Bloomsbury Consolidates Children’s Imprints; Easton Leaving
Bloomsbury is folding its Walker Books for Young Readers imprint into the larger Bloomsbury Children’s Books. As a result of the consolidation, Walker publisher Emily Easton will be leaving the company. The decision to fold Walker into Bloomsbury Children’s Books comes less than a year after Bloomsbury refocused Walker as a “boutique imprint” with most of its list of 18 books coming from Easton.
Hastings Finds Merger Partner
Hastings Entertainment has agreed to merge with one of its biggest vendors and shareholders. According to March 21 announcement, the retailer will merge with two companies controlled by Joel Weinshanker, whose National Entertainment Collectibles Association Inc. owns 12% of Hastings’ stock.
Judge Rules for HarperCollins In Open Road E-Book Dispute
In a significant ruling, a New York court held that e-book publisher Open Road infringed HarperCollins’s copyright with its e-book edition of Jean Craighead George’s 1973 bestselling children’s book Julie of the Wolves. No damages have been assessed at this time, but the judge has ordered the parties to submit a briefing schedule on potential remedies.
Vintage Launches Movie Classics Line
Random House is going after film buffs. The publisher’s Vintage Books imprint has created Vintage Movie Classics to release backlist books that served as the basis for iconic films. The new line will release its first list in the spring with four re-issues: Edna Ferber’s Showboat (1926); Cimarron (1929), also by Ferber; Fannie Hurst’s Back Street (1931); and Booth Tarkington’s Alice Adams (1921).
BAM 2013 Revenue Drops 5.5% to $470M
Despite improved performance in the fourth quarter, bookselling chain Books-A-Million reported a 5.5% decline in revenue, to $470.2 million for the 52-week period ended February 1, 2014, down from the $498.4 million reported for the previous fiscal year.
PRH to Buy Spanish-Language Pub
Penguin Random House has signed agreements with Spanish-language publisher Santillana, which is currently majority-controlled by PRISA, to acquire the trade book business of Santillana Ediciones Generales. Santillana’s publishers operate in Spain, Portugal, and Brazil. The move, according to PRH, will “significantly” increase its presence in Spain and Latin America.
@GSElevator Book Picked Up by Grove Atlantic
John LeFevre, the once anonymous creator of the popular @GSElevator Twitter feed, recently saw his book killed by Simon & Schuster after his identity was outed by the New York Times. Now his book, Straight to Hell, has been brought back; has acquired the nonfiction work in a six-figure deal, and plans to publish it in November.
