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HarperCollins Has Down Year
When HarperCollins reported a 4% drop in sales in the first quarter, few would have believed that would be the publisher's best period for the fiscal year ended June 30. The three subsequent quarters all had sales declines hovering around 20%, and HC finished the year with a 17.8% revenue decline. Although CEO Brian Murray said in a written statement that with a strong fall list, he was looking...
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Penguin Floats BEA Consumer-Event Concept
A dding a public component to BookExpo America has been one of the most hotly debated topics regarding possible changes to the annual event. BEA officials have discussed it internally and with their customers, and the concept has now received a major boost from Penguin, whose CEO, David Shanks, and president, Susan Petersen Kennedy, have outlined what they see as a viable way to bring book love...
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McGraw-Hill Education Makes Content Available on Kindle DX
Despite doubts about how readily students will use the Kindle and Kindle DX, McGraw-Hill Education is going to introduce its higher education content on the devices. The publisher will offer more than 100 of its top-selling higher education titles in business, economics, science, math, humanities, foreign languages and social sciences. More than 3,000 McGraw-Hill Professional titles (business, medical and technical) are already available in Kindle format.
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Groups Urge Injunction Be Vacated in Salinger Case
A number of high profile organizations, including major media companies like the New York Times, the Associated Press, Gannett, and Tribune, as well as librarians, free speech advocates, and legal scholars, have filed amicus briefs urging the Appeals Court to overturn judge Deborah Batts’ injunction barring U.S. publication of Fredrik Colting's 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye.
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Charges Lead to Loss at HarperCollins in Fiscal 2009
One-time charges of $33 million resulted in an operating loss of $16 million at HarperCollins in the fiscal year ended June 30. Revenue in the year dropped 17.8%, to $1.14 billion.
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Dropped HarperCollins Author Finds Home with Florida Publisher
Larry Klayman, a longtime Beltway attorney and onetime frequent guest on Fox News, is finally getting to see his story in print, no thanks, he claims, to Rupert Murdoch.
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Borders Adds Toys, Games to Children's Section
Borders has added toys and games to the children's sections in its superstores. The space for the games and toys came out of areas previously dedicated to music and movies. According to Borders, the toys and games the stores carry have been chosen to help children learn to become readers by “promoting diversity, fostering creativity and helping build cognitive skills.” Borders will staff the children’s section with a specialist to help with recommendations.
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Publishing Sales Flat at Marvel
Publishing revenue at Marvel Entertainment was flat in the second quarter, slipping from $31.8 million to $31.7 million. Operating income fell more noticeably, dropping 6.8%, to $10.9 million.
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Amanda Project Web Site Goes Live
After much industry hoopla over HarperTeen's ambitious web/book series, The Amanda Project, the site built around the books has gone live. On the site—the first thing unveiled by Lisa Holton's new company, Fourth Story Media—kids can find out who the character of Amanda is (a high school girl who has gone missing) and register to join the conversation about where Amanda might be.
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Rodale Signs with NetGalley
Rodale Books has signed on with NetGalley to digitally deliver many of its biggest fall books to reviewers, booksellers, journalists, librarians and bloggers.
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Local Hit Morning Glory Farms Poised to Go National
It’s impressive enough that a book about a farm on Martha’s Vineyard published by a small, local press already has more than 12,000 copies in print. But with the Obamas heading to the Vineyard later this month, the farm behind the book is poised for national visibility.
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Slow, Steady Growth for Charlesbridge at 20
Other houses may be trimming staff and books, but 20-year-old Charlesbridge Publishing in Watertown, Mass., is profiting by maintaining both. Admittedly things looked “dicey” last fall, says president and publisher Brent Farmer, when sales dropped off as they did for trade houses large and small. But coming off a strong spring list, the independent children's press finished 2008 up 3%. And it's on track to be slightly up again this year.
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Maria Rodale to Succeed Steve Murphy
Maria Rodale has been named CEO of the family company, succedding Steven Murphy who is not renewing his contract after nearly a decade at the publisher.
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Square One Publishers Adds InnoVision Line
Square One Publishers is increasing its presence in the alternative medicine field, taking over the distribution for the book program of InnoVision Health Media.
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Weaker Canadian Dollar Helps Lift Harlequin
Sales rose 4.4% at Harlequin in the second quarter as a gain in foreign exchange offset a smll decline in underlying sales. The North America retail market had a decline in the period, though growth rose in the Overseas division.
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Barnes & Noble Adopts Lexile Framework for Reading
Starting this fall, Barnes & Noble will offer customers the ability to search for books by Lexile measure, both in stores and online at bn.com. Lexile is a widely used reading measure, helping young readers develop literacy skills by selecting materials that match their reading level and interests.
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Results Tumble at McGraw-Hill Education
Revenue fell 17% in the second quarter at McGraw-Hill Education with a sharp drop in sales in the school education group. Restructuring charges added to a decline in profits.
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Barnes & Noble Stores to Offer Free AT&T Wi-Fi
Barnes & Noble is partnering with AT&T to provide free in-store Wi-Fi access to customers at all outlets nationwide. CEO Steve Riggio said providing free Wi-Fi to customers is helping the retailer “[extend] the sense of community that has always been in our stores.”
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Cracks in Amazon's E-book Empire
With the launch of a new competitor and a public relations disaster, Amazon has endured one of the most difficult seven days in the e-books business since it launched its first Kindle in 2007. Amazon's removal on July 17 of 1984 and Animal Farm from customers who had downloaded the titles to their Kindle continued to be a hot topic in the book industry and blogosphere last week.
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Change Makers: Margo Baldwin
"Transforming Chelsea Green into a socially active company was really just returning to our roots.”
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