HarperCollins Expands in Europe, Inks Deal With Daniel Silva

Posted on October 13, 2014

HarperCollins has been making some interesting moves lately. First it acquired Harlequin. Now it has announced the creation of HarperCollins Germany. The new operation will expand Harlequin's existing operation in Hamberg, Germany.

Next fall, HarperCollins Germany is set to release 50 titles in addition to the Harlequin titles that are already in the pipeline. The German office of Harlequin is quite profitable and will serve as a forward operating base for HarperCollins to expand its presence in Europe.

During the Frankfurt Book Fair, HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray talked about the expansion in an interview with Deutsche Wells. Murray says that there are two big trends in the book business: globalization and digitization. HarperCollins authors are selling right to their books in more countries than every before, so it's crucial to have a strong international network to promote authors and their work. In addition, ebooks and other digital business models are also changing the business. To take advantage of these trends HarperCollins is expanding its global reach. The German office of Harlequin was the powerhouse of the company and was a major reason for the acquisition. Murray says they will use that office and its staff to expand the company's reach in Europe.

One of the first authors to be promoted extensively by the new house is New York Times bestselling author Daniel Silva. The company announced that it will publish four of Silva's books in 16 markets. First up will be the Gabriel Allon spy thriller The Heist, which will be rolled out in Germany in the fall of 2015. It will then be published in translation in Brazil, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. His books will also be translated and sold in Mexico, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Poland and Portugal.

Allon is an Israeli spy and brilliant art restorer, whose two professions interact in interesting ways. We love the series, which is full of art, action and international espionage. Murray said in an a statement, "Daniel's books - a blend of history, art, politics, and suspense - have broad appeal and we expect them to be extremely successful."