It was perhaps best-known as the publishing house responsible for such Dinesh D’Souza tomes as the 2020 election-focused “2000 Mules” and has been offering “conservative books for independent thinkers” for some 76 years.
Within days it will no longer be owned by Salem Media Group, which has moved to further reduce its debt with the sale of Regnery Publishing.
The announcement from Irving, Tex.-headquartered Salem came on Tuesday (12/26), and it sees the company sell Regnery for an undisclosed price. The buyer is Skyhorse Publishing, described by Publisher’s Weekly as “the fastest-growing small publisher in America.” It is based in Brattleboro, Vt., and is distributed by Simon & Schuster.
In particular, Skyhorse is known for distribution of children’s books under the Sky Pony Press name; regional sports books from Sports Publishing; “practical books for creative professionals” from Allworth Press, and literary fiction and nonfiction from Arcade Publishing. It is owned by “Free Speech advocate” Tony Lyons.
Salem expects to close the transaction by the end of the year.
David Evans, Chief Operating Officer of Salem Media Group, said, “We are thrilled to pass the torch of the oldest and most respected conservative publishing company in America to Lyons and his incredibly successful Skyhorse Publishing. Salem is committed to the dissemination of conservative ideas and is excited that Skyhorse will both be a powerful steward of this important brand and an engine for its future growth.”
Lyons, who serves as President and Publisher of Skyhorse Publishing, added, “We are so pleased to acquire this legendary publishing company, founded over 75 years ago, and are committed to building on the strong foundation that the Regnery staff has developed. We see a lot of synergies and opportunities for growth and will work hard to promote, market, and sell the books we have acquired and those that are pending, as well as to develop and pursue exciting new projects. Regnery will be an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing and will maintain its own identity.”
Some 1,500 Regnery titles will be absorbed into the Skyhorse Publishing catalogue, including “Unwoke: How to Defeat Cultural Marxism in America” by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.)
Regnery was formerly based in Washington D.C. Salem purchased Regnery in 2014 with the purchase of Eagle Publishing.
This is Salem’s second major division divestment, following the $30 million sale of Salem Church Products to Gloo LLC in October.
Salem’s publishing division in Q3 2023 included Regnery and the self-publishing Salem Author Services. It experienced a challenging quarter, with sales declining 17.5% to $4.6 million, from $5.5 million in Q3 2022. Regnery revenue declined by 19.2% in Q3.
— With reporting by Cameron Coats
