Effective July 1, Chronicle Books and Abrams are creating a joint venture called Abrams & Chronicle Books that will sell and market their titles and distributed lines in the U.K. and Europe. The company will also seek out complementary lists.
With headquarters in London, the joint venture will build on the existing Abrams UK operation, is headed by managing director Chuck Lang and will continue to use the current U.K. warehouse, Gardner's Book Service.
The in-house sales team will manage all U.K. national accounts and the London territory, and regional U.K. sales coverage will be handled by Publishers Group U.K. and commission reps. Sales and distribution in Europe, where the new venture sees substantial opportunity for growth, will be overseen by new international sales director David Gooding and eight export sales representatives. All U.K. and international press and marketing will be managed by the London staff.
Abrams president and CEO Michael Jacobs said that the two houses "have a comprehensive range of both adult and children's books, gifts and stationery to offer to all types of retailer partners, from bookstores and museum shops to gift and specialty accounts. Additionally, the partnership between our two companies--and the complementary skills and affinities of our programs and people--is a natural fit and one we've been looking to capitalize upon for years."
For his part, Jack Jensen, president of Chronicle, said, "Over the last decade we have experienced consistent sales growth and increased market penetration in both the U.K. and Europe. Our partnership will provide the opportunity to enhance the highly skilled Abrams sales and marketing team, and the combined lists will allow us to bring an inspired, market driven publishing program to these most important market channels."