Workman Publishing has been acquired by Hachette Book Group

Workman Publishing Co., Inc. (WPC), one of the largest and most respected independently owned book publishers in the USA, and Hachette Book Group (HBG) announced that Hachette has completed their acquisition of Workman for US$240 million. The transaction closed after successful completion of the regulatory approval process.

WPC is a publishing division of Hachette Book Group. It includes Workman, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Algonquin Young Readers, Artisan, Storey Publishing and Timber Press. WPC also is the distributor for The Experiment, duopress, Erewhon Books and Familius. Workman publishes award-winning children’s books, cookbooks, parenting/pregnancy guides, and books on gardening, country living and humor, as well as gift books, fiction, audio, and the bestselling calendar line in the business. The company is headquartered in New York City’s Greenwich Village, with additional offices in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, North Adams, Massachusetts, and Portland, Oregon.

HBG is a leading trade publisher based in New York and a division of Hachette Livre (a Lagardère company), the third-largest trade and educational publisher in the world. It is made up of eight publishing groups: Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Audio, Hachette Nashville, Little, Brown and Company, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Orbit, Perseus Books and Workman Publishing. HBG also provides a wide range of custom distribution, fulfillment, digital and sales services to third-party publishers.

One of Oaklins’ TMT teams in New York acted as the exclusive financial advisor to the seller, Workman Publishing, in this transaction.

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M&A sell-side

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“When Peter Workman launched our quirky little company over a half-century ago, it marked the beginning of a bold and joyful voyage. All these many years later, when I recognized that the time had come for Workman to have a new home, my first and foremost goal was to find a place where Workman’s unique culture could prosper long into the future, a place where we could nurture and protect our greatest assets: our authors, illustrators, and, most of all, our wonderful staff. I am so happy to be joining Hachette. They clearly respect not only what we are but who we are. I truly believe that our two companies will thrive together in this partnership.”

Carolan Workman

Executive Chair and President, Workman Publishing Co., Inc.

Talk to the deal team

Joanna Stone Herman

Partner

New York, United States
Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips

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Jack Noble

Partner

New York, United States
Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips

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Robin Warner

Managing Director

New York, United States
Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips

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