Former Taylor & Francis executive v-p of sales Robert Rooney is starting the American beachhead of Jessica Kingsley Publishers, a U.K. reference publisher concentrating on titles in the social and behavioral sciences aimed at parents and educators. It is best known in the U.S. for its books on autism. JK was a T&F client when Rooney worked there, and T&F will continue to distribute JK's titles until August 1.
The American office, which will be located in Philadelphia, will start with a sales and marketing operation and hopes ultimately to expand to editorial. JK does 100 books per year and had revenue of roughly £3 million last year. "This is the next healthy step for the growth of the imprint," Rooney said. "We already had a healthy revenue base, but we wanted to grow outside the U.K., and you can't do that through a third party."
