HarperCollins

HarperCollins. It is one of the world's largest publishing companies, formed from the merger of Harper & Row and Collins in 1990. A subsidiary of the global media conglomerate News Corp, it publishes a vast array of titles across numerous genres and imprints, with operations spanning the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and India. The company is renowned for its bestselling authors, award-winning literature, and significant influence on the global literary landscape.

History

The company's origins trace back to 1817 when brothers James Harper and John Harper founded the printing press firm J. & J. Harper in New York City. Renamed Harper & Brothers in 1833, it grew into a major 19th century publisher, issuing works by prominent authors like Herman Melville, Mark Twain, and the Brontë sisters. In the 20th century, it merged with Row, Peterson & Company to become Harper & Row in 1962. Concurrently, the British publisher Collins, founded in 1819 in Glasgow by William Collins, established itself with titles like the Collins English Dictionary and the works of Agatha Christie. The merger of these two historic firms was orchestrated in 1990 by Rupert Murdoch following News Corp's acquisition of both, creating a transatlantic publishing powerhouse. Key subsequent acquisitions have included the William Morrow list from Hearst Corporation and the Christian publisher Zondervan.

Imprints and divisions

The company operates through a complex structure of imprints and divisions catering to diverse markets. Its major U.S. adult trade groups include Harper, which houses the flagship Harper imprint, along with William Morrow, Ecco, and Custom House. The HarperCollins Children's Books division encompasses imprints like HarperCollins Children's, Balzer + Bray, and Greenwillow Books. Significant specialty divisions include the Christian publisher Zondervan, the graphic novel and manga publisher HarperAlley, and the audio producer HarperAudio. In the United Kingdom, its operations are led by HarperCollins UK, featuring imprints such as Fourth Estate, William Collins, and the romance specialist Mills & Boon. Other global divisions include HarperCollins Canada, HarperCollins Australia, and HarperCollins India.

Notable publications

The company's catalog includes an immense number of critically acclaimed and commercially successful titles across centuries. Its historical backlist features landmark works like Harper's Magazine, Moby-Dick, and Little Women. In modern times, it has published global phenomena such as J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, and Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie. It is home to bestselling authors like Neil Gaiman, George R. R. Martin, Joyce Carol Oates, and Michael Crichton. Award-winning publications include Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall, which won the Booker Prize, and Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The children's division is famed for series like The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.

Corporate affairs

As a wholly-owned subsidiary of News Corp, its financial performance is reported within News Corp's broader Dow Jones and Book publishing segment. The CEO is Brian Murray, who oversees global strategy from its headquarters in New York City. The company maintains major publishing centers in London, Toronto, Sydney, and New Delhi. It has aggressively expanded its digital publishing and ebook offerings, and its global supply chain and distribution networks are integral to its market position. The firm frequently engages in strategic partnerships, such as its distribution deal for Disney Publishing Worldwide titles and its collaboration with The British Library on archival projects.

Controversies and legal issues

The company has been involved in several significant controversies. It faced major legal scrutiny as a defendant in the United States v. Apple Inc. antitrust lawsuit in 2012, alongside Apple Inc. and other publishers, concerning the alleged collusion on ebook pricing. It has also been criticized for its handling of digital rights management and author contracts. Internationally, its publication of The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie in 1988, originally under the Collins imprint, sparked global protests and a fatwa against the author. More recently, it was involved in litigation over the copyright status of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes character and faced public debate over its decision to cancel publication plans for a book by Senator Josh Hawley following the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

Category:Book publishing companies of the United States Category:News Corp subsidiaries Category:Companies based in New York City Category:Companies established in 1817