PRH imprint Lantern to cut titles, Gibbs to leave the company

Penguin Random House (PRH) Australia has announced its Lantern imprint will reduce the number of books it publishes in 2016 and 2017, and that Lantern publishing director Julie Gibbs will leave the company at the end of the year.

Lantern, which publishes food, travel, gardening and other illustrated titles, was launched in 2004. PRH CEO Gabrielle Coyne said the imprint’s model has been challenged by the changing retail market.

‘The prevailing market conditions mean there is no longer the retail footprint there once was to support the number of illustrated books in our future 2016 and 2017 programme,’ said Coyne. ‘With this changing base, we are unable to achieve the commercial success we and our authors desire.’

Gibbs will remain with PRH until the end of the year ‘to guide the team and the development of the 2016 and 2017 publishing programme’.