Faber & Faber

NEW YORK, NY/LONDON (9/6/2011) - Faber and Faber in the UK and The Perseus Books Group in the US, two of the world’s leading independent book publishers and distributors, today announced a new joint venture company to provide a suite of global digital services for independent publishers based in the UK, Ireland and Commonwealth.

Update: Visit www.faberfactory.co.uk for full details.

The two companies have entered into an agreement to establish Faber Factory Powered by Constellation, a joint venture based in the UK. The new joint venture leverages Faber’s unique position in the independent sector and track record building successful partnerships with independent publishers in the UK such as the Independent Alliance. It is enabled by Perseus’ Constellation digital service, the leading digital service for publishers in the US with more than 200 independent publishers signed on.

'Faber Factory was conceived as an ambitious response to the enormous and liberating opportunity for independent publishers in the digital age,' said Stephen Page, Publisher and CEO of Faber and Faber.

'The power of Faber partnering with Perseus makes this ambition immediately achievable, globally and long term as together we can offer market-leading tools, service and knowledge that will enable publishers based in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa the means to publish successfully.'

'As the standard-bearer for independent publishing in the UK, Faber has been consistently innovative in rolling out new businesses like Faber Factory and Faber Academy,' said David Steinberger, President and CEO of The Perseus Books Group. 'We feel privileged to be joining forces with Faber utilizing our Constellation digital platform and their Faber Factory initiative to offer clients the unparalleled benefits of speed to market, global reach and technological innovation.'

Faber Factory, established by Faber and Faber in October 2010 as a one stop shop for all digital needs, has more than 70 current publishers signed onto their current service and continues to cultivate relationships with major publishers based in the UK, Ireland and Commonwealth. These publishers will now be served by Faber Factory Powered by Constellation.

'When we were looking for a digital services provider we determined that it was key we worked with a partner that not only provided an excellent and robust distribution platform but one that also understood the business of publishing and our particular needs as an independent. Working with Faber Factory has met these needs and we look forward to the wider market access in the US which Constellation brings,' said Pete Duncan, Managing Director, Constable and Robinson.

Faber Factory Powered by Constellation will serve all existing Faber Factory clients as well as Faber and Faber itself. In addition, leading independent publisher, Atlantic Books has already signed up for the newly formed service.

'We’re delighted to be part of this new global venture. We’re closely involved with Faber and Faber through the Independent Alliance and much admire the Faber Factory; Perseus is simply a great publishing company with a formidable ability to see the big picture. I feel sure that joining Faber Factory Powered by Constellation will be key to developing the full potential of Atlantic’s e-book business,' said Toby Mundy, Publisher and CEO of Atlantic Books.

Faber Factory Powered by Constellation will have its own London-based client service team reporting to a board comprised of executives from both companies. Independently, Perseus is increasing their Constellation staff in the US to accommodate its own rapid growth.

Constellation, launched in 2008 by The Perseus Books Group, is the leading digital service provider in the US with over 200 clients and over 20,000 titles digitized thus far. These clients will benefit from Faber’s longstanding relationships with UK retailers.

'Constellation has enabled Grove Atlantic to provide state-of-the business ebook distribution to our authors while staying focused on our core expertise which is publishing great books,' said Morgan Entrekin, Publisher of Grove Atlantic. 'With Faber Factory Powered by Constellation, we look forward to even more opportunities to reach readers and generate digital sales in the UK and other territories.'

Faber and Faber

Founded in 1929 by Geoffrey Faber, Faber and Faber remains one of the UK’s leading independent publishing houses. Faber publishes fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books alongside its garlanded lists of poetry, drama, music and film.

Faber has been the publisher of twelve Nobel Laureates in Literature, among them Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, Seamus Heaney, Orhan Pamuk and Mario Vargas Llosa, and six Booker Prize-winners. Under its innovative Faber Finds imprint it has made rich list of out-of-print titles available once again. In 2011 Faber and Faber was named Ingram Independent Publisher of the Year at the Book Industry Awards and Trade Publisher of the Year at the Independent Publishing Awards.

The Perseus Books Group

The Perseus Books Group is an independent company committed to enabling independent book publishers to reach their potential whether those publishers are Perseus-owned, joint ventures or owned by third parties. Perseus publishing imprints include Avalon Travel, Basic Books, Basic Civitas, Da Capo Press, Da Capo Lifelong Books, PublicAffairs, Running Press, Seal Press, Vanguard Press and Westview Press, as well as partnerships with Newsweek/Daily Beast, The Nation Institute, and The Weinstein Company.

Through Consortium, Perseus Distribution, and Publishers Group West, as well as through its Constellation digital service offering, the Perseus Books Group is the leading provider of sales, marketing, distribution, and digital services, serving over 300 independent publishers. For more information, visit www.perseusbooks.com or www.constellationdigital.com.

For Further Information 

Rachel Alexander
Faber and Faber
email rachela@faber.co.uk / tel 020 7927 3883

Michele Jacob
The Perseus Book Group
email michele.jacob@perseusbooks.com / tel 212 340 8161