Wiley & Sons announced that they would be selling off key pieces of the publishing family that no longer pertained to their long term vision, notably the travel assets and the Frommer’s line of travel guides. The sale is reported between $23 and $25 million and will include the Frommer’s website as well, although Google has apparently not officially committed to continuing the travel books’ print line after the near future.
GoodeReader recently posted an interview with the CEO of Inkling, the app developer that has created the digital Frommer’s guides for iPad and iPhone. It makes sense that Google’s search engine status would go hand in hand with a fully searchable, interactive app focused on guiding travelers through various aspects of a new locale. But it’s Google’s strategy that may prove to be the most prudent, as this acquisition could lead to benefits in the travel and airline booking expertise of the popular search engine.
Google said in an email statement, “The Frommer’s team and the quality and scope of their content will be a great addition to the Zagat team. We can’t wait to start working with them on our goal to provide a review for every relevant place in the world.”
Wiley and Sons put several lines of their titles up for sale in order to streamline their publishing, including the ClifNotes brand and Webster’s New World. According to a statement from the publisher, all proceeds from the sale of Frommer’s and these other brands are slated to boost Wiley’s interest is onther areas of publishing, and specifically “will be redeployed to support growth opportunities in Professional/Trade; Scientific, Technical, Medical, and Scholarly; and Global Education businesses.”
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
