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DK (publisher)

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DK
Parent companyPenguin Random House
Founded1974; 50 years ago (1974)
London, England, U.K.
FoundersChristopher Dorling
Peter Kindersley
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Headquarters location80 Strand[1]
London, England, U.K.
ImprintsAlpha, DK Eyewitness Travel
Official websitewww.dk.com

DK, formerly known as Dorling Kindersley, is a British multinational publishing company specialising in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 63 languages.[2] It is part of Penguin Random House, a subsidiary of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including DK Eyewitness travel), history, science, nature, sport, gardening, cookery and parenting. The worldwide CEO of DK is Carsten Coesfeld.[3] DK has offices in New York, Melbourne, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto, Madrid, Beijing and Jiangmen. DK works with licensing partners to publish books such as Disney, LEGO, Star Wars, DC Comics, Royal Horticultural Society, MasterChef and the Smithsonian Institution. DK has commissioned Mary Berry, Monty Don, Robert Winston, Huw Richards and Steve Mould for a range of books.

History

DK logo, 2014–2020

DK was founded in 1974, by Christopher Dorling and Peter Kindersley in London, and in 1982 moved into publishing.[2] The first book published under the DK name was a First Aid Manual for the British voluntary medical services. DK Inc. began publishing in the United States in 1991. That same year, Microsoft bought a 26 percent stake in DK.[4] In 1999, it overestimated the market for Star Wars books and was left with millions of unsold copies, resulting in crippling debt.[5] As a direct result, DK was taken over the following year by the Pearson plc media company and made part of Penguin Group, which also owned the Penguin Books label.[6] DK has continued to sell Star Wars books after the takeover.[7] In 2013, Bertelsmann and Pearson completed a merger to form Penguin Random House.[8] Bertelsmann owned 53% and Pearson 47% of the company. Penguin's trade publishing activity continued to include DK under the newly formed Penguin Random House.[9] In July 2017, Pearson agreed to sell a 22% stake in the business to Bertelsmann, thereby retaining a 25% holding.[10] [11] In December 2019, Bertelsmann agreed to acquire Pearson's 25% in Penguin Random House, and therefore DK, making it a wholly owned subsidiary of Bertelsmann.[12] In 2019, Prima Games was sold to Asteri Holdings.[13]

Publications

See also: List of publications of Dorling Kindersley
DK's London office is at Shell Mex House, 80 Strand, a 1930s Art Deco building easily recognisable from the River Thames by its distinctive clock.

DK publishes a range of titles internationally for adults and children. Most of the company's books are produced by teams of editors and designers who work with freelance writers and illustrators. Some are endorsed by "imprimaturs": well-known and respected organisations such as the British Medical Association, the Royal Horticultural Society and the British Red Cross.

BradyGames

BradyGames was a publishing company in the United States operating as a DK imprint, which specializes in video game strategy guides, covering multiple video game platforms. It published its first strategy guide in November 1993 as a division of MacMillan Computer Publishing. In 1998, Simon & Schuster (which acquired Macmillan in 1994) divested BradyGames as part of its educational division to Pearson plc.[14] BradyGames has grown to publish roughly 90-100 guides per year. On June 1, 2015, BradyGames merged with Prima Games, and future strategy guides made by the publishing company were published under the Prima Games label[15], which was sold to Asteri Holdings in 2019.

Young adult

DK commenced publishing books aimed at teens with the release of Heads Up Psychology in 2014 and further titles following every two to three months.[16]

Imprints

See also

References

  1. ^ "DK UK - Publishers of Award Winning Information - DK.com". dkbooks.
  2. ^ a b "About DK". dkbooks.
  3. ^ "Carsten Coesfeld New DK CEO". www.shelf-awareness.com. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  4. ^ "Microsoft Corp acquires a minority stake in Dorling Kindersley Ltd". Thomson Financial. 1991-03-18. Archived from the original on 2009-08-03. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  5. ^ "Star Wars book flop hits DK". www.bbc.co.uk. BBC. 24 January 2000. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  6. ^ Charles Goldsmith (3 April 2000). "Media Giant Pearson Acquires U.K. Publisher Dorling Kindersley". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones b& Company, Inc. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  7. ^ The Literator (16 May 2008), Cover Stories: Political memoirs; the environmental Bible; Dorling Kindersley, The Independent
  8. ^ Bertelsmann And Pearson Complete Merger To Form Penguin Random House, The Random House Group, 1 July 2013
  9. ^ CEO Markus Dohle Announces Penguin Random House Global Leadership Team, Penguin Random House Group, 1 July 2013
  10. ^ "Pearson shares hit by Penguin stake sale". 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  11. ^ Sweney, Mark (2017-07-11). "Pearson sells slice of Penguin for $1bn". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  12. ^ "BMG Parent Bertelsmann to Acquire Full Stake in Penguin Random House". Billboard. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  13. ^ www.publishersweekly.com https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/79526-dk-sells-prima-games-digital-assets.html. Retrieved 2020-01-16. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ^ "Pearson Revises Simon & Schuster Deal". Associated Press. 4 July 1998 – via NYTimes.com.
  15. ^ "Two big video game strategy guide makers become one". Polygon. Retrieved 2015-06-02.
  16. ^ Sally Lodge (29 April 2014). "DK Enters the Teen Market with Nonfiction Line". www.publishersweekly.com. PWxyz LLC. Retrieved 17 October 2015.

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