HarperCollins buys out religious publisher

[November 01, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- A week after taking over a longtime publisher of Hollywood scripts, HarperCollins Publishers has announced plans to acquire a top producer of Christian works.

HarperCollins announced Monday that it had "entered into a definitive agreement" with Thomas Nelson Inc., a 200-year-old publisher currently based in Nashville. Thomas Nelson has released numerous editions of the Bible and published the current top seller "Heaven is for Real," by Todd Burpo.

Harper, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., already runs another leading religious publisher, Zondervan.

Last week, Harper announced it had purchased much of the catalog of Newmarket Press, which has released the scripts of "The King's Speech," "Juno" and many other films in book form.

[Associated Press]

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