View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. News
August 7, 2020updated 30 Sep 2022 9:29am

‘Bittersweet moment’ for The Bookseller owner as trade title sold to publisher of The Stage

By Freddy Mayhew

Book trade title The Bookseller has been bought out by the publisher of theatre trade title The Stage for an undisclosed amount.

Talks began last year between the two independent companies, with the deal taking effect from today.

The 162-year-old Bookseller is now part of The Stage Media Company, a family business which has been owned and managed by the Comerford family since The Stage’s launch in 1880.

It had been owned by Bookseller Media, run by chief executive Nigel Roby who acquired the title from Nielsen in 2010, who in turn had bought it from the Whitaker family in 1999 (as VNU Business Media).

Under Roby, the business relaunched The British Book Awards.

“This is a bittersweet moment,” said Roby, who will not continue in his role.

“Owning and running The Bookseller has been the greatest privilege of my working life. My overriding desire over the years has been to adapt and galvanise The Bookseller so it can continue its position at the heart of the book trade.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

“To know that The Bookseller and the brilliant team behind it can go forward with confidence is profoundly heartening. I have put all of my care and energy into The Bookseller so leaving was never going to be easy. And it isn’t!”

Both The Bookseller and the Stage will continue to be run independently, with senior executives from both reporting to Hugh Comerford.

Comerford said: “The Bookseller and the Stage occupy very similar positions in two of our most important sectors.

“Bringing the two businesses together will make both of them stronger and give both companies a far better chance of enduring and thriving in the current, challenging environment than they would have done alone.

“Nigel has passed on The Bookseller and all its operations in robust good health and I am looking forward to building on his work.”

From the autumn, The Bookseller will relocate to the Stage’s office in Bermondsey Street, London.

The Bookseller’s editor, Philip Jones, and director of publisher relations Emma Lowe will join the executive management team at The Stage Media Company.

The Bookseller publishes weekly in print and has a metered paywall online.

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network