In Australia, Father’s Day is on September 1st and Simon & Schuster Australia is running a “Paging All Dads” campaign on its website. Image: S&S Australia
By Porter Anderson, Editor in Chief | @Porter_Anderson
See also: Simon & Schuster takes over Dutch VBK
Chapman: “To reach an even larger readership”
IIn an announcement from Melbourne this morning (26 August), Simon & Schuster Australia and Affirm Press announce the signing of an agreement for Affirm to become part of S&S Australia.
Affirm Press will, as far as we know, continue to maintain its brand independence and operate as a subsidiary of Simon & Schuster Australia. And once again following the concept that “employee engagement and a strong ownership culture are critical factors in strengthening the merged publisher,” Affirm Press employees will be able to benefit from Simon & Schuster’s broad ownership program.
This is, of course, part of the agreement we saw in May when Simon & Schuster announced the acquisition of Veen Bosch & Keuning (VBK) in Utrecht. It was the first of the international acquisitions discussed during our keynote interview at the London Book Fair in March with Jonathan Karp, President and CEO of Simon & Schuster.
The new Australian acquisition will include Affirm Press’ entire publishing portfolio in Australia. The terms of the transaction have been kept confidential. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.
Affirm Press was founded in 2010 and converted to a full-time business in 2013. Since 2017, the company has been publishing Australian authors in fiction, non-fiction and children’s books. Its main activities include:
- Owner Martin Hughes, CEO and Publishing Director
- Sales and Finance Director Keiran Rogers
- Rounder and Chairman of Adidem Group, Graeme Wise
Related story: Simon & Schuster takes over the Dutch VBK. Image: VBK Shared Stories
According to media reports today, Affirm Press is the fastest-growing independent publisher in Australia, but the criteria for this description are not specified.
S&S Australia takes today’s opportunity to highlight its own rapid growth in this market.in recent years through investments in local publishing and audio products, growth in internationally distributed titles and through partnerships with local and international client publishers.”
S&S Australia told the media this morning that the new contract with Affirm Press “will expand S&S’s local publishing program and, among other things, venture more into children’s books. And through the agreement with S&S, Affirm will have a strategic ally with whom it can “achieve its long-term growth ambitions in areas such as technology, manufacturing and international opportunities.”
Hughes: “Joining a company with operational scale”
Books highlighted on the Affirm Press website. Image: Affirm Press
Commenting on today’s announcement, Ian Chapman, CEO and Publisher of S&S UK and International, said: “Affirm is a company I have long admired, albeit from afar.
Daniela B.
“Her passion for publishing and excellence have always been evident. Authors and their work are at the heart of everything she does.
“I am incredibly proud of S&S Australia, and even more so as we now welcome Martin, Keiran and Affirm to the S&S family. The global reach and publishing prowess, with the support of S&S’s US, UK and Indian publishers, will provide even greater opportunities for Affirm’s authors and books to reach an even wider audience. These are exciting times for all of us.”
Daniel Rufino
Dan Ruffino, Managing Director of S&S Australia, says: “We are excited to partner with Martin, Keiran and the team at Affirm Press to continue their remarkable growth of the past few years.
“They have impressive and solid plans and a culture that is strategically aligned with our vision for the future of the Australian and New Zealand markets and we can’t wait to work with them.”
And for Affirm Press, Hughes says: “It has always been important to Keiran and me that we love our work and are passionate about it.
Martin Hughes
“Ironically, our success was the biggest threat to that, because with a big business you can also have big problems. We are incredibly proud to have built Affirm Press into the company it is today and excited about the opportunity to become part of the hugely impressive Simon & Schuster network.
“For us, joining forces with a company of operational scale makes perfect sense, and we look forward to refocusing on what we love most: designing, producing, publishing and selling books that benefit the community.”
S&S Australia recently launched two new local publishing companies: Summit Books Australia, Publication of international fiction and Non-fiction, and Bundyi Publishing, ffocuses on Publication of books by First Nations authors – with First Nations editors and designers.
For more information from Publishing Perspectives on Simon & Schuster, click here, for more on international publishing, click here, for more on the Australian market, and for more on mergers and acquisitions, click here.
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