Three PRHPS Client Publishers on PW’s Fastest-Growing Indie Publishers 2017 List
Penguin Random House Publisher Services (PRHPS) is proud to have three of its client publishers on Publishers Weekly’s Fastest-Growing Independent Publishers 2017 list. Europa Editions, Sasquatch Books and Shambhala are among the companies recognized by PW. Congratulations to each of the publishers and our PRHPS colleagues who work with them and contribute to their success.
“We are laser-focused on identifying publishers with significant growth potential,” said Todd Berman, VP, Business Development and Publishing Strategy for PRHPS. “And this annual list is a great example of the power of the partnership that we have with our clients, resulting in long-term growth across the portfolio.”
This is the third year in a row that PRHPS client publishers have been well represented on PW’s Fastest-Growing Independent Publishers list: Sasquatch and Berrett-Koehler Publishers in 2016, and No Starch Press and Verso Books in 2015
Here are excerpts from the Publishers Weekly article about each of our client publishers on the 2017 list:
At Europa Editions, the popularity of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Quartet has increased steadily over the past few years, propelling a sales gain of 156% in 2015 over 2014 and another 47% revenue rise in 2016. Editor-in-chief Michael Reynolds acknowledges the importance of Ferrante to the 12-year-old company’s success, but he notes that the balance of its list, focused on publishing authors from all over the world in the British and North American markets, has also contributed to its growth. Reynolds thinks the success of Ferrante’s series has helped Europa’s entire list gain more visibility in the market, but he also believes the company is doing a more effective job marketing its books.
Shambhala President Nikko Odiseos says the company’s growth is due to “a multiplicity of causes”: new imprints, acquisitions, readership building, and export editions. Shambhala started its lifestyle imprint, Roost Books, in 2012, and the unit has become a bigger part of its business. Roost sales were boosted by the fact that its books won James Beard awards in each of the past two years. Snow Lion Publications was acquired in 2012, which cemented Shambhala’s position as the largest publisher of Buddhist books in English in the U.S. And in May 2015, Shambhala acquired Rodmell Press, which not only buttressed its Buddhist list but doubled its line of yoga books.
Seattle-based Sasquatch Books followed up a 20% increase in sales in 2015 over 2014 with another solid year in 2016, when revenue was up 55% compared to 2014. Little Bigfoot, the company’s children’s imprint started in 2014, had another year of gains helped by its growing backlist. The biggest sales driver last year, however, was Sasquatch’s 52 Lists journal series by Moorea Seal, who refers to herself as a creative entrepreneur. The series, which features The 52 Lists Project and 52 Lists for Happiness has more than 375,000 copies in print, according to senior publicity and marketing manager Corinna Scott.
To read the full PW article, click here.