HarperCollins Publishers Defines Structure and Mission of Newly Establ

HarperCollins Publishers Defines Structure and Mission of Newly Established Collins Division in U.S.; Announces Two Key Appointments

    Publishing Writers/Business Editors

    NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 5, 2005--

George Bick Promoted To SVP, Director of Sales and Associate Publisher, Collins; Philip Friedman Named VP and Publisher, Collins Reference
    HarperCollins Publishers today outlined the structure and mission of the company's newly established U.S. Collins Division, in addition to announcing two key appointments. In December, HarperCollins announced the creation of this division under the direction of Joseph Tessitore, President of Collins. Now, building on Collins' immense international brand appeal, efforts are well underway to create the leading American category trade publisher.
    "The Collins name is synonymous with the very best in reference and series publishing in much of the English-speaking world," said Brian Murray, Group President of HarperCollins Publishers. "We will now bring this stellar reputation to bear in the United States, creating new opportunities for our authors as we introduce the Collins brand to American consumers."
    "The launch of Collins embodies all of our Publishing+ initiatives," said Jane Friedman, President and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers. "Drawing on what we've learned over the last year from our Publishing+ program, Collins will apply best practices in direct to consumer marketing, new business development and consumer branding to achieve its goals and help guide consumers to the high quality, authoritative books they want and need."
    Beginning in Fall 2005, Collins in the U.S. will be comprised of five imprints including Collins Reference, Collins Wellness and Collins Lifestyle (formerly HarperResource), Collins Business (formerly HarperBusiness) and Collins Design (formerly Harper Design), all with the mission to empower consumers to Live More, Do More, Learn More. The launch list will feature 125 titles.
    "By combining the backbone of the Collins reference line in the U.K. with powerhouse authors and franchises in the U.S. such as Jorge Cruise, Jack Welch, the World Poker Tour and much more, the Collins Division will deliver a category publishing program unrivalled in both authority and consumer appeal," said Tessitore. "Add to this potent formula our thriving backlist headlined by Bill Phillips, Jim Collins and Peter Drucker, and you'll see that Collins hits the ground running."
    George Bick, Senior Vice President of Sales for Morrow/Avon, has been promoted to the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Director of Sales and Associate Publisher, Collins. Working closely with Tessitore, Bick will play an integral part in the planning, strategic development and sales of Collins in the U.S. for the Fall 2005 launch and beyond. He will report to Josh Marwell, President of Sales for HarperCollins Publishers.
    "George's excellent relationships with our key accounts, fine-tuned attention to detail and outstanding salesmanship have made an enormous and valued contribution to the company's success over the past five years," said Marwell. "In addition, he played a key role in the Collins Publishing+ initiative, which created a vision and roadmap for getting this program started. His passion and dedication for bringing this vision to life will be invaluable."
    Philip Friedman will join the Collins Division as Vice President and Publisher, Collins Reference on January 18. Friedman comes to HarperCollins from Oxford University Press where he led Project Torch (The Online Resource Center in the Humanities). Prior to that he managed Scholastic's Library Publishing Division where was responsible for Grolier, Franklin Watts and Children's Press. He has also held senior editorial and publishing positions at Macmillan, Simon & Schuster and Arco. Phil Friedman will report to Tessitore.
    "Phil is a very experienced publisher recognized for high quality and market focused reference and non fiction books," said Tessitore. "He will be a great addition to Collins and will help guide its publishing program with innovative title development."
    HarperCollins is one of the leading English-language publishers in the world and is a subsidiary of News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NCP, NCPDP). Headquartered in New York, the company has publishing groups in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australasia. Its publishing groups include the HarperCollins General Books Group, HarperCollins Children's Books Group, Zondervan, HarperCollins UK, HarperCollins Canada, HarperCollins Australia/New Zealand and HarperCollins India. You can visit HarperCollins Publishers on the Internet at http://www.harpercollins.com.

--30--NF/ny*

CONTACT: HarperCollins Publishers Lisa Herling, 212-207-7583

KEYWORD: NEW YORK INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PUBLISHING CONSUMER/HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT CHANGES SOURCE: HarperCollins Publishers

Copyright Business Wire 2005