Alexander Lebedev sounding out buyers for Independent titles

Any deal would exclude London Evening Standard, while separate sale of profitable i thought to be open to discussionAlexander Lebedev has asked the founder of the Independent to seek a buyer for the newspaper, its Sunday sister and their cut-price stablemate, the i, 28 years after the daily title was launched.Andreas Whittam Smith, recently appointed as chairman of the publishing company behind the three papers, has been asked to quietly sound out prospective suitors. The titles currently make a loss estimated at £10m a year.They have informally been available for a deal since late 2012, when Lebedev, a former KGB agent, stated publicly that he was looking for an investor to take a minority stake. However it is understood that Whittam Smith's new mandate includes seeking an outright sale of all, or parts, of the portfolio.Any deal would not include the London Evening Standard, which is 76.1% owned by Lebedev, or London Live, the paper's soon-to-launch TV channel for the capital.The jewel in the crown is the profitable i. It was launched in October 2010 and now has a circulation of 300,000. The company is thought to be open to discussions about selling the i separately. But it is not clear what impact its sale would have on the economics of the Independents.Plummeting sales have put the Independent titles in the most precarious position of all the UK's national newspapers.The Independent's average daily sale is about 68,000 copies, but only 50,000 are sold at the full... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2014-01-17 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Montaigne title wins Duff Cooper Prize

Written By: Neill Denny Publication Date: Wed, 23/02/2011 - 09:35 Chatto's How to Live: A Life of Montaigne has won The Duff Cooper Prize, beating Costa-category winner The Hare with Amber Eyes and Keith Richards' huge-selling autobiography. Winning author Sarah Bakewell was presented with the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-23 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Titan acquires Giamatti film title

Written By: Graeme Neill Publication Date: Wed, 16/02/2011 - 14:03 Titan has bought UK and Commonwealth rights to a horror book that is currently being adapted into a movie starring "Sideways" star Paul Giamatti. Editor Cath Trechman paid a five-figure sum for rights to John Dies at the End by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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RHCB sign development deals for kids titles

Written By: Caroline Horn Publication Date: Mon, 14/02/2011 - 16:10 read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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H&S acquires Misery Bear title

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Mon, 14/02/2011 - 15:23 Hodder & Stoughton has acquired world rights to the first title from BBC Comedy web hit Misery Bear. H&S publisher Lisa Highton bought Misery Bear's Guide to Love & Heartbreak from Roughcut TV. The title will... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Beautiful Books acquires two "major" autumn titles

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 10/02/2011 - 08:00 Beautiful Books has acquired two "major" non-fiction titles for autumn 2011, with one revisiting Orwell's Wigan Pier and another looking at one of the first people to recognise the Young British Artists (YBA). Publisher... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Viking acquires art title by Will Gompertz

Written By: Charlotte Williams Publication Date: Thu, 10/02/2011 - 08:01 Viking has acquired world rights to a modern art title by BBC arts editor Will Gompertz. Editor Ben Brusey bought What Are You Looking At?: The Surprising Story of Modern Art directly from the author, with Viking to... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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R&J titles receive a big boost

Written By: Caroline Horn and Philip Stone Richard and Judy’s children’s book club initiative, which launched a week ago, saw average sales across the 18 selected titles grow by some 226%. read more Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Octopus acquires CarbLovers diet title

Written By: Katie Allen Octopus has acquired a new diet book which extols the virtues of eating pasta, bread, potatoes and pizza. Octopus publishing director Stephanie Jackson acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to The CarbLover's Diet with Tom Mifsud and Steve Sandonato of Time Home... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2011-02-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Media Decoder: Hearst Makes Offer For Elle, Other Lagardère Titles

After a month of negotiations, Hearst has made an offer to buy 102 magazine titles from the French publisher. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2011-01-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Target Keeps Book Buyers in Its Sights

While all the big box stores carry books and all offer discounted bestsellers, Target competes most directly for those consumers who might otherwise make their purchases at bookstores. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2011-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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