David Zwirner Gallery’s publishing house, David Zwirner Books, signed a distribution deal with US publishing giant Simon & Schuster to significantly expand the availability of its titles in North America. When the partnership takes effect in August, David Zwirner will become the first US gallery with a major publishing distribution contract.

The gallery said the deal lays the foundation for David Zwirner Books to further expand beyond titles aimed primarily at promoting gallery artists, such as monographs and catalogues, to include other types of publications encompassing literature, politics, poetry, plays, and more.

“David Zwirner Books has redefined what a gallery publisher can be and is now responsible for many of the most exciting and dynamic art books in the industry,” Michael Perlman, vice-president and general manager of Simon & Schuster’s publisher services said in a statement. “We have been impressed by David Zwirner Books’s editorial focus, the quality and range of its titles, and its traction both within the art world and beyond.”

David Zwirner Books has doubled in both sales and titles published every year since it was founded in 2014, according to the publishing house. In that time, more than half the books published have no connection to the gallery.

“Simon & Schuster’s outstanding sales and marketing teams will provide a vital framework for our future growth,” David Zwirner Books’s editorial director, Lucas Zwirner, said in a statement. The agreement applies only to North America; in other regions its titles will continue to be distributed by its present partner Thames & Hudson.

The deal is part of a growing trend among major multinational galleries to expand beyond the realms of the traditional art trade. Competitors such as Gagosian and Hauser and Wirth have launched magazines, while the latter has also expanded into the hospitality sector, opening restaurants and even a hotel.