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Penguin's Profits, Sales Hurt By Weak Dollar
Revenue fell 5% at Penguin in the first half, though excluding currency fluctuations, sales were up 1%. The company is expecting a good second half, although slow unit sales and a volatile U.S. economy are reasons for caution.
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Indie Surprises for Fall
That the New York Times Book Review would devote the front cover of its June 24 issue to Per Petterson’s Out Stealing Horses (Graywolf) was a clear validation of the importance of independent presses. Despite the dominance of a handful of large houses, smaller presses play an important role in nurturing talented writers like graphic novelist Adrian Tomine, author of Shortcomings (Drawn &a...
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Ross Promises to Revive Collins Business
Steve Ross hadn't been in his new office at HarperCollins for a week when he found himself plunking down a hefty sum for his first acquisition: the next book from flashy self-promoting entrepreneur Donald Trump. Ross, who recently took the reins of the house's Collins division, closed a “big seven-figure deal” for Trump's next book, Think Big and Kick Ass—in Business and Life,...
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University Presses Need to Change To Survive
A study released last Thursday evaluates the impact of the digital revolution on university presses and concludes that “the university-based publishing enterprise of the future must look very different from that of the past.” The study, “University Publishing in a Digital Age,” is a collaboration between Laura Brown, former president of Oxford University Press USA, and I...
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AMS Claims B&T Owes $6.2 Million
AMS contends Baker & Taylor paid only $4.1 million of an expected $10.3 million final installment on the purchase of some AMS assets and wants the bankruptcy court judge to rule on the disputed payment during an August 15 hearing.
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Balliett Leaves Perseus for Hyperion
Balliett will acquire and edit books for Hyperion and manage the editorial process, beginning August 8.
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Cagney & Lacey Producer Rethinks Publishing On Demand
Emmy Award-winning producer Barney Rosenzweig recently published his memoir, Cagney & Lacey and Me, through the Print On Demand publisher iUniverse. He explains the process and why he will go the traditional publishing route next time.
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That 8.3 Million Copies Sold
Was Just the BeginningHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has set records for Scholastic, Random House, Borders, Barnes & Noble and Amazon as the fastest-selling book (or CD) in history. Independent bookstores also reported record sales, with scattered reports of shortages.
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Chang to LBYR
Melanie Chang has been named executive director of publicity and communications at Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, succeeding Elizabeth Eulberg.
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Little, Brown Has Big Plans for Meyer
One of the few things that can provoke a hint of annoyance from author Stephenie Meyer is calling her the next J.K. Rowling. While the press might be eager to crown the Phoenix homemaker—cum—international bestseller the next YA fantasy wunderkind, Meyer would demur that she will never be as big as the creator of Harry Potter.
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Scholastic Gives Continuities Last Chance
While Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will provide a boost to Scholastic's sales and earnings in fiscal 2008, another important ingredient in improving the company's earnings is turning around the performance in its continuities business, which posted another large loss in the fiscal year ended May 31.
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Moving On at PMA
In 1983, Jan Nathan was asked to represent 15 small Southern California publishers at the ABA convention in Dallas. Nathan, a Brooklyn native but by then a longtime Californian, had dabbled in various publishing ventures, including transportation and travel magazines and had just started her own company, whose mission was to help manage trade associations.
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Big Books on Campus
This fall, university presses are at the forefront of the debate on many of today's front-page issues. In fact, one book, Poems from Guantánamo, actually made the front page of the Wall Street Journal. Iraq, the Guantánamo detainees, the environment, the role of religion in America today: these are the subjects of lead titles from several presses.
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A New Home for International Literature
Chad W. Post, formerly of Dalkey Archives Press, is leading a new publishing company dedicated to translations and other international literaure.
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Fulcrum Buys Speck; Adds Staff
Fulcrum Press has acquired Speck Press, adding 20 titles to its list; Speck founder Derek Lawrence will join Fulcrum in September as associate publisher.
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Doubleday to Publish Pelosi
First female Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, has signed with Doubleday to release a memoir scheduled for publication in summer 2008.
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EBay Pulls Harry Potter 7 Listing--
Hours After Sale Was CompletedEBay has become the latest front in the battle to salvage the battered HP 7 embargo.
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Tales from the Slush Pile #82
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Scholastic's Intricate Plan to Guard HP 7
Apparently Undone By Upstart E-TailerParent company of DeepDiscount.com promises investigation of embargo breach, as Scholastic issues plea to readers who got copies early: "keep the packages hidden until midnight on July 21st."
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Wainwright to Crown
Katie Wainwright, formerly of Hyperion, will take up the post of Vice President, Executive Director of Publicity at Crown Publishing Group as of August 1, 2007.
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