Orion Publishing Group Ltd. is a UK-based
book
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical ...
publisher
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
. It was founded in 1991 and acquired
Weidenfeld & Nicolson the following year. The group has published numerous bestselling books by notable authors including
Ian Rankin,
Michael Connelly
Michael Joseph Connelly (born July 21, 1956) is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller.
Connelly is the bestse ...
,
Nemir Kirdar and
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...
.
History
Orion Books was launched in 1992, with Orion purchasing the assets of Chapman publishers the following year. In the same year (1993), Orion acquired a warehousing and distribution centre called
Littlehampton Book Services (LBS), which was based in
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the Englis ...
in the UK. A majority share capital of Orion was sold to
Hachette Livre in 1998, before Hachette Livre became the sole owner of the Orion Publishing Group in 2003. In December 1998, Orion acquired publishing house
Cassell
Cassell may refer to:
Companies
* ''Cassell Military Paperbacks'', an imprint of Orion Publishing Group
* ''Cassell's National Library''
* Cassell (publisher) (Cassell Illustrated or Cassell & Co.), a British book publisher now owned by the Orion ...
, whose imprints included
Victor Gollancz Ltd. This imprint became a part of the Orion group and Orion also took ownership of the Cassell Military list. After acquiring
Hodder Headline,
Hachette UK
Hachette () is a French publisher. Founded in 1826 by Louis Hachette as Brédif, the company later became L. Hachette et Compagnie, Librairie Hachette, Hachette SA and Hachette Livre in France. After acquiring an Australian publisher, Hachette ...
was formed, with Orion as its largest single component.
Awards
Hachette's Orion division won the 2021
British Book Awards "Publisher of The Year" title for outstanding success during the 2020 calendar year. Each of its lists recorded a sharp increase in sales, with eight books topping £1,000,000 in sales. There were best sellers from
Ian Rankin and
Michael Connelly
Michael Joseph Connelly (born July 21, 1956) is an American author of detective novels and other crime fiction, notably those featuring LAPD Detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller.
Connelly is the bestse ...
in fiction along with strong sales from
Noel Fitzpatrick and
Arsene Wenger on the non-fiction side. This financial success, along with "virtual events and effective
digital marketing
Digital marketing is the component of marketing that uses the Internet and online based digital technologies such as desktop computers, mobile phones and other digital media and platforms to promote products and services. Its development duri ...
" (Adam Kay's ''Dear NHS'' anthology raised nearly £400,000) saw the Orion Group win the publishers' prize in 2021.
Imprints
The group's
imprint
Imprint or imprinting may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series
* "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror''
* ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film
...
s include:
*
Allen & Unwin
* Cassell Military Paperbacks
*
Cassell's National Library
*
J. M. Dent
Joseph Malaby Dent (30 August 1849 – 9 May 1926) was a British book publisher who produced the Everyman's Library series.
Early life
Dent was born in Darlington in what is now part of the Grade II listed Britannia Inn. After a short and ...
(
Everyman Classics)
* Indigo (YA imprint)
* Millennium
* Orion Audiobooks
* Orion Books
* Orion Children's Books
* Orion Paperbacks
* Phoenix Books
*Trapeze
*
Victor Gollancz Ltd
*
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
The group also distributes books for the independent
Halban Publishers.
Distribution
Books distributed through Littlehampton Book Services.
LBSLTD.co.uk
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See also
* List of largest UK book publishers
* UK children's book publishers
References
External links
*
.
1991 establishments in England
Book publishing companies based in London
British companies established in 1991
British subsidiaries of foreign companies
Lagardère Media
Publishing companies established in 1991
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