Bertelsmann, the parent company of Random House, has gained controlling interest in Mondadori. This is Random House’s Latin American and Spanish outfit that it ran in conjunction with the original Mondadori group. The merger is a savvy move by Random House to further consolidate its digital presence in a growing Spanish market.
Random House Mondadori’s divisions publish adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction in print hardcover, trade, mass market paperback, and ebook formats, with such imprints as Plaza & Janés, Grijalbo, Lumen, Mondadori, Debate, Sudamericana, Montena, Beascoa, and Rosa dels vents, among others. International authors will continue to be published under the Mondadori imprint.
Thomas Rabe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bertelsmann, said, “Bertelsmann believes in the creative and commercial potential of the book business and, by maximizing its holding in Random House Mondadori, is embracing an opportunity to significantly improve both its position in the Spanish book market and its access to the growing Spanish-language markets of Latin America. We are very grateful to Mondadori for our longstanding and very successful partnership.”
Michael Kozlowski is the Editor in Chief of Good e-Reader. He has been writing about audiobooks and e-readers for the past ten years. His articles have been picked up by major and local news sources and websites such as the CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and Verge.