MEDIA giant Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) is setting up a new book publishing business, under its subsidiary Straits Times Press.To jump-start its new venture, STPress has taken over the contracts and intellectual property rights of SNP International Publishing (SNPIP), the book publishing arm of SNP Corp.

The six-member editorial and design team from SNPIP, helmed by publishing veteran Shirley Hew, 59, and publishing manager Shova Loh, 57, will join the new subsidiary.Mr Patrick Daniel, editor-in-chief of SPH's English and Malay Newspapers Division, will chair the STPress board.

He said: 'We're delighted to get back into book publishing. It is a natural extension of our newspaper business. We have many excellent writers, photographers and artists, and a wealth of content waiting to be tapped. We're confident of the business potential in this sector.'

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