Workman Publishing Company

Workman Publishing Company is a publisher of trade books (such as cookbooks, parenting/pregnancy guides, children's books) and calendars. Formerly one of the industry's largest independent publishers, Workman is now part of Hachette Book Group.[2]

Workman Publishing Company
Parent companyHachette Book Group
StatusActive
Founded1968
FounderPeter Workman
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters locationNew York City, New York
Distribution
  • self-distributed (US)
  • Melia Publishing Services (UK)
  • Hardie Grant (AU books)
  • BrownTrout Publishers (AU calendars)
  • Bookreps NZ (NZ)
  • Real Books (SA)[1]
Publication typesBooks, calendars
ImprintsAlgonquin, Storey, Timber, Artisan
Official websiteworkman.com

Located in New York City, New York, US, the company includes several imprints with offices located throughout the United States. These imprints include: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Algonquin Young Readers, Artisan, Storey Publishing, and Timber Press. Workman is also the distributor for The Experiment, duopress, Erewhon Books, and Familius.[3]

The company was founded in 1968 by Peter Workman upon publishing the book Yoga 28-Day Exercise Plan. As of July 2007, two-thirds of the books published by the company remained in print.[4]

Notable publications

Paul H. Hanson,[5] head of the art department and author, invented the Page-A-Day Calendar series covering a variety of topics.[2][5] Among its bestsellers are B. Kliban's Cat; The Official Preppy Handbook; and the 1,000 Places to See Before You Die book, calendar, and television program.[6]

It also publishes the bestselling pregnancy guide, What to Expect When You're Expecting and its spin-off series; many of Sandra Boynton's children's books; and the Brain Quest series.[7] Workman has also published many cookbooks, including Steven Raichlen's The Barbecue Bible series and Sheila Lukins and Julee Rosso's The Silver Palate Cookbook.

Workman’s flagship imprint is known for a very information-dense layout inspired by magazine publishers, with large amounts of illustration and a heavy reliance on sidebars to convey information not directly stated in the text itself.

History

The company was founded as an independent publisher in 1968 by Peter Workman upon publishing the book Yoga 28-Day Exercise Plan.[4]

In 2021, Hachette Book Group (HBG) entered into a "binding commitment" Workman. The acquisition was completed in late September that year, with HBG ultimately paying $240 million for Workman.[2][8]

Imprints and distribution

Workman Publishing includes several imprints: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, Algonquin Young Readers, Artisan, Storey Publishing, and Timber Press. Workman is also the distributor for The Experiment, duopress, Erewhon Books, and Familius.[3]

Algonquin Books

Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill was founded by Louis Rubin and Shannon Ravenel in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in 1983 as an independent publisher of literary fiction and nonfiction by yet-undiscovered young writers, mostly from the southern US.

Although it started as a small Southern house, it garnered national attention for many now-renowned authors, including Julia Alvarez, Larry Brown, Kaye Gibbons, Jill McCorkle, Robert Morgan, Lee Smith, Tayari Jones, and Amy Stewart, among others.

Algonquin was acquired by Workman Publishing in 1989. Today, it has offices in New York City and Chapel Hill and is recognized internationally as a literary house with numerous bestsellers, listing titles including Water for Elephants, A Reliable Wife, Love, Loss, and What I Wore, and Last Child in the Woods.[9][10]

In 2013, Algonquin launched the Algonquin Young Readers imprint, featuring middle grade and young adult books.

Artisan Books

Artisan Books, based in New York City, publishes illustrated books, specializing in cooking, design, crafts, hobbies, and popular culture topics in general nonfiction.[11]

Artisan was founded by Peter Workman in 1994 with a focus on visuals—be it photography, illustration, or graphic design—accompanied by editorial content. The publisher's first notable bestseller was The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller.[11]

The publishing house has gone on to receive national attention for such books as Ad Hoc at Home, Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy, Design Sponge at Home, and Medal of Honor. Moreover, Artisan’s cookbooks are frequently awarded IACP and James Beard Foundation Awards. Artisan authors include Thomas Keller, Grace Bonney, Jeni Britton Bauer, Alain Ducasse, Christophe Pourny, Alice Medrich, Lucinda Scala Quinn, Frank Stitt and David Tanis.[11]

Storey Publishing

Storey Publishing specializes in do-it-yourself books on gardening, crafts, nature, cooking, beer & wine, animals, horses, building, farming, and homesteading.[12] Its offices are located on the campus of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) in North Adams, within the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts.[12]

Popular titles include Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health, Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables, and The Vegetable Gardener's Bible. Storey's authors include Judith Durant, Edward C. Smith and Gail Damerow.

The company was founded as Storey Communications in 1983 in North Adams, Massachusetts, by John and Martha Storey when they bought the publishing arm of Garden Way, a company known for its rototillers and garden carts.[12] Storey was acquired by Workman in 2000.[13]

Timber Press

Timber Press focuses on more advanced gardening topics targeted at horticulturists, botanists, naturalists, and landscape professionals.

Popular titles include The Edible Front Yard, What's Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It?), and The Well-Tended Perennial Garden. Timber's authors include David Deardorff, Ken Druse, Michael Dirr, Andrew Wilson, Scott Ogden, Douglas Tallamy, and Kathryn Aalto.

Founded in 1978 in Portland, Oregon, Timber was acquired by Workman in 2006.[14]

Distribution

duopress is an independent publisher of children’s and adult illustrated nonfiction books, with products ranging across the trade, gift, library, mass, and specialty markets. Some of their popular series and brands include the Local Baby series of regional board books, Awesome Minds biographies, SmartFlash flashcards, TummyTime fold-out board books, adult impulse humor books, among others. Founded in 2007, duopress has been distributed by Workman Publishing since 2017.[15]

Erewhon Books is an independent publisher of speculative fiction, focusing on novel-length works of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and related subgenres. Erewhon was founded in 2018 by speculative fiction editor Liz Gorinsky and team.[16]

The Experiment is an independent publisher of (mostly practical) nonfiction—including such topics as food, health & fitness, psychology & personal development, parenting, relationships, sexuality, science, and nature.[17] Launched in 2008, The Experiment has been distributed by Workman since 2011.[17]

Familius, founded in 2012, is an independent publishing company focused on family wellbeing.[18]

References
  1. "International Sales & Rights - Workman Publishing". 7 April 2016. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  2. Milliot, Jim. "Hachette Book Group Will Acquire Workman Publishing for $240 Million". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  3. "Workman Publishing". Workman Publishing. 2016-04-06. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  4. "Company Factsheet". Hoovers. D&B Company. 2007-07-07. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
  5. Writer, William Hageman, Tribune Staff. "365 TAKES ON JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING". chicagotribune.com.
  6. "Lists of Best-Selling Books". 2014-12-17.
  7. "On a Quest For Smarter Kids". 2005-05-16. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008.
  8. "Hachette Book Group Completes Acquisition of Workman Publishing". Hachette Book Group. 2021-09-24. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  9. McDowell, Edwin (1988-10-20). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Workman Publishing Set To Buy Algonquin Books". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  10. "History of Workman Publishing Company, Inc. – FundingUniverse". www.fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  11. "Artisan". Workman Publishing. 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  12. "Storey". Workman Publishing. 2016-03-29. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  13. "Workman to Acquire Storey". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  14. "Workman Acquires Timber Press". GardenDesignOnline. Retrieved 2020-05-09.
  15. "duopress". Workman Publishing. 2017-01-24. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  16. "Erewhon". Workman Publishing. 2019-05-18. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  17. "The Experiment". Workman Publishing. 2016-03-29. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  18. "Our Story". Familius.com Shop. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
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