St. Martin’s Signs Roberts

Bestselling author Nora Roberts signed a six-book deal with St. Martin’s Press. The deal, brokered by Amy Berkower of Writers House, includes North American rights to one standalone novel, one trilogy, and two J.D. Robb books. The titles were acquired by Jennifer Enderlin, senior v-p and publisher, and Sally Richardson, president and publisher of St. Martin’s. The first book in the deal will be released in 2017.

Rosato Leaves BEA

After 18 years at BookExpo America, event director Steven Rosato has left for a new venture. Brien McDonald, director of publisher and studio relations for BEA, will assume Rosato’s duties for the upcoming Chicago show.

B&N Education Revamps Digital

Barnes & Noble Education took a $12 million impairment charge in its third quarter to reflect the restructuring of its digital operations. As part of overhauling that part of its business, B&NE is closing its Yuzu digital educational platform and will replace it with a long-term agreement signed with Ingram’s VitalSource and the purchase of LoudCloud, a digital platform and analytics provider.

Amazon to Open Second Physical Store

After opening its first physical bookstore last year in Seattle, Amazon has confirmed reports that it will open a second bricks-and-mortar outpost in San Diego, Calif. The new store is scheduled to open this summer.

Publishing Profits Up at Lagardere

Lagardere reported that EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) in its publishing division rose to €198 million in 2015, a €1 million increase over 2014. Lower e-book sales in the U.S. led to a decline in profits at Lagardere’s U.S. subsidiary, Hachette Book Group.