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Little, Brown buys Piatkus

23.07.07 Alison Flood

Little, Brown Book Group has acquired independent publisher Piatkus Books. Founder Judy Piatkus will continue as m.d. until the end of the year, when she will retire from publishing. Piatkus, which has a turnover of around £10m, will become an independent imprint within Little, Brown. It will continue trading at its current premises until the end of October, after which the team will move to Little, Brown’s new offices at 100 Victoria Embankment.

Little, Brown said it would ask "the majority of the directors and staff" to stay with the business. It added that while a small number of staff may not have continuing roles within Piatkus, they would wherever possible be offered jobs within Little, Brown or the wider Hachette Livre UK group to keep job losses "to an absolute minimum".

The transaction was structured as a purchase by Little, Brown of a 100% shareholding in Piatkus, which remains intact as a company. All contracts remain valid and will be honoured. The shareholders of Piatkus Books were represented by The van Tulleken Company.

Piatkus, founded by Judy Piatkus in 1979, publishes commercial fiction, including Nora Roberts, and a range of mind body spirit, health, business and self-development titles. Authors include Patrick Holford, David Allen and Brian L Weiss.

Little, Brown c.e.o. Ursula Mackenzie said: "The moment we heard that Judy Piatkus was ready for a change after 28 years at the helm of her own company, we knew that Little, Brown would provide the perfect home for the wonderful list that Judy and her team have built so successfully. We are delighted to be welcoming Piatkus Books to Little, Brown Book Group, where it will flourish as a fully independent imprint, while benefiting from the additional market reach and financial strength of Little, Brown."

Piatkus added: "It was important to find the right buyer for Piatkus and to keep its name and its personality intact. When Little, Brown heard that we were for sale, they were immediately interested to work with us. We could not have hoped for a better home. Their publishing ethos and their attitude towards their books, their authors and their staff are so similar to ours."

Hachette Random House Piatkus Little Brown Alison Flood

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