HarperCollins Publishers today announced it has acquired the trade book assets of AMACOM from the American Management Association International (AMA). HarperCollins will take over all front list and backlist publication, sales, distribution, and licensing of the more than 600 books in AMACOM’s catalog. AMACOM, which primarily focuses on personal and professional growth and business leadership, will be a sub-imprint of the recently launched HarperCollins Leadership (HCL) imprint, which is run out of the company’s Nashville, TN offices. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.
“Business, management and leadership are key growth areas for HarperCollins internationally,” said Brian Murray, President and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers. “The purchase of AMACOM’s trade publishing will allow us to broaden our catalog of books with potential in emerging markets, from Asia to South America. It is a natural fit for our expanding publishing programs.”
Manny Avramidis, President and CEO of AMA, said, “I am pleased that HarperCollins, a top global publisher, realizes the strength in AMACOM. I am confident that HarperCollins is well-positioned to take AMACOM’s world-class authors and title list to the next level. AMA will continue to focus on a strategic expansion of its core business, best-in-class professional training and development.”
Business development, marketing and editorial for AMACOM will be led by Jeff James, Vice President and Publisher of HCL.
“Acquiring AMACOM books extends our connectivity with the business professional audience and gives us a deeper product offering in this highly sought-after segment,” said James. “We are excited to represent the highly-accessible content found in titles like The First-Time Manager, Just Listen, and Paul Falcone’s well-known 2600 Phrases series. We are working hard to ensure that AMACOM authors and agents experience a smooth transition in becoming part of our organization.”
The Nashville team has an extensive track record of publishing bestselling leadership and professional development titles including New York Times bestsellers The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell and The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. HCL’s first release, Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller (October 2017), debuted at #1 on the Wall Street Journal hardcover business bestseller list.
http://corporate.harpercollins.com/us/media/press-room/2018?category=year&filter=2018