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Dundurn Acquires Napoleon & Co.
We have exciting news to announce! Dundurn has signed a deal to acquire Napoleon & Co. Read the full details in the press release below:
Dundurn to Acquire Napoleon & Co.
(February 17, 2011, Toronto, ON) Toronto-based publisher Dundurn has acquired Napoleon & Co., publishers of award-winning fiction, mysteries, children’s picture books, YA fiction, and educational material. Dundurn publisher Kirk Howard purchased Napoleon from owner Sylvia McConnell in mid-February, with final details to go into effect on March 1, 2011. Dundurn will continue with publishing plans for all currently scheduled books. Sylvia McConnell and her associate, Allister Thompson, will continue to work with Dundurn. Both publishers are currently represented by Kate Walker & Co.
“We are delighted with this acquisition,” says publisher Kirk Howard. “Sylvia has a very respectable list of authors, and has published a wide variety of award-winning, or nominated titles. It’s a natural fit.” Having built Napoleon & Co. from the ground up, the sale of the company is bittersweet for McConnell, though, she admits, it is also an exciting time. “The emotion of handing over the work of twenty-two years in the publishing industry is mitigated by the fact that I have long admired Dundurn and I know that my authors and their books will be finding a good home with Kirk’s company.”
Established in 1972 by Kirk Howard, Dundurn started primarily as a small publisher of Canadian history, military history, politics, current affairs, and biography. Since then Dundurn has expanded its original mandate and now features an award-winning list of mysteries, fiction, YA fiction, and coffee table gift books along with a variety of other genres. The company has grown over the years through the acquisition of other small publishers including Hounslow Press, Simon & Pierre, Boardwalk Books, and Sandcastle Books. More recent acquisitions include Natural Heritage Books and the English-language imprint of Montreal’s XYZ Publishing. Dundurn now publishes over one hundred titles a year, making it one of the largest Canadian publishers.
For more information about Napoleon & Co authors and titles,
or Dundurn, please contact:
Karen McMullin, Publicity Manager
416-214-5544 x227; kmcmullin@dundurn.com
Tags: About the author
Marta is the Publicity Assistant at Dundurn. Aside from blogging and pitching media, she likes ice skating, tacos, and David Bowie.
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2 comments for “Dundurn Acquires Napoleon & Co.”
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To me, this makes perfect sense. And I’m so happy both Sylvia and Allister(a terrific editor)will be staying on at Dundurn. They’ve been great to work with. Sylvia, by accepting my first children’s novel back in 1994, gave me the step up I needed. We turned out seven books together. So, hello again!
I’m thinking of Sylvia and Allister today as they shut up shop. They published my novel Settlement in September 2010 and they have been absolutely wonderful to work with. I hope, as time goes by, the experience for these two great people will be sweet, rather than bittersweet. I know that Dundurn will benefit from their input and I wish for everyone in this merger good fortune and a happy future.