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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Inside 2015’s Category Bestsellers

Hollywood, perennial bestsellers, and publishing powerhouses were the engines behind the 2015 bestsellers in many categories on the adult fiction and nonfiction sides, with several of PW’s category bestseller lists looking a lot like greatest-hits compilations. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Lost Beatrix Potter story becomes bestseller months ahead of publication

The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots, which remained unseen for a century, is already a bestseller – eight months before it reaches shopsBeatrix Potter’s long-lost story about “a well-behaved prime black Kitty cat, who leads rather a double life” has shot to the top of Amazon’s book charts months ahead of... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Beatrix Potter: Newly-found story by 'Peter Rabbit' author will be released this fall

A story by Potter titled 'The Tale of Kitty-in-Boots' was recently found and will be released by Penguin Random House in September. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PRH to publish 'lost' Beatrix Potter story

Frederick Warne & Co, an imprint of Penguin Random House Children’s, will this September release a previously unpublished children’s story by Beatrix Potter, with new illustrations by Quentin Blake. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Apple Fires Back at DoJ

In a reply brief filed on January 15, Apple attorneys reiterated its argument that the Supreme Court should review their ebook price-fixing case. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-01-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Identities of Costa Short Story authors revealed

The anonymity of six finalists in the running for the Costa Short Story Award has been lifted, revealing a novelist who made it into David Bowie's "Top 100 Must-Read books of all time". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Emotive' debut based on real-life story to Urbane

Urbane Publications has signed The Huntingfield Paintress, the debut novel by writer Pamela Holmes. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-01-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Adweek's 10 Most Read Technology Stories of 2015

Here are the 10 most-read technology stories published by Adweek in 2015:     10. These Are the Digital Trends Everyone in Tech and Advertising Needs to Know Mary Meeker runs digital investments for top Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, and every year she... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2015-12-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The never-ending photo-story

Photographer Léonie Hampton's documentation of her mother's struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder is the Contrasto release, 'In the Shadow of Things.' That traditionally produced book now forms the basis of another work, Victoria Forrest's 'In the Shadow,' a photo-story app (iOS). Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW's Top Religion Stories of 2015

From Family Christian Stores’ bankruptcy journey to Ben Carson’s apology for plagiarizing, here are PW’s top religion stories of 2015. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-22 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Publishers Weekly’s Top Comics Stories of 2015

These are the ten most popular stories about graphic novels and comics published on publishersweekly.com in 2015. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Top Publishing Stories of 2015

E.L. James surprised fans when she announced she would be releasing a fourth novel featuring the star-crossed, and occasionally tied-up, lovers in her Fifty Shades saga. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Fry narrates two Max Carrados stories for Audible

Stephen Fry will voice two classic detective stories exclusively for Audible. Fry, who voiced all seven of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books, will voice The Coin of Dionysius and The Game Played in the Dark by Ernest Bramah, which features the blind detective Max Carrados who was first... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-12-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW's Top Cookbook Stories of 2015

From food bloggers' cookbook picks to regional cuisine, these were PW's top cookbooks stories of 2015. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-16 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Dark Horse to Publish Graphic Versions of Neil Gaiman Short Stories

The graphic adaptations of 'How to Talk to Girls at Parties,' with art by Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, and 'Troll Bridge,' with art by Colleen Doran, will be released in 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-14 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'American Horror Story: Hotel' recap: 'She Wants Revenge'

Aren’t we all kind of relieved this episode of "American Horror Story: Hotel" isn’t a flashback? After two consecutive backstory-heavy installments, the prospect of some small amount of forward momentum on existing storylines feels great. There’s probably not a self-help book for this. The... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun

[ Baltimore Sun | 2015-12-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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New Book Material Innovation Goes Inside the Surprisingly Clever World of Package Design

A new book called Material Innovation: Packaging Design catalogs all the ways designers are shaking up packaging design. The post New Book Material Innovation Goes Inside the Surprisingly Clever World of Package Design appeared first on WIRED. Continue reading at Wired

[ Wired | 2015-12-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
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FT to review digital publishing process after inaccurate ECB story

Newspaper publishes online article saying ECB had ‘confounded expectations’ by deciding to hold interest rates, causing euro to temporarily plummetThe Financial Times is to review its digital publishing practices after publishing an inaccurate article about the European Central Bank’s decision... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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PW's Top 10 Library Stories of 2015

We take a look back at some of the library stories that captivated the publishing world in 2015, and a look ahead at what they portend for 2016. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2015-12-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Story of Serial's Adnan Syed to be published by Century

Rabia Chaudry is writing an insider account of the case of Adnan Syed, a case she brought to the attention of "Serial", the weekly podcast that captivated millions. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2015-11-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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