Individuum

History

2023: Eksmo bought 51% of Individuum

In August 2023, Denis Kotov, co-owner of the Chitai-Gorod-Bukvoed chain, sold Eksmo a 51% interest in Individuum. Its participants did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction.

The remaining 49% in Individuum will remain with Denis Kotov. A representative of the publishing house told Kommersant that no personnel and structural changes are planned in Individuum.

Eksmo acquired a 51% interest in the publishing house Individuum

The approximate cost of Individuum's business can be up to 700 million rubles, Mikhail Burmistrov, general director of Infoline Analytics, told the publication. He admits that the amount of the transaction could be at least 350-400 million rubles.

Individuum has a good portfolio, "skillfully" selected by Felix Sandalov (editor-in-chief), said the ex-head of the Association of Internet Publishers Vladimir Kharitonov.

These are books that not only really interest readers, but also cause a wide response from the media that work for promotion, "he said, adding that this is why Oleg Novikov, head of the Eksmo-AST publishing group, became interested in the asset.

Eksmo is fully consolidating Popcorn Books and Individuum, says publisher Fyodor Eremeev (Comic Book Factory project).

We see only a piece of the deal, there is no point in not taking everything, "the expert said.

According to him, the publisher's portfolio is unlikely to change much, and the interaction will be built according to the same model as with Corpus (AST imprint, specializes in foreign literature) - Individuum will maintain autonomy due to a strong team.

Eksmo is part of the Eksmo-AST publishing group, the main beneficiary of which is Oleg Novikov. According to the newspaper's sources, by September 2023, he continues to actually control the Eksmo-AST group, despite a formal exit from its capital.^[1]

2022: Denis Kotov buys the company

Denis Kotov, co-owner of the Chitai-Gorod - Bukvoed book network, bought the Russian publishers Individuum and Popcorn Books from Bookmate, which develops the e-book service of the same name. This became known on August 16, 2022.

The co-founder of Individuum, Alexander Dokuchaev, in a conversation with Kommersant, said that he remains the general director of the publishing house:

There will be no personnel changes, publishers work as usual, editorial policy is determined by the editors-in-chief and myself.

The editor-in-chief of Individuum, Felix Sandalov, also confirmed to the newspaper that personnel and structural changes are not planned.

Denis Kotov

At the end of June 2022, Bookmate sold the rights to use technologies to Yandex. The head of the Association of Internet Publishers Vladimir Kharitonov believes that the sale of rights and the exit from publishing houses mean the departure of the service from Russia, although it has local users. According to Kharitonov, Denis Kotov can be a nominal owner, and publishers can essentially fall under the control of Eksmo-AST.

I really hope that the new owner will not influence editorial policy, "he said.

Prior to the deal with Denis Kotov, 51% of Individual Print LLC and 65.5% of Popcorn Books LLC belonged to Bookmate. The "Eksmo-AST" told Kommersant that the group and its members are not related to the transaction.

According to Denis Kotov, this is his "investment as an individual," and "the prospect of publishing houses joining Eksmo-AST is not traced." Kotov did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction.

Even if Individuum and Popcorn enter Eksmo-AST, it is important to keep the publishing portfolio and teams, says literary critic Galina Yuzefovich.

So far, it seems that rather interaction with them will be built according to the same model as with the Komilfo publishing house, which, being bought by the same owners several years ago, gained access to the distribution, accounting and other services of Eksmo, while maintaining a completely independent position in the holding, he added.[2]

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