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Penguin to launch Global Business Book Imprint

Portfolio Penguin, already successful in the USA, to roll out in the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa

London/Toronto - 12th April 2010… Penguin will launch a global business book imprint by rolling out its Portfolio imprint this autumn in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa. Portfolio is a market—leading business imprint in the US, and has expanded to India in the last few years.

This new launch is part of a strategy to make Penguin’s business publishing more global in reach.  Penguin Chairman and CEO John Makinson said:  "Business publishing is increasingly global in reach, and in Portfolio we have one of the world’s strongest and fastest—growing business book imprints. So we are delighted to launch Portfolio Penguin in the UK and our other major English language markets this year. It will enable us to develop authors and serve the demands of readers both locally and globally, across all print and digital formats." 

The business books sector has proved to be resilient in the face of economic uncertainty, as people turn to books for explanations of unprecedented economic events. This upward trend is reflected around the world, fuelled by the growth of English as the language of business and by the rise of the internet.

In Canada, the imprint with launch with MacroWikinomics by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams in September 2010.

"The market for business books is very strong in Canada, which positions us well for building the Portfolio Penguin imprint," said Andrea Magyar, Vice President, Business Development. "Launching the imprint in Canada with MacroWikinomics sets the bar high for a list of top tier Canadian and international business books." 

Wikinomics (published in January 2007) was a national bestseller in Canada and named a Finalist for the Financial Times / Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award. It was also named one of the best business books of 2007 by the Financial Times, The Economist, and Amazon.com, and praised by CEO’s and influencers such as Al Gore, who called Tapscott "one of the world’s leading cyber—gurus".

Macrowikinomics shows where organizations are succeeding by embracing seven principles of mass collaboration.  New topics include finance, government, education, media, and the automotive and healthcare industries.

Don Tapscott is an internationally sought guru, consultant, and speaker on business strategy and organizational transformation.  He served as founder and chairman of the international think tank New Paradigm before its acquisition by nGenera, the global thought leader in enterprise collaboration.  He is also an adjunct professor of management at the University of Toronto’s Joseph L. Rotman School of Management.

Anthony D. Williams is the founder and CEO of the Toronto—based firm Anthony D. Williams Consulting.  His articles on business and technology have appeared in Business Week, The Globe and Mail, and The Times of India among others.  He acts as a strategic advisor to several Fortune 500 firms and international institutions and is a senior fellow at nGenera Insight.

Portfolio founder & Publisher Adrian Zackheim added:  "With the addition of the Portfolio Penguin international imprint, we will be able to greatly expand our worldwide offerings in the business category, without inhibiting the business book publishing activities of other Penguin imprints.  The result, we hope, will be to develop the careers of many more writers, and to establish a much bigger footprint for Penguin in the business sections of  bookstores throughout the English speaking world—and to offer writers a unique opportunity to reach a global audience."

Portfolio Penguin will encompass topical narrative non—fiction and books on leadership, careers, finance, sales, marketing and life skills.  It will launch with five titles in the autumn, growing to around 20 new books a year by 2012, all available in print and digital formats across the UK & Commonwealth, as well as many other markets. While the majority of the books will be acquired and published simultaneously with Portfolio in the US, the new imprint will also become a platform for UK business books, and for local business titles in Penguin’s main markets around the world: Australia & New Zealand, India, South Africa, Canada, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Penguin has recruited a dedicated Communications Manager, based in London, to create national and global publicity and marketing campaigns. Richard Lennon is currently sales director for Dow Jones Consumer Media, where he works on titles including The Wall Street Journal Europe, Financial News and Wealth Bulletin; he joins Penguin on 12th April.

About Portfolio

Portfolio was founded by Publisher Adrian Zackheim in 2001 as a dedicated business book imprint within Penguin US. It publishes distinctive books in the fields of management, leadership, marketing, business narrative, investing, personal finance, economics, technology, and career advice.  The imprint has grown to around 45 new hardcover titles a year, along with around 20 paperbacks.  Its authors include Seth Godin (Purple Cow, Linchpin), Don Tapscott (Wikinomics), and Guy Kawasaki (The Art of the Start). Three Portfolio books have been finalists for the Financial Times / Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award, and many have been listed on best of the year lists by Business Week and 800—CEO—READ.  Jack Covert, author of The 100 Best Business Books of All Time, says: "The Portfolio brand sits in a perfect spot between the academic—driven business books — hopelessly dry — and the pedestrian practical ‘Seven Ways to…’ books. Portfolio titles are story—driven, insightful, practical, and always have enjoyable insights into business."