Tag: Matt Baugher

BookClub Inc, the enterprise learning platform that up-levels team performance, has announced a strategic partnership with HarperCollins Leadership, a leading provider of books and resources to help individuals grow in their career and life. The partnership is aimed at providing better access to world-class content and resources to teams and individuals, enabling them to perform at the highest level possible.

With the partnership, BookClub will integrate HarperCollins Leadership’s content into its platform, making it easily accessible to millions of teams across the globe. The two companies will work together to develop custom learning solutions that address the unique needs of different organizations and teams, helping them to achieve their performance goals.

David Blake, CEO of BookClub Inc, stated that “this partnership has the potential to change how teams and leaders can increase their performance capability. Our mission is to empower teams to become more effective, and with HarperCollins Leadership’s expertise in leadership development, we can provide our clients with a wider range of tools and resources to help them achieve their goals.”

Matt Baugher, HarperCollins SVP and Publisher of HarperCollins Leadership, expressed his excitement about the partnership, saying that “our relationship with BookClub will further our ability to get the incredible content from these authors into the hands of the people and teams that need them. Together, we can help teams and individuals achieve their full potential and drive success in their organizations.”

BookClub and HarperCollins Leadership are committed to helping organizations and individuals succeed through better access to quality learning resources. This partnership represents a significant step forward in achieving that goal, and the companies look forward to the positive impact it will have on teams and leaders around the world.

For more information on the partnership, please visit the BookClub Inc website or HarperCollins Leadership’s website.

About BookClub

Founded in 2020, BookClub is a SaaS-based learning platform that empowers groups, teams, and enterprises to learn and apply what they learn together. The company is backed by Signal Peak, GSV Ventures, Maveron, Pelion, and others.

About HarperCollins Leadership

HarperCollins Leadership publishes content from leaders who redefine or expand what a reader previously thought possible. Authors provide unique inspiration and experiences to those who seek to learn, make a difference, and find their own version of success.

The Emmy Award–winning journalist will offer an exploration of finding oneself and one’s place in the world in the face of crushing expectations and grief. 

“Look for me there,” news legend Tim Russert would tell his son, Luke, when confirming a pickup spot at an airport, sporting event, or rock concert. After Tim died unexpectedly, Luke kept looking for his father, following in Tim’s footsteps and carving out a highly successful career at NBC News. After eight years covering politics on television, Luke realized he had no good answer as to why he was chasing his father’s legacy. As the son of two accomplished parents—his mother is journalist Maureen Orth of Vanity Fair—Luke felt the pressure of high expectations but suddenly decided to leave the familiar path behind. 

Instead, Luke set out on his own to find answers. “I reached a crossroads in my early thirties where I felt empty and unfulfilled. I wanted to know why, so I set out into the world, hoping to feel something,” Russert said.  

What began as several open-ended months of travel to decompress and reassess morphed into a three-plus-year odyssey across six continents to discover the world and, ultimately, to find himself. “The reward of travel was that it made me much more aware of my surroundings—the beauty of nature, the weight of history, and the common good of the larger human family,” said Russert. “It also forced out some hard truths about losing my dad, my relationship with my mom, grief, inadequacy, and ignorance.”  

“There are times as a publisher that I’m fortunate enough to receive a page-turning memoir from an author who is equally nuanced and impactful. This is that book and Luke is that author. I can’t wait for the world to experience his story,” said Matt Baugher, publisher of Harper Horizon.  The book has also received early industry praise with TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie adding, “In Look for Me There, Luke Russert traverses terrain both physical and deeply personal. On his journey to some of the world’s most stunning destinations, he visits the internal places of grief, family, faith, ambition, and purpose—with intense self-reflection, honesty, and courage.” 

Look for Me There is both the vivid narrative of that journey and the emotional story of a young man taking charge of his life, reexamining his relationship with his parents, and finally grieving his larger-than-life father, who died too young. “This book shows the power of vulnerability. It’s something I felt and saw everywhere I went. Whether through faith or just a meaningful moment, when I became more vulnerable things became clearer,” Russert said. 

For anyone uncertain about the direction of their life or unsure of how to move forward after a loss, Look for Me There is a poignant reflection that offers encouragement to examine our choices, take risks, and discover our truest selves. 

Look For Me There will be available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook with Russert narrating. You can pre-order today at https://www.harpercollinsfocus.com/lookformethere 

About Luke Russert:  

Luke Orth Russert is an Emmy Award–winning journalist who was an NBC News correspondent from 2008 to 2016, primarily covering American politics. Since leaving broadcast journalism, he is the author of Look for Me There, a travel memoir about his three-and-a-half-year journey around the world that took him to more than sixty-five countries. Based in Washington, DC, he is the son of journalists Maureen Orth (Vanity Fair) and the late Tim Russert (NBC’s Meet the Press). 

About Harper Horizon: 

Harper Horizon is a Nashville-based imprint of HarperCollins Focus focused on the stories, values, and diverse voices of Americana and beyond, publishing authors such as Willie Nelson, Syd & Shea McGee, Zachary Levi, Meghan Trainor, Jenny Doan, Trae Crowder, Ellie Goulding and more. For more information, please visit www.harpercollinsfocus.com/Harper-Horizon 

Media Contact:

Kevin Smith 

Publicity Director, Harper Horizon 

Tel: 615-902-1738 

Web: [email protected] 

 (Nashville, Tenn.) March 30, 2022—HarperCollins Focus today announced the launch of a new, boutique-style publishing imprint, Harper Select, that will be led by industry veteran Matt Baugher.  Harper Select will focus exclusively on memoir and narrative nonfiction titles with Baugher acquiring, managing, and editing each book project. 

“My vision is to hand-select an exclusive number of projects each year that are uniquely positioned to capture the interest of the reader through amazing experiences and the people who’ve lived them,” said senior v-p and publisher, Matt Baugher. “Harper Select will be a natural extension of the HarperCollins Focus overall position in the marketplace—one that equips readers to lead a life of significance, integrity, and purpose.”

Baugher continued, “Our stories matter, and we have the opportunity to learn so much from each other, should we choose to do so. Harper Select’s sole purpose will be to find unique and life-changing stories of hope and determination that make us think, feel inspired, and bring us joy.” 

With more than twenty years in the publishing industry, Baugher has worked with many well-known cultural influencers, including co-founders of Magnolia, Chip and Joanna Gaines. In 2016, Baugher published their debut book The Magnolia Story (Thomas Nelson), and together, they have worked across multiple imprints within HarperCollins Publishers to develop a broad collection of works. Last month, the Magnolia Publications pilot initiative was announced—to place projects vetted by the Magnolia team with the HarperCollins publishing group most aligned to take the book to market—that Baugher will manage, in addition to his role as publisher of Harper Select.

In addition to Chip and Joanna Gaines, Baugher’s acquisition portfolio has included bestselling authors Gary Sinise, Kathie Lee Gifford, Zachary Levi, Rory Feek, and Andy Andrews, and published international bestsellers Heaven is for Real, Finding Gobi, Same Kind of Different As Me, and many more. 

Harper Select will be based out of Nashville, Tenn. For more information please visit www.HarperCollinsFocus.com/HarperSelect.

About HarperCollins Focus:

HarperCollins Focus owns and operates a collection of publishing imprints, that enlighten and empower readers to transform their hearts and minds, connecting through story, advice, mentorship and community. The company’s mission is to inspire the world with content that equips people to lead lives of significance, integrity and purpose. Current publishing imprints include Blink, Harper Celebrate, HarperCollins Leadership, Harper Horizon, Harper Muse and Harper Select. The company also operates HarperCollins Leadership Essentials, an online community dedicated to accelerating personal and professional development. The company is based in Nashville, TN. For more information go to www.harpercollinsfocus.com.