Germany’s Bookwire buys Bok2 for added print-on-demand capacity, while Ingram sells edtech company VitalSource 15 years after acquiring it.
South Korea’s Naver Completes Its Acquisition of Canada’s Wattpad
Naver’s US$600 million acquisition of Wattpad is completed as potential competition arrives from Amazon’s new Kindle Vella and Seoul’s Kakao.
Czech Publisher Albatros Media Expands Its Direct International Sales
The Czech publishing house Albatros Media has expanded its business by translating and selling its own titles into Spanish and English-language markets.
News Corp’s Plan To Acquire Houghton Mifflin’s Trade Division
HarperCollins parent News Corp’s intended acquisition of HMH Books & Media raises, for some, new concern about consolidation.
PRH’s Markus Dohle on Bertelsmann’s 2020 Profit Report
‘Globally, people turned to books’ in 2020, Markus Dohle says, and Penguin Random House parent Bertelsmann reports on a strong year.
Finland’s 2020 Audiobook Sales Doubled, Ebooks Up 84 Percent
A new book market report on Finland’s book market shows the impact of the pandemic and looks at the bestselling Finnish books of 2020.
Springer Nature Acquires Paris’ Open Access Atlantis Press
Atlantis Press, a French publisher of conference proceedings, is bought by Germany’s Springer Nature, which adds to its portfolio a platform that sees 1.5 million downloads monthly.
Denmark’s Saga Egmont Acquires Mexico’s Cuántica Activa Audiolibros
Saga Egmont says the acquisition of Mexican audiobook publisher Cuántica Activa Audiolibros fits with its growth in Spanish book markets.
NetGalley and Its Parent, Firebrand, Sold to Japan’s Media Do
Fran Toolan remains CEO for at least three years, as the US subsidiary of Tokyo’s Media Do acquires all shares of Firebrand and NetGalley.
Interview: CEO Allen Lau on Wattpad’s $600 Million Merger with Korea’s Naver
The merger between Canada’s Wattpad and South Korea’s Naver, says Allen Lau, is built on audience and platform expansion.