F&W Media Acquires Tyrus Books

[Benjamin Sobieck]

Full disclosure: I work for F&W Media, although not in this part of the company.

 

F+W Media Announces Creation of F+W Crime
New Crime/Mystery/Dark Literary Fiction Vertical;
Signs Agreement with Benjamin LeRoy and Acquires Tyrus Books

F+W Media, Inc. announced today the Company will enter the fiction market with the acquisition of Tyrus Books and launch of its newest community F+W Crime in partnership with Benjamin LeRoy. LeRoy, founder of Bleak House, and Tyrus Books (www.tyrusbooks.com) will join F+W effective immediately with the agreement as Publisher and Community Leader.

F+W Media, Inc. announced today the Company will enter the fiction market with the acquisition of Tyrus Books and launch of its newest community F+W Crime in partnership with Benjamin LeRoy. LeRoy, founder of Bleak House, and Tyrus Books (www.tyrusbooks.com) will join F+W effective immediately with the agreement as Publisher and Community Leader. LeRoy will guide the vision of the Community and ensure the continued publication of the quality titles which have earned Tyrus books high praise from reviewers and the industry alike.

F+W Crime will launch in June and will release as many as 200 ebook-only titles in 2011, with additional select Fall 2011 print releases. According to the AAP, through February trade paperback sales have slipped while eBook sales continue to grow exponentially. The introduction of this eBook imprint, aligns with the Company’s continued strategy to meet the needs of its communities and to endeavor to create the ideal consumer experience. Genre fiction is widely seen as the fastest growing segment of ebook sales and among the earliest to be embraced avid dedicated readers, making it a perfect extension for the Company.

Said David Nussbaum, Chairman and CEO, “As a leader in his genre, we are thrilled to have Benjamin join F+W to launch our eighteenth vertical Community.” Titles LeRoy has published have garnered positive reviews from The New York Times to The Los Angeles Times, and have been finalists and award-winners of the Edgar Awards, Shamus Awards, among others. “With quality content at its core, we will build a rich, full Community from fans to authors, crossing the spectrum of media – ebooks, print titles, events, eCommerce, and more.” 

“I am thrilled with the opportunity to head up F+W Crime, as it provides an opportunity to continue the growth of Tyrus Books and to invest my efforts into the development of Prologue Books, an ebook initiative I strongly believe in and have been conceptualizing for some time,” said LeRoy. “F+W is on the cutting edge of the digital book revolution as evidenced by ventures like Digital Book World. A company with a demonstrably forward-thinking track record, F+W is a perfect partner,” he added. 

“Hearing Benjamin speak at our recent Writer’s Digest Conference, his passion for uncovering stories from all across the nation and his drive to develop quality content was evident,” said Sara Domville, President. “Together we will introduce a wide range of forgotten and original stories to passionate readers as we boldly share in the evolution of how a story can be told in words, audio and video.”

 

[I. J. Parker]

Hmm. I've been wondering about Bleak House and Tyrus.