Broadway Books

Broadway Books is a publishing imprint within the Crown Publishing Group, itself a division of Random House, Inc., and ultimately part of Bertelsmann. The imprint was established in 1995 as a unit of Bantam Doubleday Dell and released its first publishing list in the fall of 1996. Its creation placed Broadway within one of the major American trade-publishing groups at a time when publishers were expanding and reorganizing their imprints to address distinct readerships and market segments. Broadway developed a broad general-interest list rather than concentrating on one narrow category. Its publishing areas have included narrative nonfiction, memoir, health and wellness, diet and fitness, inspiration, history, travel and adventure writing, pop culture, politics, personal finance, popular reference, humor, and contemporary fiction. The imprint has issued books in both hardcover and paperback, while also building a substantial paperback program. Its list has included works by public figures, journalists, travelers, athletes, entertainers, financial writers, and novelists. Travel and place-based writing became one recognizable part of the imprint's identity through the Broadway Abroad category. Authors associated with this area include Frances Mayes, author of Under the Tuscan Sun, Bill Bryson, author of A Walk in the Woods, and Martin Troost, whose books include Lost on Planet China and Getting Stoned With the Savages. Broadway has also published prominent memoir and autobiography titles, including Eric Clapton's Clapton, Carolyn Jessop's Escape, Ed Viesturs's No Shortcuts to the Top, Mitch Albom's Tuesdays With Morrie, and Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. The list has included books that reached the New York Times bestseller list, among them Elizabeth Edwards's Resilience, Bill O'Reilly's A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity, George W. Bush's Decision Points, Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism, and A Lion Called Christian by Ace Bourke and John Rendall. The imprint's commercial range extends beyond memoir and travel. Personal-finance titles include David Bach's The Automatic Millionaire and Smart Women Finish Rich. Health, diet, and fitness publishing has included works such as Lou Arrone's The Skinny and Bob Harper's Are You Ready!, while its cookbook backlist has included books by vegetarian-cooking authority Deborah Madison. Broadway has also published titles later adapted for film, including Kurt Eichenwald's The Informant and C. D. Payne's Youth in Revolt. These categories illustrate the imprint's emphasis on accessible, commercially oriented nonfiction and popular reading. Broadway's corporate structure changed several times after its founding. Bertelsmann acquired Random House in 1998, and Broadway was combined with Doubleday in the following year's reorganization. A further Random House restructuring in 2008 moved Doubleday to the Knopf group while Broadway moved to Crown, where it remains identified as part of the Crown Publishing Group. In 2010, Broadway's general-interest publishing was combined with Crown's operations, and Broadway became the paperback publisher for the Crown imprint. Its history therefore reflects both an individual imprint's editorial identity and the consolidation and realignment of major trade-publishing houses.

Broadway Books was founded in 1995 as an imprint of Bantam Doubleday Dell, a Bertelsmann publishing unit, and issued its first list in the fall of 1996. It entered the market as a general-interest imprint, publishing books across nonfiction and fiction categories rather than limiting itself to a single genre. Its areas included narrative nonfiction, memoir, health and wellness, diet and fitness, inspiration, history, travel, politics, personal finance, humor, popular reference, pop culture, and contemporary fiction. The imprint's early and subsequent list combined commercially accessible subjects with authors who had strong public profiles or established audiences. Broadway became associated with travel writing through its Broadway Abroad category, which included works by Frances Mayes, Bill Bryson, and Martin Troost. Its memoir and autobiography list included books by Eric Clapton, Carolyn Jessop, Ed Viesturs, Mitch Albom, and Tim O'Brien. The imprint also published personal-finance authors such as David Bach, health and fitness personalities such as Bob Harper, and cookbook authors including Deborah Madison. Broadway's titles included several New York Times bestsellers. Examples cited in reference material include Elizabeth Edwards's Resilience, Bill O'Reilly's A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity, George W. Bush's Decision Points, Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism, and A Lion Called Christian by Ace Bourke and John Rendall. The imprint also published books that were adapted into films, including Kurt Eichenwald's The Informant and C. D. Payne's Youth in Revolt. These publications demonstrate the breadth of its general-interest strategy and its participation in the crossover market between books, public culture, and screen adaptations. The corporate setting around Broadway changed after Bertelsmann acquired Random House in 1998. In 1999, Broadway was merged into a combined group with Doubleday. Random House reorganized its publishing structure again in 2008: Doubleday moved to the Knopf group, while Broadway was transferred to Crown. In 2010, Broadway's general-interest publishing operations were combined with Crown, and Broadway became the paperback publisher for the Crown imprint. The imprint consequently continued as a recognizable publishing label while its organizational role became more closely integrated with Crown's publishing and paperback activities. Broadway Books' history is therefore shaped by two parallel developments. Editorially, it built a wide-ranging list aimed at readers of popular nonfiction, memoir, travel, lifestyle, politics, and related categories. Organizationally, it moved through successive group structures within the Random House and Bertelsmann publishing systems. The available reference material does not identify a separate headquarters, named founder, current executive team, or standalone website for the imprint.

• 2010

  General-interest publishing combines with Crown

  [1]Broadway Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Broadway's general-interest publishing is combined with Crown, and Broadway becomes Crown's paperback publisher.

• 2008

  Broadway moves to Crown

  [1]Broadway Booksen.wikipedia.org

  A Random House reorganization moves Broadway to the Crown group, while Doubleday moves to Knopf.

• 1999

  Broadway combines with Doubleday

  [1]Broadway Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Broadway is reorganized into a combined group with Doubleday.

• 1998

  Bertelsmann acquires Random House

  [1]Broadway Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Bertelsmann's acquisition of Random House changes the broader corporate structure in which Broadway operates.

• 1996

  First publishing list released

  [1]Broadway Booksen.wikipedia.org

  The imprint releases its first list in the fall of 1996.

• 1995

  Broadway Books is founded

  [1]Broadway Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Broadway Books is established as a unit of Bantam Doubleday Dell, then part of Bertelsmann.

A broad, commercially oriented trade-publishing imprint focused on accessible general-interest books, with particular strength in nonfiction, memoir, travel, lifestyle, and paperback publishing.

• Narrative nonfiction

  Broadway general-interest nonfiction

  A broad nonfiction program covering history, politics, current affairs, popular reference, humor, inspiration, and cultural subjects. The list has included books by public figures and commentators, including Decision Points by George W. Bush, Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg, and Resilience by Elizabeth Edwards.

• Memoir

  Broadway memoir and autobiography

  Memoir and autobiography are important parts of Broadway's list, spanning music, public life, survival, sport, and personal experience. Referenced titles include Eric Clapton's Clapton, Carolyn Jessop's Escape, Ed Viesturs's No Shortcuts to the Top, Tuesdays With Morrie, and Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried.

• Travel writing

  Broadway Abroad

  The Broadway Abroad category presents travel and place-based narratives. Associated writers include Frances Mayes, Bill Bryson, and Martin Troost, whose books address life, travel, and cultural observation in locations including Italy, China, and other destinations.

• Health and wellness

  Health, diet, and fitness list

  Broadway publishes accessible health, diet, exercise, and wellness titles for general readers. Referenced examples include Lou Arrone's The Skinny and Bob Harper's Are You Ready!, connecting the imprint with practical lifestyle and fitness publishing.

• Personal finance

  Personal-finance books

  The imprint's personal-finance program includes books aimed at household financial planning, saving, and wealth-building. David Bach's The Automatic Millionaire and Smart Women Finish Rich are cited examples of this category.

• Trade paperback · 2010

  Broadway paperback program

  Following the 2010 restructuring, Broadway became the paperback publisher for the Crown imprint. This role made the Broadway name especially associated with paperback editions across Crown's general-interest publishing areas.

• Cookbooks

  Broadway cookbooks

  Broadway's backlist includes cookbooks, including work by vegetarian-cooking authority Deborah Madison. The category complements the imprint's wider lifestyle, food, health, and practical nonfiction publishing.

• 2010

  Integration with Crown and paperback roleStrategy

  Background

  Random House continued consolidating related general-interest publishing activities within its groups.

  Action taken

  Broadway's general-interest publishing was combined with Crown, and Broadway became the paperback publisher for the Crown imprint.

  Aftermath

  The Broadway name continued as an imprint and paperback publishing label within Crown rather than operating as a fully separate general-interest publishing group.

  Source

• 2008

  Transfer to the Crown groupStrategy

  Background

  Random House conducted a further internal reorganization of its publishing groups.

  Action taken

  Doubleday moved to Knopf, while Broadway moved to Crown.

  Aftermath

  Broadway became part of the Crown Publishing Group, its current organizational home according to the reference material.

  Source

• 1999

  Combination with DoubledayStrategy

  Background

  Following Bertelsmann's acquisition of Random House, the publishing group reorganized several of its imprints and units.

  Action taken

  Broadway was combined into a group with Doubleday.

  Aftermath

  The combination placed Broadway within a broader shared publishing structure before later Random House reorganizations separated Broadway's and Doubleday's group affiliations.

  Source

1. 1Broadway Booksen.wikipedia.org