Educational publisher Nelson sells university textbook business to Top Hat

TORONTO – Educational publisher Nelson has signed a deal to sell its domestic university textbook business to Top Hat and says it plans to focus on the kindergarten-to-Grade 12 market.

Financial terms of the agreement were not immediately available.

The deal will add more than 400 titles to Top Hat, which provides online teaching resources.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced schools and universities across the world to close and moved classes online.

Top Hat says it will convert the print-only titles into digital courseware for its platform.

Nelson says it will finalize its withdrawal from the post-secondary market in the coming weeks through collaboration with its existing publishing partners and a second strategic agreement with another key player in the field.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 26, 2020.