Pan Macmillan acquires stake in New River Books
Pan Macmillan has acquired a stake in the independent non-fiction publisher New River Books.
Pan Macmillan take on New River’s sales and distribution from July 2027, replacing its current arrangement with Hachette.
Founded in 2022 by former Short Books publishers Aurea Carpenter and Rebecca Nicolson, New River Books is based in Islington, where its small team publishes 12 books a year across self-development, social science, nature and lifestyle. It will continue to publish independently under Aurea and Rebecca.
The move builds on Pan Macmillan’s growing strength in non-fiction. Among the UK’s five largest non-fiction publishers by value, it has grown the most in both value and market share year on year, with value sales up 9.3% (Nielsen Total Consumer Market, 2026 vs 2025).
New River Books co-founders, Aurea Carpenter and Rebecca Nicolson, said:
'It is hugely exciting to be partnering with Joanna Prior and her outstanding team at Pan Macmillan. We will benefit enormously from their support and top to tail expertise. All of us at New River are very grateful to David Shelley and everyone we have worked with at Hachette, on our bestselling Michael Mosley books and The Glucose Goddess, Jessie Inchauspé, to name but a few.'
Joanna Prior, CEO, Pan Macmillan, said:
'New River is one of the most admired independent non-fiction publishers in the UK, and I have long had great respect for what Aurea, Rebecca and their team have built. They publish with real flair and editorial intelligence, spotting talent and ideas early and then getting behind their authors with creativity, energy and care. The list is distinctive with a strong record of bestsellers achieved with a small, close-knit team. Non-fiction is an area of growth and ambition for Pan Macmillan and New River is exactly the kind of publisher we want to be working with as we build on that momentum. We are delighted to be acquiring a stake and look forward to supporting them on the next stage of their journey.'
New River’s debut title, Jessie Inchauspé’s The Glucose Goddess Method, went straight in at No.1 in the non-fiction paperback charts. More recently, Sandra Parsons’ Age Less (June 2025) and Sunna van Kampen's debut book The Good, the Bad and the Healthy (January 2026) were both instant Sunday Times bestsellers.
New River also secured UK and Commonwealth rights to Giulia Enders’ Organ Speak, the follow-up to her international bestseller Gut, in a six-figure, multi-publisher auction, which was published in April. Recent titles include Jacob Weisberg’s Profiles in Cowardice, an inside account of the figures who enabled Donald Trump’s return to power, and Come Rain or Shine by TV meteorologist Laura Tobin.
Hachette will continue to manage sales and distribution until the end of June 2027, with Pan Macmillan communicating with retailers in due course.
