New BISG Head Named
Michael Healy, editorial director of Nielsen Book Services, has been appointed the new executive director of Book Industry Study Group. Healy, who has spent the last seven years in the U.K. with Nielsen, is also chairperson of the International ISBN Agency; a director of the International DOI Foundation; and a member of the ONIX International steering committee. BISG has been without a director since Jeff Abraham left for Random House in February. Healy will join BISG in mid-October.
B&N Gets Subpoena
Barnes & Noble has been subpoenaed by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York seeking documents related to the way the company issued stock options. In July, B&N announced that the SEC had started an informal investigation into its stock option practices; B&N has formed a special committee to investigate its stock option policies and said it will cooperate fully with the SEC probe and with the subpoena request.
New Publisher At Kids Can
Karen Boersma has been named to succeed Valerie Hussey as publisher of Kids Can Press, a leading Canadian publisher of children's books. Hussey, who has been at Kids Can for 27 years, said her decision to leave was mostly personal, noting that she's "at a point in my life where I'm ready to take on a new challenge." In a related move, Lisa Lyons has been brought in as interim general manager. Lyons will retain her title of v-p and general manager of content distribution for Corus's television division, Kids Can's parent.
MediaBay Outlook Bleak
In its most recent filing with the SEC, MediaBay said that unless the company is sold or receives new financing, it maybe forced to file for bankruptcy before the end of the year. In MediaBay's second quarter, its net loss soared to $12.9 million from $2.4 million on sales of only $1.1 million. The company has bet its future on the sales of digital downloads of spoken-word audio products, but sales of digital products have been "minimal" to date.
Melcher Moves to DK
DK Publishing has assumed worldwide English-language distribution for Melcher Media's titles that it publishes under its Melcher Media imprint. The deal does not include packaged titles or works copublished with other houses. Melcher's former distributor, Andrews McMeel, will accept returns through Nov. 15.
Correction:
The names of two Lemony Snicket titles in the Aug. 21 By the Numbers were slighty off. Book one is The Bad Beginning; book nine is The Carnivorous Carnival.
