Baker & Taylor Announces Strategic Partnership with Bookmasters, Inc.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. and ASHLAND, Ohio, July 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Baker & Taylor, the world's largest distributor of digital and physical books and entertainment products, announced today that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Bookmasters, Inc., a provider of publisher services. This partnership will expand Baker & Taylor's portfolio of value-added services to include the full suite of high quality services Bookmasters currently offers, including:

• Print-on-demand and short run digital printing
• Offset printing, as well as a full range of binding formats
• Content and editorial services
• eBook conversion and distribution
• Publisher distribution services and third-party fulfillment
• Book sales and marketing services

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121005/CL86408LOGO)

"Baker & Taylor is excited to offer our publishing partners the unique benefits and value of Bookmasters' suite of services. The book industry is going through periods of unprecedented change with the migration to digital. We see remarkable opportunities for the entire publishing supply chain to reduce costs while improving service levels to customers," said David Cully, President of Retail Markets and Executive Vice President of Merchandising for Baker & Taylor.

Bookmasters will work closely with the Baker & Taylor leadership team to leverage Baker &Taylor's substantial relationships with domestic and international publishers. "We look forward to working with Baker & Taylor to build value and to become a leader in the publisher services industry," said Dave Wurster, Chief Executive Officer of Bookmasters.

Baker & Taylor and Bookmasters are independently owned by investment funds controlled by Castle Harlan, Inc., a New York-based private equity firm. The two companies will operate under a commercial agreement to capitalize on their complementary strengths.

About Baker & Taylor
Baker & Taylor, Inc. is the world's largest distributor of books, digital content and entertainment products. The company offers cutting-edge digital media services and innovative technology platforms to thousands of publishers, libraries and retailers worldwide. Baker & Taylor also offers industry-leading customized library services and retail merchandising solutions. Charlotte, N.C.-based Baker & Taylor is majority owned by Castle Harlan Partners IV, L.P., an institutional private equity fund managed by Castle Harlan, Inc., a leading private equity investment firm.

About Bookmasters
Bookmasters, based in Ashland, Ohio, is one of the largest integrated providers of publishing services in the world. For more than 40 years, Bookmasters has offered services to publishers and authors such as printing, print book warehousing and distribution, eBook conversion and distribution, editorial and design, and marketing. To learn more, visit www.bookmasters.com.

About Castle Harlan
Castle Harlan, founded in 1987, invests in controlling interests in the buyout and development of middle-market companies in North America and Europe. Its team of 19 investment professionals has completed 53 acquisitions since its inception with a total transaction value in excess of $11 billion. Castle Harlan has managed investment funds with equity commitments of approximately $3.5 billion. The firm traces its roots to the start of the institutionalized private-equity business in the late 1960s.

Castle Harlan's current portfolio of companies includes Shelf Drilling Holdings Ltd, a leading provider of shallow-water drilling services in Asia, Africa and the Middle East; Pretium Packaging LLC, one of the country's leading manufacturers of custom-designed specialty plastic containers for the food, pharmaceutical, personal-care and household markets; and Baker & Taylor, the world's largest distributor of books and entertainment products to libraries and retailers.

For more information, visit www.castleharlan.com.

SOURCE Baker & Taylor