Bloomsbury Publishing#Acquisitions and imprints

{{Short description|British worldwide publishing house}}

{{about|the contemporary publishing company|the historic literary group|Bloomsbury Group}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}

{{Infobox publisher

| image = {{wikidata|property|P154}}

| image_size = 250px

| name = Bloomsbury Publishing plc

| status = Active

| traded_as = {{plainlist|

| founded = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1986|09|26}}

| country = United Kingdom

| headquarters = London, England

| distribution = Macmillan Publishers Services (UK, US)
United Book Distributors (Australia)

| keypeople = {{ubl|Sir Richard Lambert
(Non-executive Chairman){{Cite web|url=https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/BMY/13262634.html|title=Bloomsbury Publishing Board Appointment|date=16 June 2017|website=London Stock Exchange|access-date=3 July 2018}}|Nigel Newton
(Chief Executive)}}

| publications = Books, digital content products, and online resources such as databases

| imprints = {{Plain list |

  • Bloomsbury Academic
  • Bloomsbury Methuen Drama ({{small|New York City}})

}}

{{Infobox company

| embed=yes

| revenue = {{Increase}}£342.7 million (2024){{cite web|url=https://www.bloomsbury-ir.co.uk/annual_reports/2024/152|title=Annual Report 2024|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|access-date=9 February 2025}}

| operating_income={{Increase}}£40.6 million (2024)

| net_income ={{Increase}}£32.3 million (2024)

|

}}

| numemployees =

| nasdaq =

| url = {{Official URL}}

}}

Bloomsbury Publishing plc is a British worldwide publishing house of fiction and non-fiction. Bloomsbury's head office is located on Bedford Square{{Cite web |title=Bloomsbury Offices |url=https://www.prestigeoffices.co.uk/neighborhood/luxury-office-space-bloomsbury/ |access-date=2024-11-12 |website=Prestige Offices {{!}} Luxury Office Space in London |language=en-GB}} in Bloomsbury, an area of the London Borough of Camden. It has a US publishing office located in New York City, an India publishing office in New Delhi, an Australian sales office in Sydney CBD, and other publishing offices in the UK, including in Oxford. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.{{cite web|url=https://research.ftserussell.com/products/index-notices/home/getnotice/?id=2613117|title=Tyman (UK): Constituent Deletion Changes in FTSE UK Index Series|date=29 July 2024|publisher=FTSE Russell|access-date=1 August 2024}}

History

The company was founded in 1986 by Nigel Newton, who had previously been employed by other publishing companies. It was floated as a public registered company in 1994, raising £5.5 million, which was used to fund expansion of the company into paperback and children's books. A rights issue of shares in 1998 further raised £6.1 million, which was used to expand the company, in particular to found a U.S. branch. In 1998, Bloomsbury USA was established. Bloomsbury USA Books for Young Readers was established in 2002, and in 2005, Bloomsbury acquired Walker & Co, a small company dedicated to publishing nonfiction.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bloomsburyusa.com/about|title=About Us|website=Bloomsbury Publishing|access-date=19 October 2016|archive-date=31 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100131080834/http://www.bloomsburyusa.com/about|url-status=dead}} The Walker brand was discontinued in 2015 and sold to Walker Publishing Company.{{Cite web| title = Bloomsbury Consolidates Children's Imprints; Easton Leaving| work = PublishersWeekly.com| access-date = 2019-11-02| url = https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/61466-bloomsbury-consolidates-children-s-imprints-easton-leaving.html|first=Jim |last=Milliot |date=17 March 2014}}{{Cite web| title = Candlewick to Publish Walker Books in U.S.| work = PublishersWeekly.com|first=Judith |last=Rosen |date= 10 August 2017| access-date = 2019-11-02| url = https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/74450-candlewick-to-publish-walker-books-in-u-s.html}}

In December 2008, Bloomsbury opened a branch in Doha, Qatar in a joint-partnership with Qatar Foundation.{{cite journal|last=Harding|first=Sue-Ann|title='But we don't read, Professor!' Translation, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, and building a 'vibrant literary culture'|journal=Perspectives: Studies in Translatology|volume=22|issue=4|page=Abstract|year=2014|doi=10.1080/0907676X.2014.948891|s2cid=60553880}} The partnership created a publishing house, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing; it worked mainly with English and Arabic literature.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/oct/16/middleeast-germany|title=Publishers seek new talent in Arab world |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London|first=Alison |last=Flood|author2=Ian Black|name-list-style=|date=15 October 2008|access-date=18 February 2016}}

Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Journals (BQFJ), an open access and peer reviewed academic publisher, was created in December 2010 as a joint venture with Qatar Foundation. Journal research articles were published through BQFJ's website QScience.com.{{Cite news |date=2010-12-25 |orig-date=corresponding to 19 Muharram 1432 AH |title=<> tutliq alminbar al'iilikturunia QScience.com linashr aldawriaat |script-title=ar:«مؤسسة قطر» تطلق المنبر الإلكتروني QScience.com لنشر الدوريات |trans-title="Qatar Foundation" launches the electronic platform QScience.com to publish periodicals |url=http://www.alwasatnews.com/news/516920.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160311001058/http://www.alwasatnews.com/news/516920.html |archive-date=2016-03-11 |access-date=2016-02-18 |work="Sahifat Alwasat Albahrayniat - Mamlakat Albahrayn" صحيفة الوسط البحرينية - مملكة البحرين [Bahrain Al Wasat Newspaper - Kingdom of Bahrain] |language=ar |issue=3032}} The company's partnership with Qatar Foundation ended in December 2015 and all of Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing works were incorporated in Qatari-owned HBKU Press. At the time of BQFP's dissolution it had published over 200 books. BQFJ's works were also incorporated in HBKU Press.{{cite web|url=http://www.thebookseller.com/news/qatar-s-qf-and-bloomsbury-end-partnership-319122|title=Qatar's QF and Bloomsbury end partnership|website=The Bookseller|first=Charlotte|last= Eyre|date=22 December 2015|access-date=18 February 2016}}

In 2012, Bloomsbury established a publishing office in India.{{cite web|url=http://www.bloomsbury-ir.co.uk/html/media/press_releases/2012/140212.asp|title=Regulatory announcement|access-date=24 July 2018|archive-date=24 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180724154142/http://www.bloomsbury-ir.co.uk/html/media/press_releases/2012/140212.asp|url-status=dead}} In May 2023, an article in The Verge reported that the cover of the UK edition of House of Earth and Blood, published by Bloomsbury, uses an AI-generated image.{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/15/23724102/sarah-j-maas-ai-generated-book-cover-bloomsbury-house-of-earth-and-blood |title=Not even NYT bestsellers are safe from AI cover art|website=The verge|first=Jess |last=Weatherbed|date=15 May 2023}}

In 2018, an article disclosed that much of the profit in the children's division was due to the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/oct/23/jk-rowlings-harry-potter-continues-to-drive-profits-at-bloomsbury|title=JK Rowling's Harry Potter fuels Bloomsbury profit rise|date=23 October 2018|access-date=5 February 2024}}

Acquisitions and imprints

Among the companies, book lists and imprints that Bloomsbury has acquired are:{{Cite web | title = Corporate history – Corporate and Investor Relations – Bloomsbury.com | access-date = 19 January 2015 | url = http://www.bloomsbury-ir.co.uk/html/about/a_history.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130722231642/http://bloomsbury-ir.co.uk/html/about/a_history.html | archive-date = 22 July 2013 | url-status = dead }}

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  • Bloomsbury Academic (1986)
  • A & C Black (2000)
  • Whitaker's Almanack (2002)
  • T & AD Poyser (2002)
  • Thomas Reed Publications (2002)
  • Peter Collin Publishing (2002)
  • Andrew Brodie Publications (2003)
  • Adlard Coles Nautical (2003)
  • Walker Publishing Company (2004)
  • Methuen Drama (2006)
  • Berg Publishers (2008)
  • John Wisden & Co (2008)
  • Arden Shakespeare (2008)
  • Tottel Publishing (2009)
  • Bristol Classical Press (2010)
  • Continuum International Publishing Group (2011)
  • Absolute Press (2011){{Cite magazine |title=Bloomsbury cooks up deal with Absolute Press |magazine=The Bookseller |first=Graeme |last=Neill|date=1 September 2011|access-date=2018-07-07 |url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/bloomsbury-cooks-deal-absolute-press}}
  • Fairchild Books (2012)
  • Applied Visual Arts Publishing (2012)
  • Hart Publishing (2013)
  • Osprey Publishing (2014)
  • I.B. Tauris (2018)
  • Oberon Books (2019)
  • Zed Books (2020)
  • Red Globe Press (2021)
  • Head of Zeus (2021){{Cite web|last1=Chandler|first1=Mark|last2=Wood|first2=Heloise|title=Bloomsbury buys Head of Zeus in £8.5m deal|url=https://www.thebookseller.com/news/bloomsbury-buys-head-zeus-85m-deal-1261767|date=2 June 2021|access-date=2021-11-10|website=The Bookseller}}
  • ABC-CLIO (2021).{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/88138-bloomsbury-buys-abc-clio-for-22-9-million.html|title = Bloomsbury Buys ABC-CLIO for $22.9Million|website=Publishers Weekly|first=Jim |last=Milliot |date=16 December 2021}}
  • Lexington Books (2024){{Cite web |last=Milliot |first=Jim |title=Bloomsbury Buys Rowman & Littlefield Academic Division for $83 Million |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/95143-bloomsbury-buys-rowman-littlefield-academic-division-for-83-million.html |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=PublishersWeekly.com |language=en}}
  • Applause Books (2024)
  • Backbeat Books (2024)

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{{Portal|London|Companies|Books|Children's literature}}

See also

References

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