HCI Becomes Exclusive Trade Distributor of Hazelden Books

Posted on December 6, 2002

Health Communications, Inc. (HCI), a self-help publisher whose bestselling books include the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and Hazelden Publishing/Educational Services, a publisher of books on addiction and recovery in the U.S., announced that they have signed an agreement under which HCI will become the exclusive distributor of Hazelden's titles to trade markets -- including retail chains, mass merchandisers, price clubs, independent book stores, wholesalers and distributors.

HCI said it would begin the distribution of Hazelden's front list and back list titles next January, including the release of three new books by authors Melody Beattie and Karen Casey: 52 weeks of Conscious Contact, The Language of Letting Go Journal, and Fearless Relationships. Hazelden's back list includes more than 200 titles, among them the bestselling works by Melody Beattie (Co-Dependent No More & The Language of Letting Go) and by Karen Casey (Each Day a New Beginning).

Under the agreement, HCI will also be responsible for the distribution of Hazelden titles to international markets and for the sales of foreign language rights. Hazelden will continue to distribute its books and extensive line of educational materials to its major market -- professionals in the field of addiction treatment.

"This is the first time our company has chosen to distribute the books of another publisher," said Peter Vegso, president of HCI. "However, this relationship presented a unique opportunity, since both of our organizations share a deep commitment to the prevention and treatment of alcoholism and addiction, and because we are confident that we can increase the sales of Hazelden's outstanding titles to the consumer market."

Hazelden will continue to be responsible for the editorial development of all of its front list trade titles and will publish at least 10 new trade titles per year. HCI will promote Hazelden's line in a separate Hazelden Spring trade catalog and will also include a special Hazelden section in HCI's 2003 Spring trade catalog.

"We are very fortunate to have found such a compatible partner as HCI," said Peter Bell, executive vice president of Hazelden's Publishing and Educational Services. "A number of trade distributors were eager to carry our line, but we chose HCI because of its unique sales and marketing strengths -- and because they were not distributing titles from other publishers. Most importantly, since HCI has a long history of publishing its own books on addiction and recovery, and has been so successful in the consumer market with self-help titles, they have a thorough knowledge of our books and how to sell them."