In what is one of the longest-running relationships of its kind that we know about, Shambhala Publications is marking its 40th anniversary of being distributed by Random House (now Penguin Random House Publisher Services)--almost for as long as Shambhala has been in existence.
Nikko Odiseos, president of Shambhala, said PRHPS "has been great" with the publisher's established list, helping as it recently expanded its lifestyle list, particularly with the launch of Roost Books three years ago, and after its purchase of Snow Lion Publications, whose focus is on Tibetan Buddhist practice.
 |
|
| Nikko Odiseos | |
When Shambhala bought Snow Lion two years ago, "the operating group and warehouse group at Random House jumped in and figured out how to do everything," Odiseos said. "They moved in almost 300 titles, which didn't have the best metadata, and helped turn it into a sizable business for us."
With Roost Books, PRHPS helped as Shambhala made "a big leap" to publishing more high-end lifestyle, cooking and crafts books. "The whole sales force was so good at selling the books to bookstores and getting us into new markets," he said.
Jeff Abraham, president of Penguin Random House Publisher Services, called his company's relationship with Shambhala "the epitome of partnership." Shambhala can "maintain a unique independent publishing program" while taking advantage of the strengths of PRHPS in sales and distribution, he emphasized.
Odiseos also praised PRHPS for "the resources it provides such as its online ideas exchanges and client summits, where all distributed publishers gather with PRHPS and discuss a range of topics. "Even though we're small," he said, "we feel well cared for."
Abraham added that one of the benefits of a 40-year collaboration between the two companies is that "a lot of institutional knowledge exists that allows both teams to finish each other's sentences. It smoothes what is ultimately the complicated process of bringing authors' creations to market."
Founded in 1969 and first distributed by Random House in 1974 (and the sole publisher that Random House distributed during a short period when it moved out of the distribution business), Shambhala continues to be a family-owned business and specializes in nonfiction books about Buddhism, mindful living, yoga, philosophy, religion, health, psychology, art and creativity. It publishes some 80 new titles a year and has a backlist of 1,500 titles with authors who include Pema Chodron, Thich Nhat Hahn, the Dalai Lama, Russ Harris, Natalie Goldberg, Ken Wilber and Amanda Soule.
PRHPS has 37 distributed publishers, including Beacon Press, Kensington, Candlewick, Egmont USA, National Geographic, Soho Press, Other Press, Melville House, Quirk Books, Rizzoli, powerhouse, Overlook, Europa Editions and Dark Horse.