New Harbinger Publications, Inc. is an
employee-owned
Employee stock ownership, or employee share ownership, is where a company's employees own shares in that company (or in the parent company of a group of companies). US employees typically acquire shares through a share option plan. In the UK, Emp ...
,
Oakland-based American
publisher
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
of
self-help books.
Overview
This publisher of
self-help books specializes in titles that offer step-by-step procedures for dealing with phobias, anxiety, anger, relationship conflict and a wide variety of depression-related psychological problems. Founders Matthew McKay and Patrick Fanning’s have co-authored a dozen titles which established the model for New Harbinger’s other books.
New Harbinger has annual sales of + $15 million and over 50 employees.
In 2004 employees owned 53% of the stock.
New Harbinger markets its titles to therapists, psychiatrists, and physicians for use by their patients and clients.
The New Harbinger catalog contains more than 300 titles.
History
The company was founded in 1973 by psychologist Matthew McKay and writer, Patrick Fanning.
McKay received his PhD in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, and specializes in the cognitive behavioral treatment of anxiety and depression. He lives and works in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
McKay has authored and coauthored numerous books in the New Harbinger catalog including The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook, Self-Esteem, Thoughts and Feelings, When Anger Hurts, and ACT on Life Not on Anger. He has also penned two fiction novels, Us and The Wawona Hotel.
Pat Fanning retired in the year 2000 but is still on the New Harbinger board of directors.
In 2003, the company ended its long relationship with
Publishers Group West
Publishers Group West (PGW) is a book distributor founded in 1976 in Berkeley, California, which distributes to bookstores in the U.S. and internationally. They were the largest distributor of independent presses in the U.S. in the 1990s. In 2007, ...
and took on a sales force to distribute its own titles.
In 2007, the company announced:
# a co-publishing agreement with the
Institute of Noetic Sciences
The Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) is an American non-profit parapsychological research institute. It was co-founded in 1973 by former astronaut Edgar Mitchell,Pfeffer, Elizabeth''Stars aligned: Astronaut's mission seeks to answer life's bi ...
(IONS). New Harbinger and Noetic Books partnered to publish books that incorporate science and focus on global issues, consciousness, spiritual and psychological wellness.
# distribute of books by Boaz Publishing Company.
# establishment of the
Fabri Literary Prize The Fabri Literary Prize was established in 2006 to honor the memory of Frances Fabri. A Holocaust survivor, Frances Fabri spearheaded efforts in the United States to record survivor stories, helping to create the interviewing protocols that are u ...
, which is awarded and published by Boaz Publishing.
# acquisition of Context Press titles (Psychologist and professor
Steven C. Hayes established Context Press).
In 2008, the company acquired Instant Help Books, publisher of workbooks for children, teens, and adults on topics such as depression, anxiety, and anger.
Also in 2008, this publisher began publishing
e-book
An ebook (short for electronic book), also known as an e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Alt ...
s.
Catalog
New Harbinger's books selling over one million copies are:
# Michael Singer (2007). ''The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself''. Oakland: New Harbinger/ Noetic Books.
# Susan Albers (2009). ''50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food''. Oakland: New Harbinger.
# Bob Stahl & Elisha Goldstein (2010). ''A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook''. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications; Pap/MP3.
# Nancy Mohrbacher & Kathleen Kendall-Tackett (2010). ''Breastfeeding Made Simple: Seven Natural Laws for Nursing Mothers''. Oakland: New Harbinger.
# Matthew McKay, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman & Martha Davis (2008 6th ed.). ''The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook''. Oakland: New Harbinger.
Many of New Harbinger's psychology books focus on the areas of
ACT,
CBT, and
DBT. New Harbinger is a leading publisher in the area of
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT, typically pronounced as the word "act") is a form of psychotherapy, as well as a branch of clinical behavior analysis. It is an empirically based psychological intervention that uses acceptance and m ...
(ACT). It has published 26 ACT titles, including several by Hayes, who co-founded ACT and is one of its leading theorists.
New Harbinger also publishes a number of books that use the psychological concentrations of
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
The New Harbinger catalog contains more than 300 titles in the areas of:
#Psychological self-help: anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s, addiction and recovery, agoraphobia, anger management, bipolar and cyclothymia, borderline personality disorder, dissociative identity disorder, eating and body image disorders, grief recovery, impulse-control problems, OCD, perfectionism, self esteem, stress, trauma and psychological abuse.
#Health & wellness: Alzheimer’s, cancer, cardiac health, diet and exercise, digestive and urinary problems, disease prevention, fibromyalgia and chronic illness, medications, Parkinson’s, pain control, perimenopause and menopause, whole body healing.
#Family and relationship: aging, alternative families, special needs, divorce, intimate relationships, parenting skills, pregnancy and childcare, human sexuality, weddings and marriage.
#Personal growth: career and business, communication skills, focus and memory, spirituality and philosophy, transformation.
References
{{reflist
Book publishing companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
Small press publishing companies
Publishing companies established in 1973
Self-help books
Companies based in Oakland, California
1973 establishments in California