Blue Star Press Acquires Sasquatch Books from Penguin Random House by David Lamb

Blue Star Press, an independent publisher based in Bend, Oregon, is pleased to announce that as part of its ongoing partnership with Penguin Random House, it has entered into a 10-year extension of its sales and distribution agreement and acquired Sasquatch Books. The deal was announced today by Peter Licalzi, CEO, Blue Star Press, and Jeff Abraham, President of Publishing Operations, Technology, and Services, Penguin Random House. Susan Reich of Book Advisors LLC represented Blue Star Press.

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Arcadia Acquires Applewood Books by David Lamb

Arcadia Publishing has acquired Applewood Books of Carlisle, Mass. Founded in 1976 by Phil Zuckerman, Applewood has a backlist of about 2,500 titles largely built on reissues of original versions of historical books. The transaction follows the acquisition of Applewood’s Commonwealth Editions imprint in 2021. Book Advisors was pleased to represent Phil Zuckerman and Applewood.

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ASTRA PUBLISHING HOUSE ACQUIRES DAW BOOKS by David Lamb

We are pleased to have represented Betsy Wollheim and Sheila Gilbert, legendary science/fiction fantasy editors, in the sale of their company, DAW Books, to Astra Publishing House. DAW, a trailblazer in the genre founded in 1971, attracted a great deal of interest for its authors, backlist, and editorial credibility. Previously, DAW books were published in close association with Penguin, and under Astra the titles will be distributed via Penguin Random House Publisher services.

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Sourcebooks Acquires B.E.S. Publishing by David Lamb

We were pleased to represent Peterson’s and its parent company, Triangle Digital Ventures, in the sale of B.E.S. Publishing (formerly owned by Barron’s Educational Series) to Sourcebooks. The deal, which closed November 1, encompasses 800-plus B.E.S. titles, including children’s fiction and nonfiction and adult nonfiction. Accounts should continue to order B.E.S. titles through Ingram Content Group through the end of 2021.

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Arcadia Acquires Commonwealth Editions from Applewood Books by David Lamb

Our client Applewood Books, based in Carlisle, Massachusetts, sold its Commonwealth Editions imprint to Arcadia Publishing, a portfolio publisher of Lezen Acquisition LLC. The purchase, which includes a mix of adult and children’s titles, adds more than 300 titles to Arcadia's list. Commonwealth was founded in 1998 by Webster and Katie Bull and acquired by Applewood in 2010. Its purchase continues Arcadia's string of acquisitions of regional publishing properties, including Pelican Publishing and the Wildsam Field Guides series.

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Rowman and Littlefield Acquires Hal Leonard Trade Titles by David Lamb

Book Advisors represented sheet music publisher Hal Leonard LLC in the sale of its trade book publishing division, the Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group, to Rowman & Littlefield. HLPAPG comprises the imprints Hal Leonard Books, Backbeat Books, Applause Theatre & Cinema Books; Amadeus Press; and Limelight Editions. The Group has 3,200 active titles.

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Investor Group Acquires Arcadia Publishing by David Lamb

Book Advisors represented Arcadia Publishing, Inc. in its sale to Lezen Acquisition LLC, a group led by Chairman Michael Lynton and CEO David Steinberger. Arcadia is the nation’s leading publisher of local and regional history books: their distinctive sepia-jacketed titles are instantly recognizable. Arcadia is the first of a planned series of acquisitions in book publishing by Lezen.

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