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Human Kinetics buys Lotus Publishing for undisclosed sum
American trade and academic publisher Human Kinetics has bought Lotus Publishing, a small Sussex-based press focused on highly illustrated titles in anatomy, sport and health.
The list of roughly 50 titles will be added to the Human Kinetics portfolio as a new imprint: Lotus Books. The price of the sale has not been disclosed.
Human Kinetics, based in Illinois is the leader in physical activity, health, and sport publishing, including titles such as Strength Training Anatomy and Yoga Anatomy. The employee-owned company is also the publishing partner of organisations as the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE America), the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR), and Toronto-based canfitpro.
Since 2003, Lotus Publishing – based in Chichester, West Sussex – has specialised in well-illustrated books that represent an eclectic take on physical therapy, anatomy, health and fitness, sports injuries, strength and conditioning, complementary therapies and self-help, including top sellers such as Fascial Fitness, The Concise Book of Muscles and Muscle Energy Techniques.
Skip Maier, chief executive of Human Kinetics, said: “The Lotus titles align perfectly with the HK list, furthering our mission to help improve the health and fitness of people around the world.
“The additions will expand our reach in important health fields including manual therapy, yoga and physical therapy. The highly visual and accessible nature of the books make them great resources for professionals as well as general consumers.”
Lotus founder Jon Hutchings will continue to work with authors and develop new books for the imprint in 2025 to help ensure a smooth transition.
He said: “Having used the classic Human Kinetics title Physiology of Sport and Exercise as a student almost 40 years ago, it seems fitting that the company I created with Chris Jarmey should be passed into their capable hands. This acquisition will ensure the continuing success of existing titles and the development of an exciting range of new titles to fit into their beautifully curated list.”
Lotus has already had a presence in North America via co-publishing agreements with US-based North Atlantic Books and Inner Traditions, in addition to Human Kinetics. Those partnerships will continue for many of the legacy books in the list, while newly acquired titles will be distributed exclusively by Human Kinetics under the Lotus Books imprint.
Founded in 1974, Human Kinetics is an information leader in physical activity and health. As a publisher for sports and fitness products, Human Kinetics publishes textbooks, books for consumers, instructor support materials, journals, online courses, video, digital products and more.
