Bulwark 5: Bulwark Publications Overview
Bulwark Publications
Founded by one family and its offshoots over four centuries, Bulwark Publications is a multinational publishing conglomerate spanning England, Canada, and the United States. The company has been in existence in one form or another since the 18th century, though it became a household name in the early 20th century with its pulp fiction magazines and related licensed ventures into movie serials, radio, newspaper strips, and comic books. The many characters and properties that came from those years have spawned a publishing empire embraced by more than five generations across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.
Bulwark Publications-Current Structure
Bulwark’s global corporate headquarters has been in Toronto since 1989; it previously centered its offices in London from 1877-1940 and Chicago from 1940-1989.
The Kharm family always maintains a presence in the boardrooms and among the executives of all the Bulwark companies. As majority shareholder, Sir Oscar Kharm serves as Bulwark’s Publisher. He splits his time between Geneva House (his manorial home in England) and his primary offices in Toronto. Oscar shares CEO responsibilities with Sarah Kharm, his niece and chosen successor, who lives in London and operates out of Bulwark’s offices there. Bulwark’s COO James Childs Sr. handles many day-to-day operations for the conglomerate from Toronto. The Kharms or their close relatives control all the major satellite companies as well:
At present, there are nine distinct corporations in the Bulwark conglomerate and more than a dozen publishing houses or imprints among them. They are listed below in priority of their corporate importance and seniority within the conglomerate.
- Bulwark Press-printing and publishing (Toronto); Caroline Kharm, CEO;
- control
- this press controls the Canadian output of Bulwark Publications.
- Rampart Press-printing and publishing (London); Larry Kharm, CEO;
- this controls the British holdings of Bulwark Publications.
- Honor Press-printing and publishing (Chicago); James Childs Jr., CEO;
- this press controls the American arm of Bulwark Publications.
- Hartale Inc.- distribution and shipping (Liverpool); Jennifer Kharm, CEO;
- this company handles distribution & shipping of all Bulwark Publications.
- Jennifer’s son Maxwell Kharm manages the American office in St. Louis and her daughter Sabrina “Bree” Kharm leads the Vancouver office.
- Vellumedia-paper and materials production (Edmonton); Simon Kharm, CEO;
- all Bulwark publications receive materials from this company.
- Guardian Media Group (GMG)-game production (Vancouver); Elizabeth “Betsy” Childs, CEO
- this company handles print and non-electronic games for Bulwark Publications.
- Bulwark Comics (Chicago); Henry Vance, CEO;
- this company controls comic books & graphic novels for Bulwark Publications.
- Earthorizons-digital media & animation (San Francisco); Susan Vance, CEO;
- while each company may have its own digital/web division, this group handles video games, animation, and the like for all subsidiaries.
- Aurichorn Associates-merchandising & public relations (New York); Michelle Childs, CEO;
- this PR firm is solely for the Bulwark conglomerate’s use & its effectiveness and control of licensed merchandise is only rivaled by the Walt Disney Corporation.
Due to semi-independent development of its corporations over time or absorption of other companies, there is overlap within the conglomerate. Bulwark, Rampart, and Honor Press each have at least seven divisions/houses for general fiction, genre fiction, history & politics, travel & geography, reference & education, craft/hobby & how-to, and technical/science books. Additional houses include occult/New Age/esoterica, photographic & art reference, scholastic references & text books, and others as determined by markets and interests. Example imprints and houses include but are not limited to:
- Bardic-reference and educational (Oxford)
- Crossroads Books-travel, geography (Ottawa)
- Earthworks-video games (San Rafael, CA)
- Enigmabula-occult, esoteric, New Age (Seattle)
- Hullark Books-how-to guides & cookbooks (New York)
- Merlon Books-world politics, current events (London)
- Nuvista-genre fiction (New York)
- Parapet Books-general fiction (Cambridge)
- Precinct Press-craft/hobby, gardening, cookbooks (York)
- Prospect-general & genre fiction (Vancouver)
- Seven Scriveners Press-writing, publishing, how-to (Toronto)
- Stockade Books-general fiction (Milwaukee)
- Third Vision-genre fiction (Dover)
Originally published at Steven E. Schend. You can comment here or there.