April Bookstore Sales Jump

Bookstore sales jumped a surprising 8.0% in April, to $1.0 billion, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, while sales for the entire retail segment increased 3.6%. The Census Bureau revised downward its estimates for March, to $1.02 million, making sales in that month equal to March 2007. For the first four months of the year, bookstore sales were up 5.4%, to $5.45 billion, while sales for all of retail rose 3.9%.

Miller Unit Dubbed HarperStudio

Bob Miller’s new publishing venture at HarperCollins officially has a name: HarperStudio. Miller also named Debbie Stier associate publisher and Julia Cheiffetz senior editor for the imprint. Stier has been at Morrow Avon and Cheiffetz joins from Random House.

Results Slip At EDC

Sales at Educational Development Corp. fell 2.9% for the fiscal year ended February 29, to $30.5 million. Earnings dropped 3.4%, to $2.3 million. The sales decline came entirely in EDC’s home business division, where sales fell 3.9%, to $22.4 million. Sales through the division’s home shows fell 9%, as the number of consultants declined from 9,800 to 7,900. Sales in the publishing division, which sells to the retail market, inched ahead 0.3%, to $8.1 million. A 7% decline in sales to chain stores was offset by increases to smaller retailers.

Globe Acquires Compass Maps

Less than a year after its purchase of Footprint, based in Bath, England, Globe Pequot Press has acquired a second U.K. travel publisher, Compass Maps Ltd., of Winford. Andy Riddle, managing director of Footprint, will assume the additional title of sales director for Compass. Linda Flynn has been promoted to general manager of Compass and will report to both Riddle and Michelle Lewy, senior v-p of sales and new product development at GPP. The Map Group, previously part of GPP parent company Morris Communications’ Morris Visitor Publications, will move to GPP.

Tokyopop Revamps

Tokyopo has created two separate divisions—the Tokyopop Inc. publishing unit and Tokyopop Media, a digital and comics-to-films unit—and eliminated about 39 Tokyopop staffers. Tokyopop is cutting in half the number of titles it plans to release and will also pull out as a major exhibitor at the San Diego Comic-Con International.

Audio Holdings Buys Durkin Hayes

Audio Holdings has acquired the assets of Durkin-Hayes Publishing and will begin reissuing many of its audiobooks before the end of 2008. The complete Hayes library consists of more than 1,000 master recordings, approximately half of which have been digitized. In addition to re-releasing existing DH titles, Audio Holdings will start a new publishing program, with plans to publish audiobooks worldwide and in a variety of languages. All audiobooks will be distributed by NBN.

Penguin Canada Adds Hamish Hamilton

Penguin Group Canada will launch the literary imprint Hamish Hamilton Canada next March. The imprint plans to release five to 10 titles annually, with the first three from acclaimed Canadian authors Kim Echlin (The Disappeared), Colin McAdam (Fall), and Ali Smith (The First Person and Other Stories). Penguin Canada executive editor Nicole Winstanley has been named to head the imprint.