Pengelly buys ‘Books+Publishing’; Tang steps down as EIC

2 July 2018 Books+Publishing

Thorpe-Bowker general manager Gary Pengelly has started a new company, Books and Publishing Pty Ltd, and has purchased the Books+Publishing business from a local subsidiary of its US-based parent company, ProQuest.

As of 1 July, Pengelly’s local company owns Books+Publishing and it will also manage BookNet, a Windows-based inventory-management system created and supported by UniLink Data Systems that serves more than 300 bookshops in Australia and New Zealand.

Pengelly said: ‘The opportunity to be custodian of an iconic Australian publishing industry brand was irresistible and I must thank ProQuest for recognising the importance of B+P to our local industry and helping to facilitate the transfer back to local ownership.’

Pengelly said he hopes the publication will continue to ‘contribute to a flourishing local publishing scene’ and is looking forward to working towards celebrating the publication’s 100-year milestone in 2021.

In news unrelated to the sale of the company, Book+Publishing editor-in-chief Jackie Tang has announced she will step down from the position as of 13 July. Tang, who has been with Books+Publishing since 2015, will be replaced in the role by publishing and digital media coordinator Andrew Wrathall, who has been with the company since 2009.

‘I feel immensely privileged to have worked for this vital component of our local industry over the past three years,’ said Tang. ‘I look forward to seeing the company continue to flourish under its new ownership, with the guidance of Andrew and his dedicated and talented team: Sarah and Nathania. And I’ll be eagerly opening each daily newsletter as it lands in my inbox!’

Wrathall said: ‘I’m looking forward to taking command of the publication and its hardworking crew. With all hands on deck, we’ll continue to shoot out newsletters each day, and I’ll keep the publication on course this year and steer it towards the centenary.’

First founded in 1921, Books+Publishing has been sold twice before: in 1992 and 2001. In 2021, Books+Publishing will celebrate 100 years of continuous publication in Australia. To read more about the history of Books+Publishing, click here.

Category: Local news