Boosted by the November acquisition of Union Square, sales at Hachette Book Group rose 7% for the first half of 2025 compared to a year ago, parent company Lagardère reported. Excluding results from Union Square, sales at the company were flat. David Shelley, CEO of HBG and Hachette UK, noted that this years' results followed a strong six months in 2024. Year-to-date sales were helped by a strong first quarter in which HBG revenues were up 8.9%
Shelley cited a number of bestsellers by well-known authors as key drivers for the solid six-month showing, pointing to The First Gentleman by James Patterson and Bill Clinton, J Vs. K by Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft, and Nightshade by Michael Connelly as some of the titles that were immediate #1 sellers. Will the Pigeon Graduate by Mo Willems, acquired in the Union Square purchase, also provided a sales lift.
The quarter also saw HBG sign an agreement with the Stable Book Group to form Stable Distribution through which HBG will handle warehousing, logistics, and fulfillment services while Stable will head sales up and operations for client publishers. HBG also extended its distribution deal with U.K. publisher Nosy Crow.
For the entire Lagardère publishing group, sales were €1.35 billion in first-half 2025, up 3.1% as reported and up 1% excluding extraordinary items. Profits fell to €106 million from €113 million in the first half of last year, which the company said was "mainly in connection with the slight contraction in the Spain/Latin America region and a slowdown for General Literature in France."
Shelley said he is expecting "a notably strong" third quarter for HBG led by such titles as Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Coben and Circle of Days, the first book HBG will publish by Ken Follett after the mega-bestselling author moved to the company from his longtime U.S. publisher, Penguin Random House.
