PRH buys Barcelona indie Ediciones Salamandra

Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial has acquired Ediciones Salamandra to "ensure the continuity" of the Barcelona-based independent publisher.

The deal “reinforces its leadership in the Spanish-language market, both in Spain and Latin America”, the global Spanish-language division of Penguin Random House said in a statement.

The announcement was made jointly by PRH c.e.o. Markus Dohle and PRHGE c.e.o. Núria Cabutí, as well as Pedro del Carril and Sigrid Kraus, owners of Ediciones Salamandra. Terms of the sale were not made public.

Kraus will continue as publishing manager of Ediciones Salamandra, working closely with Cabutí. Kraus and del Carril formed the independent publisher in October 2000 in Barcelona.

The acquisition “reinforces and expands its market share in the Spanish-language children’s and young adult, and adult book market in Spain and Latin America, which it previously advanced with its purchases of Santillana Ediciones Generales (in 2014) and Ediciones B (in 2017)”, the company said.

It features a roster of 500 authors, through several imprints: Narrativa, Black, Novela, Narrativa Joven, Blue, Ñ, Català, Fun & Food, Graphic and Letras de Bolsillo.  “Penguin Random House will preserve the identity and autonomy of each of these imprints and will continue publishing Spanish-language originals and Spanish and Catalan translations of fiction and non-fiction works for children and adults in hardcover, trade and mass-market paperback and digital (ebook and audiobook) editions,” the statement from PRHGE reads. 

The acquisition “will enable Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial to add to its portfolio Ediciones Salamandra’s dstinguished catalogue of Spanish and international authors” including J K Rowling, Margaret Atwood, Jennifer Egan, Zadie Smith, Mark Haddon, John Boyne, and Khaled Hosseini.

Dohle said: “As our acquisitions of Santillana Ediciones Generales, Ediciones B, and now Ediciones Salamandra demonstrate, Penguin Random House strongly believes in the global growth potential of the Spanish-language market, and we very much look forward to bringing Ediciones Salamandra’s authors to an even wider readership.”

Del Carril added: “Of all the large publishing groups in the world, none is better than Penguin Random House to take over and carry forward a legacy of 30 years devoted to high-quality publishing.”

"I am really excited about this magnificent opportunity to ensure Salamandra’s continuity,” Kraus said. “The challenge ahead will be to leverage PRH’s support to strengthen and expand the prestige earned by Salamandra from publishing delightful, moving, and surprising books.”