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Penguin Random House acquires venerable independent Hay House
Tom Tivnan is the managing editor of The Bookseller.
Tom Tivnan is the managing editor of The Bookseller.
One of 2023’s biggest pieces of news in the wellbeing arena came just this week with Penguin Random House’s acquisition of Hay House, the venerable indie founded by Louise Hay in 1984. PRH c.e.o. Nihar Malaviya and Hay House boss Reid Tracy announced the acquisition on 12th December but the terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The companies said Hay House will retain its editorial and publishing independence and Tracy will continue to run it as its c.e.o. No changes are said to be planned for its London, New York and Carlsbad [California] offices, or for its management and employees.
Hay House has been one of the most successful independents in the wellness and personal development space and has been on a particularly good run of late—its top five years through Nielsen BookScan have all been in the last half decade, topped by 2021’s £4.4m. Its latest annual report to Companies House shows the UK arm’s turnover at £10.5m, with a profit of £395,000 (its global sales are estimated to be in the $100m range).
Vex King has been Hay House’s huge UK star, shifting £5.1m through the Nielsen Total Consumer Market since his Good Vibes, Good Life was published in 2018. Author/founder Hay, who died in 2017, is the other big brand: her classic You Can Heal Your Life has sold 362,000 copies for £3.4m in the BookScan era.
