At time when publishers are cutting corners, Bloomsbury Publishing P.L.C., the British publisher of the Harry Potter books, said yesterday that it was buying Walker Publishing Company, a small New York independent, to broaden its American presence with the addition of Walker's well-regarded nonfiction list.

　　The purchase price will be $6.5 million, said Nigel Newton, founder and chief executive of Bloomsbury. He said Walker would remain a separate division of Bloomsbury U.S.A. under its current publisher, George Gibson.

　　Karen Rinaldi, publisher of Bloomsbury U.S.A., will run the American operation. Recent Bloomsbury titles include "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke and "The Line of Beauty" by Alan Hollinghurst, winner of the Man Booker prize. Mr. Newton said that this year's sales totaled $160 million.

　　Walker, founded 45 years ago, has managed to stay family owned while more companies have been bought by conglomerates. It has a smaller list than Bloomsbury and mainly publishes nonfiction books, including "Galileo's Daughter," by Dava Sobel. Sales for Walker were between $6 million and $7 million this year, Mr. Gibson said.