David Shelley hails ‘brilliant’ first quarter for Hachette UK as revenues up 4.8%

David Shelley, c.e.o. at Hachette UK and Hachette Book Group, has hailed a “brilliant” first quarter, with revenues for the company’s UK arm up 4.8% compared with the same period last year. 

The results were revealed in a first quarter report by parent company Lagardère, where group revenues were up 8.9% to €1.9bn (£1.6bn) on a like-for-like basis for the first three months of the year. 

Revenue for Lagardère Publishing totalled €576m (£493m), up 0.8% like for like. The report credits this to growth in the UK and United States.

It continues that UK growth was largely “thanks to the performance of Adult Trade, driven in particular by the continued success of backlist titles, including the first two volumes of The Empyrean trilogy by Rebecca Yarros, dynamic sales of Matthew Perry’s autobiography in audio format, and a fine frontlist performance with the successful launch of Ali Hazelwood’s Bride”.

In France, the division recorded a 4.8% fall in revenue, mainly due to a decline in revenue for Illustrated Books in the comics/manga segment, the absence of an equivalent to the Asterix and Obelix: The Middle Kingdom album and softer activity in Practical Guides. The US saw a 3.4% rise in revenue, driven by a “good start to the year” at Hachette Audio. 

Of the UK division’s growth, Shelley commented: “We’ve had a brilliant Q1, with like-for-like market share growth of 0.6%. Little, Brown and Bookouture have had an exceptional start to the year. It has also been a great start to the year for Hodder & Stoughton, and our newest acquisitions, Welbeck and Paperblanks, continue to thrive.”

He continued that Hachette UK’s titles have appeared in the Sunday Times bestseller lists 123 times in the first quarter of 2024, up from 95 in the same period last year. Top performing titles include The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (Bookouture), Iron Flame and Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (Little, Brown), The Island Swimmer by Lorraine Kelly (Orion), Deliciously Ella Healthy Made Simple by Ella Mills (Hodder & Stoughton) and 4 Weeks to Better Sleep by Dr Michael Mosley (Octopus).

Also singled out were: Past Lying by Val McDermid (Little, Brown), Strong Female Character by Fern Brady (Octopus), Heartstopper 5 by Alice Oseman (Hachette Children’s Books), and One Day by David Nicholls (Hodder& Stoughton).