London, 2 June 2021
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, the leading independent publisher, today announces that it has completed the acquisition of the issued share capital of Head of Zeus Limited.
Head of Zeus is an independent publisher of genre fiction and narrative non-fiction and children’s books, based in London. It has published many bestsellers, won literary prizes and industry awards. Its best-selling authors include Dan Jones, Cixin Liu, Victoria Hislop, and Lesley Thomson, and Elodie Harper, whose The Wolf Den went last week to number 5 in The Times bestseller list. Cixin Liu’s bestselling science fiction trilogy, The Three-Body Problem, is being adapted for Netflix by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, creators of HBO’s Game of Thrones.
This acquisition will provide a strong addition to Bloomsbury’s thriving Consumer division and support our long term Consumer growth strategy, with new high quality authors and effective publishing across all formats, including e-book and audio.
Nigel Newton, Chief Executive of Bloomsbury, commented:
“Head of Zeus’s entrepreneurial and innovative approach to publishing, and its wide range of trade titles, will make a strong addition to Bloomsbury’s own. Bloomsbury will be able to provide the scale and digital platforms to boost Head of Zeus’ success while operating as an independent imprint within the Bloomsbury Consumer division. We look forward to welcoming Head of Zeus’ great authors and talented staff to Bloomsbury and working with them in the years to come.”
Anthony Cheetham, Chairman, Head of Zeus commented:
“After nine vigorous years as an independent publisher, I believe that Head of Zeus, our authors, our staff and our shareholders have found the right long term home for our company with Bloomsbury.
I have known Nigel Newton for more than thirty years. We share many of the same values: creative publishing, unique content and beautiful books. And an entrepreneurial spirit that values innovation above conformity. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc is itself unique as the only British book publisher listed on the London Stock Exchange.
I would like to express my gratitude to all our stakeholders for their support since Head of Zeus was launched in 2012, and my thanks to Bloomsbury for opening the door to further growth and opportunity in the years ahead.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc is a leading independent publishing house, established in 1986, with authors who have won the Nobel, Pulitzer and Booker Prizes, and is the originating publisher and custodian of the Harry Potter series. Bloomsbury has offices in London, New York, New Delhi, Oxford and Sydney.
Head of Zeus
Head of Zeus is an independent publishing house which sprung into existence in 2012. Based in Clerkenwell, London, but with a global reach, Head of Zeus have published nearly 100 #1 bestsellers around the world, won 24 literary prizes and two industry awards.
London, 23 April 2021
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (LSE: BMY), the leading independent publisher, today announces that it has signed a sale and purchase agreement for the acquisition of certain assets of Red Globe Press (“RGP”), the academic imprint, from Macmillan Education Limited, a part of Springer Nature Group.
RGP specialises in high-quality publishing for Higher Education students globally in Humanities and Social Sciences, Business and Management, and Study Skills. RGP has a backlist of more than 7,000 titles and publishes more than 100 new titles per year, with content including digital platforms, textbooks, research-driven materials and general academic publishing. The acquired RGP titles are a good strategic fit, strengthen Bloomsbury’s existing academic publishing, and establish new areas of academic publishing in Business and Management, Study Skills and Psychology. RGP’s three digital products will be migrated to Bloomsbury Digital Resources’ own platform and its content added to Bloomsbury Collections. The business will operate within Bloomsbury’s Academic and Professional division.
Nigel Newton, Chief Executive of Bloomsbury, commented:
“We are delighted to acquire the Red Globe Press list. Red Globe Press aligns well with our existing academic publishing and provides a gateway to new and attractive academic publishing areas. This move is another key step in the delivery of our strategic growth strategy, and continues our drive to grow our Non-Consumer business. Acquiring these complementary lists accelerates our digital growth and our significant presence in humanities and social sciences academic publishing.”
Emma Bourne, Managing Director Curriculum and Higher Education, Macmillan Education, commented:
“Following a strategic review of the business, we have decided to focus on our core markets of K-12 English Language Teaching and Curriculum. We are sure that Red Globe Press, its team of dedicated staff, and all its authors will flourish within Bloomsbury, where the imprint can continue to grow its excellent academic publishing.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc is a global independent publisher across trade, specialist, professional, school and higher education markets. Its Academic division has grown rapidly since its inception in 2008, publishing around 1,400 titles per year and specialising in the arts, humanities and social sciences. It leads the field in innovative publishing, with a fast growing portfolio of digital resources, including Bloomsbury Collections, which delivers instant access to quality research with nearly 10,000 titles across the humanities and social sciences delivered to universities, scholars and students around the world.
Macmillan Education
Macmillan Education, part of Springer Nature Group, has been advancing learning for over 175 years. As a leading publisher it has built strong partnerships with educators, innovated in pedagogy and digital content, and inspired learners to achieve more. In classrooms around the world, Macmillan Education knows how transformative learning English can be, and its teams are passionate about providing students and their teachers with everything they need to succeed in education, in the workplace, and in life.
22 October 2020, LONDON: Bloomsbury, the leading independent publisher, is delighted to announce that Kate Summerscale's The Haunting of Alma Fielding: A True Ghost Story has been shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize, the UK’s premier prize for non-fiction books.
The Baillie Gifford Prize rewards excellence in non-fiction writing, bringing the best in intelligent reflection on the world to new readers. It covers all non-fiction in the areas of current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts.
Praised for its ‘conceptual surprises’ and ‘dramatic reversals’, The Haunting of Alma Fielding: A True Ghost Story tells the story of Alma Fielding, an ordinary young woman, who begins to experience supernatural events in her suburban home based in London in 1938. The story follows Nandor Fodor, a Jewish-Hungarian refugee and chief ghost hunter for the International Institute for Psychical research, who investigates Alma’s case. He soon discovers a different and darker type of haunting: trauma, alienation, loss, and the foreshadowing of a nation’s worst fears which grows darker as the spectre of Fascism lengthens over Europe.
Author Kate Summerscale has seen previous literary success with her number one bestseller The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2008 and winner of the Galaxy British Book of the Year Award.
Commenting on the shortlist nomination, bestselling author Sarah Waters, said: “With her eye for evocative period detail, her sensitivity to the quirks and poignancies of human motivation, and her brilliant storytelling skills, Summerscale has taken this corker of a case and made it as gripping as a novel. An engaging, unsettling, deeply satisfying read.”
The winner of The Baillie Gifford Prize will be announced on 24 November 2020.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Bloomsbury is a leading independent publisher of fiction, non-fiction, children's, specialist, academic and professional titles, listed on the London Stock Exchange. It is one of the few publishers with a portfolio that includes both general and academic publishing. Bloomsbury's ambitious growth story has seen the Group become a significant global publisher with offices in the UK, US, Australia and India.
Huge congratulations are due this morning to Bloomsbury’s commissioning editor Lucy Mackay-Sim and author Katya Balen on receiving a Highly Commended Branford Boase Award for Katya’s debut novel, The Space We're In.
Lucy and Katya were awarded their Highly Commended Award in a virtual ceremony yesterday, only the third time in the Award’s 21 year history that a Highly Commended honour has been awarded. The Branford Boase Award celebrates outstanding debut novels for children and it is unique in honouring the editor as well as the author, and highlights the important of the editor in nurturing new talent - something we see every day at Bloomsbury in Lucy’s editorial relationships, not only with Katya, but with this year’s brilliant debut Sophie Kirtley (Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month for July) and 2021’s lead middle-grade debut Clare Weze, to name but a few. We are so proud of Lucy and Katya for this special honour, so richly deserved.
Muhammad Khan, last year’s winner, said of The Space We’re In: “The judges felt this was an important book which handled neurodivergence with extraordinary sensitivity and insight. The family relationships were detailed and varied and Frank’s use of coding in each chapter shows the author’s minuscule attention to detail.”
The judges also said that The Space We’re In is “an important book, beautifully written”, “so powerful, it enables us to see right into Frank’s mind” and that “the insight into the family relationships is excellent”.
See more the 2020 award winners: https://branfordboaseaward.org.uk/2020-winners/
19 August 2020, LONDON: Bloomsbury, the leading independent publisher, has been shortlisted for The Independent Publishers Guild Awards 2020.
First launched in 2007, The Independent Publishers Guild Awards are an annual celebration of independent publishing which honour outstanding achievement across trade, children’s, academic, professional, educational and specialist publishing. The sponsors of the 2020 awards are Ingram Content Group, Blackwell’s, GBS, Publishers’ Licensing Services, The Bookseller, The Paperback Shop and Westchester Education Services.
Bloomsbury has been nominated for three out of the thirteen awards, which are: PLS Academic & Professional Publisher of the Year, Westchester Education Services Education Publisher of the Year and IPG Digital Publishing Award. If successful in either of the Publisher of the Year categories, Bloomsbury may also be eligible for The Ingram Content Group Independent Publisher of the Year award, to be selected on the day.
Jenny Ridout, Managing Director of Non-Consumer Publishing, has commented: “We are delighted to have been nominated for these prestigious awards and to be selected alongside a diverse and vibrant range of publishers in the UK’s independent sector. These nominations showcase Bloomsbury’s work in the academic, education and digital publishing fields; namely recognising our work in innovating the Bloomsbury Digital Resources offering. Providing a diverse and dynamic range of academic materials and engaging digital content has enabled us to support the disrupted education system at a time of need during the height of COVID-19 lockdown.”
The winners of The Independent Publishers Guild Awards will be announced virtually on 22 September 2020.
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Congratulations to Colum McCann and Kiley Reid, authors respectively of Apeirogon and Such a Fun Age, on their inclusion in this year’s Booker Prize longlist.
Colum McCann’s Apeirogon is a remarkable genre-defying novel about the true-life friendship of two men whose daughters were killed in the Middle East. Alex Preston called it ‘a masterpiece, a novel that will change the world’.
Kiley Reid’s Such a Fun Age is an explosive, smart debut, an examination of race and privilege that also challenges the way we look at the world. The Times said of it: ‘What a joy to find a debut novel so good that it leaves you looking forward to the rest of its author's career…’
The judging panel of Lee Child, Sameer Rahim, Lemn Sissay, Emily Wilson and chair Margaret Busby described Apeirogon as “both a gripping novel about two bereaved parents and a moving reflection on what it might mean to make peace between two warring sides” and Such a Fun Age as “insightful about so many issues ― particularly inter-racial relations, privilege, wealth ― and rooted in the history of black women caring for white children, this is a gripping first novel, peopled by wholly believable and engaging characters.”
The shortlist will be announced on 15 September 2020 and the winner in November. For more information on The Booker Prizes visit www.thebookerprizes.com.
BLOOMSBURY ACQUIRES ZED BOOKS’ ASSETS
London, 20 March 2020
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc ("Bloomsbury") announces today that it has completed the acquisition of certain assets of Zed Books Limited ("Zed" or the "Acquisition"), the London-based academic and non-fiction publisher. Zed will operate within Bloomsbury's Academic & Professional division.
The acquired Zed titles are a good strategic fit with Bloomsbury’s existing publishing lists, whilst strengthening its offerings in African Studies and Development Studies. With the combined lists of Zed and I.B. Tauris, Bloomsbury is now a leader in academic Area Studies publishing. The Acquisition also enhances Bloomsbury’s Politics and International Relations list.
Jonathan Glasspool, Managing Director of Bloomsbury's Academic & Professional Division said:
“We are delighted to become the new guardian of the prestigious and progressive Zed list. The Zed programme aligns very well with our existing publishing within I.B. Tauris, and complements Bloomsbury Academic’s publishing across a wide range of humanities and social science subjects. Over 40 years, Zed has built up a unique presence in African and Development Studies, an area we wish to grow. We greatly look forward to working with Zed’s wonderful range of authors and partners.”
Kika Sroka-Miller, Co-owner and Director of Zed Books said:
“Bloomsbury’s recognition of the value of Zed’s Global South focus comes at a pivotal historical moment. Moving the Zed list to Bloomsbury not only secures its long-term future and development, but greatly increases the global reach of the Africa and Development lists in particular, which has always been Zed’s primary goal. Furthermore, Zed’s ground-breaking Middle East, Gender and Sexualities, Race and Indigenous Politics lists fit well within Bloomsbury’s broader publishing programme and crucially, the move ensures Zed’s books remain independently published.”
Olivia Lomenech Gill will illustrate Jessie Burton’s upcoming young adult novel, Medusa, Bloomsbury Children’s Books has announced as it reveals the first three images.
Bloomsbury Children’s Books (BCB) creative director Stephanie Amster bought world rights in all languages from the artist’s agent, Alison Eldred.
Read the full story on The Bookseller
See our tweets about this exciting news!
This World Book Day, author and motivational speaker Action Jackson visited pupils in Hastings thanks to a partnership between the National Literacy Trust Hub in Hastings and Bloomsbury Publishing.
Jackson Ogunyemi, better known as Action Jackson, is an acclaimed motivational speaker who runs workshops and assemblies on resilience, self-belief and motivation. His new book, Happy School 365 (published by Bloomsbury Education) comes out later this year and aims to help teachers unlock their students’ potential for success.
230 Year 7 students from Hastings Academy and Year 6 pupils from Sandown Primary School attended Jackson’s assembly as part of World Book Day celebrations in the town.
Jackson spoke to the students about the challenges he faced at and beyond school, interacting with them to find out their aspirations and empowering them to aim high. Jackson led the assembly in a series of fun activities to show how even seemingly impossible tasks can be achievable and fun when you work together.
New research from the National Literacy Trust found that, while young people have high academic, professional and personal aspirations, 2 in 5 (43%) either don’t believe or are unsure they will achieve their aspirations, with the main barrier being a lack of confidence in their own ability (55.5% of girls vs 41.7% of boys)1.
The students were incredibly engaged with the session with many staying behind to talk to Jackson and get his autograph. Sam, age 11, said of Jackson: “he made me laugh – I learnt that when life gets you down you should stay positive” and Freya, also 11, said: “we learnt about happiness and that it is always good to stay positive – when I’ve finished school I want to be an author and write happy books”.
Sandown teacher Michelle Smith commented that “the session was incredibly positive but also very uplifting and very real”, and Hastings Academy’s English Lead Abigail Jewiss, said: “we really enjoyed the session and the positive ideas that came out. It was great to see the children think about believing in themselves more and to have a dream about what they would like to do”.
Graeme Quinnell, Manager of the National Literacy Trust Hub in Hastings, said: “Having Action Jackson come and speak to the students was an amazing experience and will inspire them to have a positive attitude to learning and raise their aspirations. He really engaged the students throughout the session and it was clear from their reactions, both during and after, that he had a huge impact on them.”
Helen Diamond, Editorial Director of Bloomsbury Education, said: “Action Jackson’s enthusiasm for life and helping young people achieve their goals shines through in everything he does – he calls himself the UK Ambassador for Happiness and rightly so. We are thrilled to be publishing his book Happy School 365 this year where Jackson sets out his vision for developing a generation of young people who are happy, healthy and successful.”
The National Literacy Trust Hub in Hastings and Bloomsbury Publishing launched a three-year partnership last summer to inspire a love of reading in the town, raise the aspirations of primary school children, and help adults with literacy challenges to access the support they need to improve their own literacy skills.
Find out more about the National Literacy Hub in Hastings at literacytrust.org.uk/communities/hastings
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Thursday 5th March 2020, LONDON
Bloomsbury, the leading independent publisher, has taken steps to improve children’s reading skills in order to combat low literacy levels across the UK. This involves participating in the Share A Story campaign for World Book Day as well as expanding on its partnership with the National Literacy Trust.
Bloomsbury, along with other UK publishing houses, will help promote this year’s World Book Day’s aim to ‘Share a Million Stories’; a campaign encouraging parents and children to develop new reading behaviours by sharing stories for at least 10 minutes every day.
Involving all 750 Bloomsbury staff based in the UK, Bloomsbury’s campaign initiatives include encouraging staff to share their favourite books across social media with the hashtag #ShareAStory, hosting a silent reading and book swap event and using flexible hours for employees to take time to read to their children.
These initiatives underpin Bloomsbury’s mission to contribute to the improvement of literacy skills, attitudes and habits across the UK, through its partnership with the National Literacy Trust. In England alone, 1 in 6 adults - amounting to 7.1 million people - are reported to have very poor literacy skills (OECD, 2016). The Bloomsbury NLT partnership aims to reduce this figure by inspiring a love of reading in primary school children and supporting adults with literacy challenges.
To promote this aim, the three-year partnership, which began in July 2019, has already seen an array of reading events based in the National Literacy Trust’s Hub in Hastings which Bloomsbury is a sponsor of; from town-wide reading moments and competitions, to mass book gifting and meet-and-greet sessions with Radio One celebrities and “Kid Normal” authors, Greg James and Chris Smith.
Emma Hopkin, Managing Director of Bloomsbury Consumer, said: “Encouraging children to read from a young age could not only inspire a lifelong love of reading, but will also develop the important literacy and communication skills that are fundamental to social mobility. We’re proud to champion such an important initiative through our partnerships with both World Book Day and the NLT.”
Stephen Lotinga, CEO of the Publishers Association and Chair of World Book Day added: “As a major player in the UK publishing landscape, we’re delighted to have Bloomsbury involved to help promote this year’s Share A Story message for World Book Day. Working together on initiatives to encourage parents and children develop new reading behaviours is essential to supporting our industry’s vital reading for pleasure campaign.”
Jonathan Douglas, Chief Executive of the National Literacy Trust commented: “We know that reading has the power to change children’s life stories, so we are delighted to be working with Bloomsbury this World Book Day and through our National Literacy Trust Hub in Hastings to help inspire children, young people and families to fall in love with reading and share stories together.”
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Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Bloomsbury is a leading independent publisher of fiction, non-fiction, children's, specialist, academic and professional titles, listed on the London Stock Exchange. It is one of the few publishers with a portfolio that includes both general and academic publishing. Bloomsbury's ambitious growth story has seen the Group become a significant global publisher with offices in the UK, US, Australia and India.
World Book Day is the registered charity behind the world’s biggest annual celebration of children’s books. It is dedicated to celebrating the benefits of reading for pleasure for everyone, everywhere – promoting the magic of books, the power of imagination and the importance of sharing stories. Designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, World Book Day is marked in over 100 countries around the globe.
It is sponsored by National Book Tokens and supported generously each year by the publishing industry, book trade, authors and illustrators. Every year, with a host of publishers and booksellers, World Book Day curates a list of bespoke £1 books for children and young people across the UK and Ireland. World Book Day’s mission is to encourage children and young people to explore the pleasures of books and reading by providing them with the opportunity to have a book of their own.
To mark the day each year, children are welcomed into bookshops and supermarkets across the nation where they can redeem their £1 World Book Day book token (or equivalent €1.50 in Ireland) to redeem for a free World Book Day title or, if they prefer, they can use it to get £1 off any book or audiobook of their choice, costing £2.99 or more. The day also sees children bringing books to life through an array of organised events and activities in schools, bookshops, libraries and at home.
This year, World Book Day is calling on everyone in the UK and Ireland to share stories for 10 minutes a day in schools, libraries, bookshops, at home, everywhere and anywhere, to Share a Million Stories together.
Children can use their £1 token to get a free World Book Day book or get £1 off any book or audiobook from tomorrow, Thursday 27th February. Everyone can help to smash the national target and log their story shares here: https://www.worldbookday.com/share-a-million-stories/. Over 400,000 children are already registered. There are loads of book prizes up for grabs every week of the month.
worldbookday.com #WorldBookDay | #ShareAStory
@WorldBookDaysocial @WorldBookDayUK @Worldbookdayuk
Our charity is dedicated to improving the reading, writing, speaking and listening skills of those who need it most, giving them the best possible chance of success in school, work and life. We run Literacy Hubs and campaigns in communities where low levels of literacy and social mobility are seriously impacting people’s lives. We support schools and early years settings to deliver outstanding literacy provision, and we campaign to make literacy a priority for politicians, businesses and parents. Our research and analysis make us the leading authority on literacy and drive our interventions. Literacy is a vital element of action against poverty and our work changes children’s life stories.
Visit literacytrust.org.uk to find out more, donate or sign up for our free email newsletter. You can also find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The National Literacy Trust is a registered charity no. 1116260 and a company limited by guarantee no. 5836486 registered in England and Wales and a registered charity in Scotland no. SC042944. Registered address: 68 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1RL.
