel Servant is a better-known name," Harrington said. He plans to publish about 20 titles annually under the Servant imprint and a similar number under the St. Anthony banner. Since the deal was for assets only—St. Anthony will handle all operations from its Cincinnati offices— Harrington is hiring a new editor, whom he expects to name soon.
