The Inside Story Behind SouthComm’s Rapid-Fire Breakup

“The single hardest thing to do in business is to make a deal, whether you’re buying or selling.” Former SouthComm, Inc. COO Blair Johnson knew the magnitude of the task before him when, in November 2017, the company’s equity backer Solidus ousted CEO Chris Ferrell and indicated its desire to exit the publishing business within eight months. “At that time, Solidus had decided they wanted to liquidate their position and get out of SouthComm,” Johnson tells Folio:. “[Managing partner] Vic Gatto and the board made a decision that we needed to do it, and do it quickly, and that Chris was probably not the right person to do it. He likes to buy and build, and it’s a different strategy when you have to liquidate.” And so Solidus handed the company reins to Johnson—who took over as CEO—and CFO Bob Mahoney, and the pair immediately began the process of selling off a company that comprised alt-weeklies serving five different cities, a robust b2b media business, and hundreds of employees, among other assets. In a b2b-media space characterized by frequent mergers and acquisitions, the circumstances may have felt a bit like déjà vu all over again for Johnson, who had arrived at SouthComm from Cygnus Business Media in 2015 after four years helping transition that company from bankruptcy to breakup. “We essentially had eight different entities that we had to find a new home for,” Johnson continues. “Clearly, the biggest of these was the b2b assets from legacy Cygnus.” The relative... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'

[ Folio Magazine | 2018-08-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fire forces closure of a Waterstones Exeter branch

A Waterstones branch in Exeter has been forced to close after a blaze that erupted in the area early this morning. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tool, Story Add Female Directors; and More Production Moves

Tool has signed Director and Photographer Danielle Levitt to the integrated production company's live-action roster. She has worked with Marc Jacobs, Reebok, Nike, Sprite and Old Spice. She has also photographed celebrity portraits for Jenna Lyons, Rick Owens and the cast of Broadway's... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Gripping' love story set on Turkish/Syrian border to Daunt Books

Daunt Books Publishing has acquired Elliot Ackerman’s "timely" new novel Dark at the Crossing – a "gripping" contemporary love story set on the Turkish/Syrian border. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2016: Bonnier CEO Touts Stories, People

Jacob Dalborg, CEO of Bonnier, was the featured speaker during the CEO panel where he talked about the plans the Swedish publisher has for the future. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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JRR Tolkien's Middle-earth love story to be published next year

Beren and Lúthien, a story of the perilous romance between a man and an elf, is one of a number of texts by the author brought ‘together for the first time’JRR Tolkien’s legend of the mortal man Beren and the immortal elf Lúthien – a story that meant so much to the Lord of the Rings author that... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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C&W signs 'heartbreaking' story by PEN International president

Chatto & Windus is to publish Gun Love, a "powerful and heartbreaking" story of a mother and daughter by novelist and PEN International president Jennifer Clement. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Inside Chief Executive’s Data-Driven Evolution

How the 40-year-old business magazine adapted to meet 21st-century market demands. The post Inside Chief Executive’s Data-Driven Evolution appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2016-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vivek Tiwary: Telling Stories Any Way You Like

After producing award-winning works in music, musical theater and comics, Vivek Tiwary is now writing an illustrated YA novel and working to turn Dave Roman's children's graphic novel 'Astronaut Academy' into a TV series. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt: women-centric stories dominate

The firing pistol for the annual rights frenzy ahead of the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) has sounded, with publishers battling it out to find the next The Girl on the Train as the psychological thriller phenomenon shows little sign of slowing down. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Virgin Books acquires The Airbnb Story

Virgin Books has acquired The Airbnb Story, the first "definitive" book about the $25.5bn-valued company, to publish in spring 2017. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Debut author Orr wins BBC National Short Story Award

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[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-05 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Cover Story: 'The Guineveres'

After the ARCs went out for Sarah Domet's debut novel, its cover went through a complete redesign. Here's why. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A Look Inside an Amazon Pop-Up

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Gangster ballad love story' to Granta

Granta has acquired The Earlie King and The Kid in Yellow, a debut novel by Irish writer Danny Denton. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Heyer's 'newly-discovered' stories to WH

William Heinemann is publishing in October a Regency short story collection, Snowdrift and Other Stories, by late historical romance novelist Georgette Heyer, including three newly-discovered tales. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Ebury to publish 'high-concept' love story by Rowan Coleman

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[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tribute to World War II hero in documentary 'Never Surrender: The Ed Ramsey Story'

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[ Los Angeles Times | 2016-09-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Penguin Australia accused of prior knowledge of 'gaps' in Gibson's fraudulent story

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[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Backroom story' behind Team GB's Olympic success to Ebury

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[ The Bookseller | 2016-09-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Forgotten Georgette Heyer stories to be republished

Three short stories by the queen of Regency romance have been discovered by her biographer and are being reprinted in a new volumeA trio of forgotten stories by the queen of Regency romance Georgette Heyer have been uncovered by her biographer and are due to be published, for the first time in... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-09-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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